Tired of empty-calorie, high carb foods filling your plate?
My Cauliflower Mexican Rice recipe is a fantastic nutrient-dense side dish that will rock your low carb world.
Cauliflower Mexican Rice One Pot Meal
Better yet? Throw in some leftover chicken to make Cauliflower Mexican Rice a one-pot meal.
Is Cauliflower Low in Carbohydrates?
For those avoiding starchy foods such as white rice, cauliflower is a wonderful alternative packed with vitamins, minerals, and a wealth of antioxidants.
| Calories | Carbs | Fiber | Net Carbs | Protein | Fat | |
| Cauliflower, cooked (3 oz) | 20 | 4g | 1g | 2g | 2g | 0g |
| White Rice, cooked (1/2 cup) | 102 | 23g | 1g | 22g | 2g | 0g |
Carbs in Cauli
I’ve been substituting cauliflower rice in place of white rice since I went on a grain-free diet more than twenty years ago in 2001.
Easy Recipe for Dirty Rice
And my boys have enjoyed eating this healthy way too! They love Cauliflower Mexican Rice, though they call it dirty rice.
Back in the day, before they went to college, we had this spicy low carb side dish with the Herbed Turkey Loaf recipe from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. They and their friends went wild for this healthy dinner.
I hope you love this healthy Cauliflower Mexican Rice recipe as much as we do!
Cauliflower Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup white onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 cup yellow pepper, diced
- 1 cup red pepper, diced
- 1 bunch scallions, chopped
- 3 cups cauliflower, riced with your food processor or box grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
Instructions
Cajun Rice Recipe with Cauliflower
With garlic, onion, peppers, and an array of Cajun spices like chili and cumin, this is one healthy side dish the whole family will love.
Is Cauliflower Good For You?
The health benefits of cauliflower are numerous.
First, cauliflower belongs to the brassica family, along with broccoli, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, and more, also known as cruciferous vegetables.
Health Benefits Cauliflower
Cruciferous vegetables are full of fiber, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds that contain a number of substances that both nourish and detoxify the body.
One particularly exciting thing about cruciferous vegetables is that they contain indole 3-carbinol (IC3) which activates detoxification pathways in the gut and liver potentially lowering cancer risk.
Due to the benefits of IC3, I take at least one DIM capsule per day and eat as many helpings of brassica vegetables as I can each week.
Cauliflower Nutrients
In addition to being a great detoxifier, cauliflower is packed with a number of nutrients including:
- Vitamin C
- Iron
- Calcium
- Magnesium
Keto Diet Healthy Recipes
Because it is both nutritious and low-carb, cauliflower is a great food if you are on a keto diet. For more low-carb recipes see my Keto Diet Healthy Recipes page.
Low Carb Alternatives to Rice
Did you know that you can use cauliflower as a healthy substitute for rice in many dishes?
And if you’re looking for more amazing low carb substitutes for starchy fare, check out my article on Low Carb Pasta: Healthy Low Carb Swaps for Noodles.
Recipes for Riced Cauliflower
After I created my Basic Cauliflower Rice recipe, I received many requests for flavored cauliflower rice recipes.
When I saw that Paleo Comfort Foods had a recipe for Dirty Rice, I knew I’d have to make my own version. My Cauliflower Mexican Rice is based on theirs.
Cauliflower Low Carb Recipes
Mexican Chicken and Rice
If you love my Mexican Cauliflower Rice you’ll want to check out my skillet Mexican Chicken and Rice which elevates this one pot dish to a new level.
Roasted Cauliflower Oven with Carrots and Zucchini
Love cauliflower but want to bring some other roasted vegetables to the table?
My Roasted Cauliflower Carrots and Zucchini is made with those three delicious vegetables. Sprinkle with oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary and you’re good to go!
Recipe for Mashed Cauliflower
I don’t know about you, but as the days get cooler I crave my recipe for Mashed Cauliflower which is also the perfect Thanksgiving side dish.
This recipe for Mashed Cauliflower is made with only three ingredients: cauliflower, olive oil, and salt. If you’ve been wondering how to make cauli mash you’ll be so happy you found this dish.
Cauliflower Soup Roasted
My Roasted Cauliflower Soup contains a mere five ingredients. All you need to make it is cauliflower, olive oil, salt, onion, and bone broth –you couldn’t have a shorter grocery list for delicious homemade soup.
No Potato Salad Homemade
Can’t eat potatoes but miss potato salad? I have the perfect solution for you.
My No Potato Salad is the perfect low-carb potato salad alternative for picnics, barbecues, and dinner any old night of the week.
You won’t miss the real thing and will be hooked on this healthy new salad!
Cauliflower Recipes Easy
I hope you enjoy all of my easy, healthy cauliflower recipes. What’s your favorite way to eat cauliflower?
Leave a comment and let me know!
This post is an oldie but goodie from the archives, I first published Cauliflower Mexican Rice in 2011.
Niki of Spilled Ingredients says
What a cool way to highlight the versatility of cauliflower. I’ll be giving this a try – my new favorite veggie broth is to use Rapunzel (all natural, no MSG) cubes – dissolve in boiling water and ta-da, best.broth.ever!
Alisa Fleming says
I LOVE cauliflower rice, but this version really takes it to the next level Elana!
Chris Armstrong says
This is perfect Elana! Who needs real rice?
Dan says
that looks fabulous
AnnMarie Deis says
GENIUS!!! :)
Keri says
Looks spectacularly yummy. I’m new to the ricing technique and am wondering if a food mill with a coarse blade could also do the job here.
Carol Kintigh says
Do you “rice” the caulflower while it is raw, or is it pre-cooked and then “riced?” Sounds yummy! Can’t wait to try it!!
Stephanie says
Agree with you, as a vegetarian! Sub vegetable stock or water. Otherwise, this looks fabulous.
Mary says
My vegetarian SIL would not be happy with me if I gave him something with chicken stock in it. Being a meat eater myself, I wasn’t aware it was OK to use chicken stock in vegan meals!
pamela says
You’re right, of course, Mary, chicken stock is not vegan, but I don’t think this recipe claimed to be vegan. Elana mentioned serving it with turkey meatloaf, as well.
One could substitute vegetable broth and be good to go if vegan is the goal.
Kris says
Oh wow! I’ve just gone paleo, like, two weeks ago (after a brief transitional period of trying low carb and getting sick of recipes using artificial sweeteners and crap wherever I looked), and am still very much in the reading-up-phase, and more or less re-learning to cook without trying to focus on “substituting”, but more on using what I’ve got and what I know will be good for me. Your blog has kept me fascinated and entertained all morning, and there are so many things I just can’t wait to try. In fact, I think I may go out and buy a cauliflower right now. If it’s not going to be the dirty rice, it’s going to be the Mexican chicken — or a combination thereof. Thank you so much for this — I think I may become regular!
Primal Toad says
I think you will become a regular too. And, you still stay paleo for life. You may go through a period like I did where you binge eat on crap for a few months but then you come back and you come back stronger forever. The community is way too damn awesome to NOT be with! Good luck on your primal journey!
loligoss says
Elana,
Served your broccoli roasted (also made cauliflower roasted) and everyone said that it was so much better than cooked/steamed.
I am so going to serve the “dirty” rice on Rosh Hashana.
Thanks for your great ideas.
Deborah Penner says
Totally have to try this one!! My mouth is watering reading the recipe!!