Baked Cauliflower Tots

by Michele Pesula Kuegler | September 27th, 2022 | Appetizers, Healthy Cooking, Recipes, Side Dishes
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Step aside, tater tots!
These baked cauliflower tots deliver all sorts of crunchy yumminess while also being a healthy snack.

baked cauliflower totsTater tots. It is the childhood favorite side that seems to be appearing everywhere lately. That even includes Think Tasty, as you’ll be seeing a new recipe that utilizes them in a recipe that will be shared in two weeks. But I digress. Tater tots may be a flavorful side dish, whether served simply with ketchup and chicken nuggets at your dining room tabled or drizzled with truffle aioli at a swanky bar. However, we do need to be honest; tater tots are not what I’d call a healthy side dish. Yummy- yes. Healthy- not quite.

While indulging in tater tots might be a fine treat, they shouldn’t be a regular menu item. (At least in my book.) So I considered whether there would be a healthy way to replicate the taste and texture of regular tater tots. The answer was cauliflower, the fine ingredient that also is popping up everywhere- replacing rice, substituting for meat, and now replacing shredded potato. Having cooked cauliflower in all these ways, I find it really is multi-purpose.

As goes with many alternative recipes, you shouldn’t try to pretend that these are real tater tots; the taste is different. If you eat your tater tots like I do (dipped in ketchup), the difference isn’t overwhelming. They don’t have an overly strong cauliflower flavor, but they do lack a small amount of the crunch.

We enjoyed these cauliflower tots as a side to accompany our fruit salad wraps. This gave a nice balance to the meal by adding a bit of saltiness. They also made this this one of the healthier sandwich and a side dinners I’ve seen in quite a while.

Side note: If you don’t own a food processor, although messy, you can get the correct texture for the cauliflower by grating it on the course side of a box grater.

Baked Cauliflower Tots

Yields 24
A healthier spin on traditional tater tots




Print

Prep Time
30 min

Cook Time
28 min

Total Time
1 hr

Prep Time
30 min

Cook Time
28 min

Total Time
1 hr

Ingredients
  1. 3 cups cauliflower florets
  2. 2 egg whites
  3. 3 Tb. flour
  4. 2 Tb. panko
  5. ½ cup shredded cheddar
  6. 1 tsp. garlic powder
  7. Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Place cauliflower florets in food processor, and puree until the consistency of bread crumbs.
  3. Place ground cauliflower in microwave safe bowl, cover, and heat for 2 minutes
  4. Stir, re-cover, and return to microwave for another 2 minutes.
  5. Uncover and allow to sit for 10 minutes, then transfer to a double layer of paper towels.
  6. Gently squeeze to remove excess liquid.
  7. Return cauliflower to cooking bowl.
  8. Add egg whites, flour, panko, cheddar, and garlic powder, and mix well.
  9. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
  10. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  11. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture, and form into an oval, tot shape; place on prepared tray.
  12. When all tots are formed, place tray in oven and bake for 12 minutes.
  13. Flip tots, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on both sides
  14. Serve immediately with ketchup or preferred dipping sauce.
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