Cauliflower Colcannon is a healthy, low-carb twist on a traditional Irish dish. It's perfect for your St. Patrick's Day menu. But you'll want to enjoy creamy mashed cauliflower with kale and spring onions all year long when you see how easy it is to make using frozen cauliflower!
Traditional Colcannon is made with potatoes and gets a healthy kick from kale (or cabbage) and green onions. Genius! It's two side dishes in one bowl.
With that in mind, all we had to do was make delicious cauliflower mash and stir in sautéed greens to turn it into a low-carb version of the classic side dish. It's a perfect pairing with corned beef, ham, or topped with a fried egg!
You'll love this recipe because it's:
- Low in carbs, keto-friendly, and gluten-free.
- Easy to make using fresh or frozen cauliflower florets.
- Ready in 20 minutes using one pot.
- Stores and freezes well.
By the way, leave out the kale, and you have Champ!
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Ingredients and Variations
This Mashed Cauliflower Colcannon recipe is vegetarian. Make a vegan Colcannon, using the recommended options below.
- Cauliflower florets - frozen or fresh. Use 30 ounces of frozen florets or 2 heads of fresh cauliflower.
- Butter or plant-based butter.
- Milk of choice. We used whole milk. Heavy cream or half and half make the dish even creamier. Use soy or almond milk for a plant-based version.
- Kale with woody stems removed and torn into bite-sized pieces. Curly, lactino, and baby kale are perfect in this recipe.
- Green Onions chopped. Use the white and green parts in this recipe. Reserve some green parts for garnish. Leeks are an alternative to spring onions.
- Olive Oil for wilting the kale and softening the onion.
- Garlic cloves add additional flavor but are optional.
You'll need salt and pepper too. Add a minimal amount to start and add more to taste upon serving.
Tasty variation: Garnish with crispy bacon.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
Directions with Pictures
Below are the steps to make low-carb Colcannon. First, make creamy mashed cauliflower (first set of pictures), then cook and incorporate the kale mixture (second set of pictures.)
- Cook cauliflower florets and drain. If using frozen cauliflower, follow the directions on the package to either steam it in the microwave or boil it on the stovetop.
- Tip: While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare the kale and green onion.
- For fresh cauliflower, boil a large pot of water and cook cauliflower until tender when poked with a fork, 6-7 minutes.
- Add cauliflower to a large pot and add milk, butter, salt, and pepper.
- Puree with an immersion blender.
- Note: Alternatively, process cooked cauliflower in a food processor until mashed. Pulse to reach the desired consistency.
- Stir thoroughly, then temporarily move to a serving dish.
- Note: Make the consistency creamier if desired by adding more butter, milk, broth, or reserved liquid from cooking the cauliflower.
- Heat olive oil in the pot used to cook cauliflower over medium heat. Add green onions and garlic.
- Add kale to the pot and sauté about 5 minutes or until wilted and onions are soft.
- Return mashed cauliflower to the pot and stir to combine all the ingredients.
- Garnish with green onions. Salt and pepper to taste.
Make It Even Faster!
Start with a box of frozen mashed cauliflower from the freezer aisle. Cook according to the directions and then follow the remaining steps in this recipe to turn it into Cauliflower Colcannon.
Storage and Reheating
- Store - Place leftover Cauliflower Colcannon in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat - Warm leftovers in a pot over medium heat until hot. Or reheat this dish in the microwave until warm, which will only take a few minutes.
- Freeze - Freeze leftovers in an airtight storage container for up to 3 months. Microwave this dish from frozen or defrost it overnight in the refrigerator and warm it.
More Cauliflower Recipes
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📋 Recipe
Cauliflower Colcannon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 30 ounces frozen cauliflower florets or 2 heads of cauliflower
- ¼ cup whole milk or almond or soy milk.
- 2 Tablespoons butter softened, more to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 3 cups kale lactino, curly, baby kale; about 1 bunch, woody stems removed, torn into bite-sized pieces.
Instructions
- Cook frozen cauliflower florets and drain, following the directions on the package.
- Place cauliflower in a large pot. Add milk, butter, salt, and pepper and puree with an immersion blender. Alternatively, pulse cooked cauliflower in a food processor until mashed to desired consistency. Note: If you boiled the cauliflower florets, then use the same pot!
- Temporarily move cauliflower to a serving dish.
- Heat olive oil over medium-high in the same large pot that is now empty.
- Add green onion, garlic, and kale and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onions are softened and the kale is wilted.
- Return mashed cauliflower to the pot and stir to thoroughly combine.
- Garnish with green onions. Salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Store - Place leftover Cauliflower Colcannon, in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat - Warm leftovers in a pot over medium-high heat until hot. You can also reheat this dish in the microwave until warmed through, which will only take a few minutes.
- Freeze - Leftovers may be frozen in an airtight storage container. Store up to 3 months. May be microwaved from frozen or defrosted overnight in the refrigerator and then warmed.
Elaine
I enjoyed testing this recipe very much. I enjoy mashed cauliflower quite a bit and the addition of kale and onion was a nice variation and easy to do. I did not have garlic cloves, but did add a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Will make this again for my family on St. Patrick's Day!
Marjory Pilley
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!