I am so excited to try this pureed dish using cauliflower rice as a “mock pasta” to assess how effective a substitute it is in pureed cooking! I have wanted to try this for a long time.
Pasta is a challenge for individuals on a pureed diet but it plays a central role in many of the dishes we are familiar with eating. I have been unhappy with how regular pasta turns out when I have experimented with pureeing it. The internet is full of recipes using cauliflower rice so let’s jump in and give it a try today!
Cauliflower rice can be easily changed to taste like other foods by the ingredients added to it. Think of using it like you would white rice, potatoes, or pasta as the base of a meal to build on. Unlike these foods, cauliflower is a low starch food and can be prepared in many ways and used as a substitute for these foods.
PUREED SHRIMP ALFREDO WITH MOCK PASTA
Equipment
- 1 food processor a blender can be used in place of processor
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh shrimp
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes optional ingredient, to taste
- 1 tbsp butter
- broth, vegetable or chicken add as needed to get smooth pudding consistency
- 1 pkg cauliflower rice, thawed Find in freezer Dept at store with other frozen vegetables.
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- broth, vegetable or chicken add as needed to get smooth pudding consistency
- ounce jar of Alfredo sauce
- 1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese shaker cheese in jar
- food thickener use as needed to thicken sauce to pudding consistency
Instructions
- Add raw fresh shrimp, shell removed, in a bowl with olive oil and spices (basil, Italian seasoning, oregano and pepper flakes). Stir to coat shrimp.
- Cook shrimp in frying pan with butter on medium heat until cooked through. Set aside on a plate to cool
- Add cooled shrimp to food processor and blend until smooth texture. Add broth in small amounts and continue to blend until a smooth pudding consistency.
- Add butter to frying pan and sauté the garlic on medium heat until softened. Add cauliflower rice with salt and pepper to taste and cook on medium heat until cauliflower is cooked . Set aside to cool.
- Add cooled cauliflower rice to food processor and blend until smooth texture. Add broth in small amounts and continue to blend until a smooth pudding consistency.
- Add jar of Alfredo sauce to saucepan and heat until warmed through. Add food thickener as needed to make it pudding thick consistency.
- Heat up on top of stove or in microwave each part of the dish separately (shrimp, rice and sauce). Plate the dish with pureed cauliflower rice on the bottom, add pureed shrimp mixture on the rice for a layer and on top add a layer of Alfredo sauce.
Now that I have made and eaten this dish, I can definitely say it was very, very good! I would go so far as to say that I bet if the cook did not disclose the use of riced cauliflower in place of a pasta that the eater would not be able to distinguish the difference. It was that good!
Cooking our favorite foods or familiar recipes can often be taken from us or avoided when an individual is cooking foods for a pureed diet. My goal is to continuously try and make these familiar recipes still a part of your meal rotation.
Don’t forget to freeze the leftovers!
Look for more recipes in the coming weeks using cauliflower rice in other recipes. Watch me make this dish on my YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSHxM8j4aA0