Ever been so busy preparing the main entrées for Thanksgiving that you didn’t have time to come up with a special vegetable side? No worries this Thanksgiving! This beautiful cauliflower and carrot purée is a quick, easy, and elegant side dish that pairs wonderfully with turkey. Best of all, it’s gluten free and paleo!
What I love about this dish is that I can even prepare it a few days before the holiday (which means I can get a head start on the holiday cooking). It will keep in the refrigerator up to four days in advance. When it’s time to serve, I can just reheat the purée over a low heat on top of the stove (this also makes it a perfect side dish to bring to a holiday party along with gluten free stuffing!).
To make the purée, begin by chopping up four medium carrots into chunks and cutting up the cauliflower into florets. Set them in a steamer basket in a large pot, sprinkle with salt, and steam for 20 minutes until soft. While they cook, heat butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the onions, and cook until caramelized, about 25 minutes. Make sure to regulate the heat so that the butter remains hot but does not burn. Add the minced garlic, sprinkle with salt and cook for one more minute. Mmm. These caramelized onions are going to add a rich, sweet depth of flavor to the veggie puree.
Now you’re almost done. Place the cauliflower and carrots in your food processor fitted with the large chopping blade. Pour the butter with caramelized onions and garlic over the carrots and cauliflower. Add a teaspoon of salt, a sprinkling of pepper, and a quarter teaspoon of fresh minced rosemary. (I went to the farm around the corner from my house to buy fresh rosemary for this recipe. They already had Christmas trees for sale. Whoa. And it’s not even Thanksgiving yet!)
Process the mixture until smooth and creamy.
Just look at that vibrant color. This gorgeous side dish is going to look beautiful on your Thanksgiving table. I serve vegetables with dinner every evening so on holidays I love having something unique and delicious to share with everyone. This creamy and satisfying cauliflower and carrot purée is a fun and healthy addition to the holiday feast.
Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! 🙂
Cauliflower And Carrot Purée
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower cored and cut into florets
- 4 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/2 cup 1 stick butter
- 1 onion sliced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary minced
Instructions
- Set cauliflower and carrots in a steamer basket in a large pot, sprinkle with salt and steam for 20 minutes until soft.
- Meanwhile, heat butter in a skillet over medium heat, add onions and cook until caramelized, about 25 minutes. Make sure to regulate the heat so that the butter remains hot but does not burn.
- Add your minced garlic, sprinkle with salt and cook for one more minute.
- Place steamed cauliflower and carrots in your food processor fitted with the large chopping blade. Pour the butter with caramelized onions and garlic over the carrots and cauliflower. Add one teaspoon of salt, a sprinkling of pepper and rosemary. Process until creamy. Serve hot.
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Bethany says
November 27, 2015 at 7:57 pmThis looks really good!
Barbara says
November 29, 2015 at 12:05 amThank you, Bethany. You can’t go wrong with onions caramelized in butter. So Good. 🙂 Enjoy your weekend.
Andrea Wyckoff says
December 11, 2015 at 8:51 pmYummm. I love warm savory veggies purees! And this one looks divine! I love that you didn’t shy away from the butter, as butter really makes veggies taste that much more amazing!! I could see this dish being a hit around our table too!
Evelyn says
February 11, 2016 at 9:21 pmOh- great question! Nutritional Yeast tseats like cheese. People put it on popcorn or I’ve made vegan mac n’ cheese with it. It’s usually in the supplements section of Whole Foods and comes in a big container. It’s looks like powdered cheese!