Cauliflower Mash with Meatballs Smothered in Gravy

Cauliflower Mash with Meatballs Smothered in Gravy

Switch up your everyday dinner routine with this delicious, creamy cauliflower mash with meatballs that are tender and juicy. This meal is keto friendly, and sure to leave your family feeling happy and fulfilled.

Oh my goodness, it’s been a while hasn’t it?! Where do I start? Life has been a whirlwind, but I missed you guys, and happy to be back sharing some yummy recipes that I’ve been working on for a while now.

First major thing we should note is that I recently switched to the keto diet. Yep, that’s right I’ve joined the bandwagon, and have been really happy with the results I’ve been seeing. I’m down 10 pounds, but more importantly I feel amazing! I have so much more energy, and have been able to focus and just get through the day feeling great. It’s also been a lot of fun coming up with different recipes to eat on the keto diet, and today’s recipe is definitely one of my favorites!

This cauliflower mash with meatballs smothered in gravy is a dream come true because it’s low carb, but you would never be able to tell. To start, the cauliflower mash is creamy, velvety, and super filling. It’s just like eating mashed potatoes without the high carb count. Potatoes are something I really miss while doing the keto diet so it’s nice to have cauliflower as on option. I love that cauliflower has a mild taste on its’s own so you can really amp up the flavor by adding different seasonings to it. I opted to leave garlic out of the mash since I was serving it with meatballs and gravy, but you could totally add it. Garlic cauliflower mash serves as a great side dish.

Now, most meatball recipes call for some sort of breadcrumbs to make the meatballs tender. Of course, on keto that’s a no no, so for this recipe I left the breadcrumbs out. You could add almond flour to replace the breadcrumbs which I tried once, but wasn’t fond of the flavor. So you’re probably wondering how I got the meatballs to be juicy and tender, right? Here’s the secret.

To get a tender and juicy meatball, you want to use meat that has a high content of fat. Luckily, this is perfect on the keto diet! I used a pound of ground beef that was 80% lean and 20 % fat. Next, you want to add an egg to the meat because it acts as a binder. Lastly, you want to be gentle with these meatballs. It’s important not to over mix the meat, and while forming the meatballs you want to do so carefully. Because there are no breadcrumbs in the meat; they can fall a part a lot easier so being gentle is key.

To make the delicious gravy I removed the meatballs from the pan, and added some butter along with heavy cream, and beef stock. I seasoned with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder and let it reduce until it was thick in consistency. Super easy, and SO MUCH FLAVOR! This cauliflower mash with meatballs has been a favorite, and when I posted it on Instagram it went crazy! So many of you requested that I share the recipe so here it is! Check out the Cauliflower Mash with Meatballs Smothered in Gravy below.

Cauliflower Mash with Meatballs Smothered in Gravy

Switch up your everyday dinner routine with this delicious, creamy cauliflower mash with meatballs that are tender and juicy. This meal is keto friendly, and sure to leave your family feeling happy and fulfilled.

Author: Evi

Recipe type: Dinner

Ingredients

For the Cauliflower Mash

• 1 pound cauliflower, cut into small florets or riced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• ½ teaspoon avocado oil
• salt and black pepper to taste
• Optional: additional grated Parmesan cheese and parsley for garnish

For the Meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp avocado oil

For the gravy

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup beef stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• *cornstarch slurry (if the gravy is too watery)

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Instructions

1. Bring water to a boil in the lower part of a steamer. Place cauliflower in the upper part and season with salt to taste. Steam the cauliflower until tender, about 7-10 minutes total.
2. Transfer steamed cauliflower (drain the water) to a food processor. Reserve about ¼th cup of the flower and set aside. Add the salt, black pepper, butter, Parmesan cheese and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the ¼th cup of cauliflower. Set aside.
3. For the meatballs: Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Mix together taking care not to over mix the meat. Form each meatball by hand doing so gently, about 2 inches in diameter.
4. Heat two tablespoons of avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs to the skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes, rotating each ball, until cooked through and browned. Remove the meatballs from the pan, and set aside.
5. For the gravy: Add the butter to the exact same skillet the meatballs were in over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the beef stock, heavy cream, and garlic powder . Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the gravy has thickened (can coat the back of a spoon) about 5-7 minutes.
6. To serve add the cauliflower mash to a bowl. Place the meatballs on top and ladle the gravy on top. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Notes

*If the consistency is too water make a cornstarch slurry by combining 1 tsp of cornstarch and 1 tsp water. Add this to the gravy to help thicken it.

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