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This Mexican Cauliflower Rice is a fun way to enjoy cauliflower. It’s kinda like two dishes in one—your rice and your veggies. Plus, thanks to a food processor, this is simple to throw together.
The combination of juicy tangy tomatoes, perfectly crisp-tender cauliflower shreds, slightly sweet tomato paste, and a mix of spices is absolute harmony. For some reason it just works.
My favorite part—it doesn’t feel like cauliflower trying to be something it isn’t. We all know those recipes that try to swap in cauliflower. And often times it just lands flat.
This recipe isn’t trying to replace anything. It doesn’t cover up the fact that it’s cauliflower, but it also doesn’t hit you over the head with brassica flavor. The balance in flavor makes this “rice” a great side dish, filling, bed for grilled fish and chicken, or base for bowl meals (burrito bowls, taco bowls etc.).
How to Make Cauliflower Rice
For this cauliflower rice, I took inspiration from Mexican Rice for flavor. And while the flavors remain true to form, the cooking process is drastically different from regular Mexican rice.
Not only are we removing an ingredient that absorbs liquid, but we’re also replacing that ingredient with one that releases liquid. Do you see how this could cause some problems?
Many cauliflower rice recipes call for added water or broth, which I find to be completely unnecessary. The cauliflower itself has enough moisture to create adequate steam for cooking.
- Shred the cauliflower into “rice.” For this step, you can use a box grater or the food processor with the grater attachment (I prefer this method).
- Cook onion in a large sauté pan until starting to brown.
- Add tomato paste, garlic, and spices and cook for one minute.
- Drain and rinse canned tomatoes. Add thoroughly drained tomatoes to the sauté pan; add the cauliflower and toss to combine.
- Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and steam cauliflower for 5–8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
Make sure to tag me @ZESTFULKITCHEN ON INSTAGRAM or comment below if you make this Mexican Cauliflower Rice!
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Mexican Cauliflower Rice with Canned Tomatoes
Description
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Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower (2 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup finely minced yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- kosher salt
Instructions
- Remove stem and trim leaves from cauliflower.
- To shred the cauliflower into rice using a box grater: cut cauliflower into large chunks, then grate into rice using the medium-sized holes.
- To shred the cauliflower into rice using a food processor: cut cauliflower into small pieces, attach the grater attachment to food processor, and feed cauliflower into processor to shred.
- Heat olive oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high. Add onion and cook until softened and starting to turn golden brown, 3–5 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, garlic, oregano, cumin, cayenne, and paprika; cook 1 minute. Add drained tomatoes and cauliflower; toss to combine. Cover skillet with a tight fitting lid and let steam until tender, 5–8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in ¾ teaspoon salt; season with additional salt and black pepper to taste.
