Home Side dishes Cauliflower Colcannon

Cauliflower Colcannon

by Ann
6 comments

… or Cauliflower “Kale-Cannon”

Cauliflower "Kale"-cannon ~ the popular Irish comfort dish Colcannon, lightened up with cauliflower and kale!


Irish colcannon, the traditional comfort food all the Irish (and some of us Americans) love to sing about. Every time I think about colcannon, the song starts playing in my head and I feel like breaking out into song and doing a little jig. I discovered Colcannon years ago and have made it many times, in a few different ways, but always with potatoes and always with cabbage, bacon (or ham, which is closer to the Irish style of bacon) and butter.

This year, I thought: what if I tried mashed cauliflower in place of the potatoes? How would that do? And then I also thought … what if I used kale instead of cabbage? … That sounded good too. I knew that some use kale in their colcannon, so I wasn’t totally straying from Irish tradition by using kale … but yeah, still use butter. Irish grass fed butter, my new heart healthy friend that’s loaded with vitamin K2.

I meant to make this a week ago so I could get the post up long before St. Patty’s Day. I even bought all the ingredients last weekend … and then let the cauliflower and kale and green onions sit in my veggie drawer in the fridge all week long. It’s a good thing they all kept well. I hope you’ll forgive me for posting this ON St. Patty’s Day. It’s totally okay to be eating Irish all month long, right?

I skipped the bacon this time and just went for straight buttery taste. I added a little Greek cream cheese for extra creaminess and one small token potato, you know, just because I wanted a bit of REAL potato flavor in there. (And I do so love my spuds.) If you want to go all-out cauliflower, go for it. … you guys, oh my gosh this tasted SO good, so close to the real thing! Creamy comfort food at its best. I’m totally looking forward to eating the leftovers.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, dear foodie friends!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Cauliflower “Kale-cannon”

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 of a large head of cauliflower (about 16 oz.)
  • 1 small potato, peeled
  • 1 Tablespoon Irish grass fed butter (such as Kerrygold)
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons low fat milk
  • 2 oz. Greek cream cheese (or Neufchatel)
  • 12 cups (about 3 oz.) kale, ribs removed, chopped
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Break the cauliflower into florets and put in a steamer. Steam until very tender.
  2. Meanwhile, peel the potato and cook it either in the microwave or add it to the steamer.
  3. When the cauliflower and potatoes are fully cooked and very tender, put them in a food processor or blender. Add the milk and cream cheese and process until smooth.
  4. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter is melted and starts to bubble a little, add the chopped onion. Saute for several minutes until the onion is very soft. Stir in the green onions and cook a little longer.
  5. Stir in the cauliflower mash until it’s hot, then add chopped kale leaves and stir just until they are wilted and incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a little pat of butter.

Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2019, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.


Nutrition

  • Calories: 180

Cauliflower "Kale"-cannon ~ the popular Irish comfort dish Colcannon, lightened up with cauliflower and kale!

Looking for more Irish recipes?

Some of these are American Irish, but they’re all good, just the same!

Appetizers/Snacks:

Breads:

Main Dishes:

Salads and Soups:

Colcannon (totally deserves its own category):

Desserts:

You may also like

6 comments

Sue Neiers March 31, 2019 - 2:08 pm

Had this for lunch today and oh my gosh, it was so good!! Will definitely make this again.

Reply
Ann April 2, 2019 - 9:47 pm

Yay! You made my day, Sue. Thanks for trying it … There is a reason there’s a song about Colcannon. It’s so freaking GOOD!

Reply
Irish Butter & Bacon Braised Cabbage | Sumptuous Spoonfuls March 16, 2020 - 7:57 am

[…] the planet (I’ve also made a purple potato version of colcannon … and then a low-carb cauliflower kale version of the beloved Irish dish) , I also love simple butter braised cabbage without the mash. This time […]

Reply
14 Easy Vegetarian and Vegan St Patrick’s Day Recipes - HappySkinny March 9, 2021 - 5:21 am

[…] Check out the recipe here. […]

Reply
Irish Chicken Colcannon Cottage Pie for Two March 14, 2021 - 3:12 pm

[…] Cauliflower Kale Colcannon – a low-carb version of colcannon, using cauliflower in place of potatoes and kale […]

Reply
5 Make-Ahead Sides to Make Thanksgiving a Little Easier this Year | Sumptuous Spoonfuls November 19, 2022 - 4:29 pm

[…] Cauliflower Colcannon – the low-carb option, with kale […]

Reply

Leave a Comment

Recipe rating

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More