These cauliflower caprese skillet has all the Italian flavors of the classic salad, in a light, healthy and low carb dinner that everyone will love!
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.”
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.
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 the traditional caprese salad, is that it just don’t FEEL hearty. I tried to make it feel that way with that strawberry balsamic paleo cauliflower rice ground turkey skillet but I just 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 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.
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 last years cauliflower pizza with greek yogurt pesto, and decided that we could 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.
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.
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
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken and reduce, about 10 minutes.
- 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.
- 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!
- Cover the pan and place into the oven until the cauliflower patties feel firm and set, about 30-35 minutes.
- Divide the fresh Mozzarella evenly between each cauliflower patty, cover, and cook and additional 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
- Place a leaf of fresh basil on each cauliflower patty.
- Serve over cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles, and DEVOUR.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
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