Cauliflower Caprese Skillet Recipe

Taylor Kiser | Food. Faith. Fitness.

Cauliflower Caprese Skillet has all the comfort you want in a skillet dinner, plus a huge dose of vegetables. Now that's amazing!

It’s decided.

Today, the dictionary is WRONG.

I just googled “what does Caprese mean?” and I was told “refers to something that comes from the Italian island of Capri.”

Cauliflower Caprese Skillet Photo

I’m calling Google’s bluff today. F-A-L-S-E with a capital FALSE.

I think you and I can both agree that the TRUE, real-life definition of “Caprese” should be “a flavor bomb of crazy delicious things that taste cheesy and fresh in your food-loving mouth.”

Nailed it.

The magical combo of juicy tomatoes, fragrant basil, a drizzle of olive oil and that CHEWY, SOFT and UBER luscious Mozzarella is enough to send anyone in a downward spiral of food addiction.

Except the kind of addiction that you NEVER want to break free from. You know the kind.

Cauliflower Caprese Skillet Picture

Side note: this kind of addiction also happens when you learn you can make CROCK POT paleo cookies with chocolate chips.  Totally 100% addicted to making those on a regular basis.

Back to your new favorite dinner of all the dinners.

My one beef (or should we say turkey?) with an avocado caprese salad, or caprese tarts is that they just don’t FEEL hearty. 

I don’t get that satisfied-just-ate-nutritious-food-and-now-the-HANGER-is-gone kinda feeling inside my stomach when I munch on tomatoes and cheese.  It’s just doesn’t feel SOUL SATISYING. 

You know what I’m talkin’ about.

Just like we are changing the definition of words, we are A-L-S-O changing that lack-of-satisfying-feeling today because this skillet meal of fresh, saucy goodness?

Packed with protein? CHECK. A dose of HIDDEN veggies? OH YEAAAA. Low carb but feels SO NOT? YES YES YES!

So, cauliflower patties. Let’s discuss.

Cauliflower Caprese Skillet Image

I can already see your eyeballs peering at me question and wondering what in the planet Earth is a cauliflower patty?  To be quite honest, I am not even 100% sure myself.

I don’t even know if it was ever a thing in food-land until the very moment that your eyes peeped at them. AKA: RIGHT NOW.

But, I was inspired by cauliflower pizzas. And decide that we make mini-fy a cauliflower crust and bake it inside a skillet of creamy, tomato yumminess that had just the right flavor profiles of basil! Oregano! Garlic!

And then load it up with ooey-gooey cheese, super-fresh basil, and call it Caprese.

It was also decided that it would be extra super delicious on top of a bed of fresh zucchini noodles. Spring is in the air my friends, it’s time to eat ALL THE VEGETABLES.

Cauliflower Caprese Skillet Pic

The main thing I love about this weeknight-dinner skillet of fancy-feeling Italian flavors is that you would actually never know that you’re shoveling 80% vegetables into your hungry-feed-me-now-dinner-eating belly.

The addition of ground turkey makes it feel all COZY and HEARTY and other general good food vibes that I know you’re going to love.

Let’s be real. How could you not love anything that uses, not one, but T-W-O varieties of Mozzarella?

My cheese loving-friends of internet-land, you know what they say: good big, or go home.

Spoiler alert: double the cheese is DEFINITELY not going home.

Unless you’re going home so that fancy-you can face plant into this fancy-feeling dinner.

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Cauliflower Caprese Skillet Recipe

    4 Servings

Ingredients

For the Cauliflower Patties:
  • 3 cups Cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets, 300g
  • 1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, very tightly packed, 1.5 ounces
  • 1 teaspoon Minced Fresh Garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 Egg
For the Sauce:
  • 1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1/2 pound Lean Ground Turkey
  • 1/4 cup Diced Onion
  • 1/2 tablespoon Minced Fresh Garlic
  • 1 15 ounce can Tomato Sauce
  • 1 cup Crushed Tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
  • 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • Ground Black Pepper
  • 4 tablespoons Fresh Mozzarella de Bufala
  • Fresh Basil
  • Zucchini noodles, or cauliflower rice, for serving

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Place the cauliflower into a large food processor and process until broken down and “rice-like.”  Transfer to a large, microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 3 minutes. Stir, and then microwave and additional 2 minutes.
  3. While the cauliflower cooks, heat the olive oil up in a large, high-sided, oven-safe pan with a lid over medium/high heat. Add in the turkey, onion and garlic and cook, breaking the turkey up, until golden brown. About 3-4 minutes.
  4. Add the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt and a pinch of pepper into the pan and stir to combine the tomato paste. Bring to a boil.
  5. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken and reduce, about 10 minutes.
  6. While the sauce reduced, add the Mozzarella cheese, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and a pinch of pepper into the cooked cauliflower rice. Stir well. Then, add in the egg, lightly whisking it with a fork and then stirring until evenly combined into the cauliflower. The mixture should be quite wet.
  7. Once the sauce is ready form the cauliflower into 8 small patties and place them inside the pan, gently pressing them down into the sauce. Careful not to break them!
  8. Cover the pan and place into the oven until the cauliflower patties feel firm and set, about 30-35 minutes.
  9. Divide the fresh Mozzarella evenly between each cauliflower patty, cover, and cook and additional 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
  10. Place a leaf of fresh basil on each cauliflower patty.
  11. Serve over cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles, and DEVOUR.

Notes

  • I like this a little better with 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the sauce, but I like my food salty. So I recommend doing 1/4 teaspoon, tasting at the end, and adding more if needed.

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Published:
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Cuisine:
Italian
Category:
Dinners
Tags:
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Related Recipes:
Healthy Recipes, Cauliflower Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Tomato Recipes, Italian Recipes, Mozzarella Recipes, Cheese Recipes, Vegetable Recipes
Recipe Yields:
4 servings
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:
Related Post:
Published:
Author: Taylor Kiser
Recipe Yields: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe 4

Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 90
Calories 268

% Daily Value*
17%
Total Fat 11g
16%
  Saturated Fat 3g
20%
Sodium 489mg
6%
Total Carbohydrate 19g
2%
  Dietary Fiber 2g
  Sugars 6g
36%
Protein 18g

* Percent Daily Value are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrition Facts are estimated based on ingredients and data provided by Fat Secret. Please consult a doctor if you have special dietary needs.
Taylor Kiser

About Taylor

Taylor keeps food, faith and fitness close to the heart on her blog of the same name. We're excited to have her as a Healthy Eating fanatic.

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