The week after I gave birth to my son, my dear friend Becky brought us dinner for when we came home from the hospital. One of the components was a delicious orzo based pasta salad from Epicurious.com called Orzo with Everything.
Since she introduced me to it almost five years ago (Thanks Becky!), I’ve made it many times and it’s always a hit.
I’ve been thinking about trying a version using lightly cooked “al dente” cauliflower to stand in for the orzo for awhile now. The flavors of the salad are Mediterranean based (Balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, parmesan cheese, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, etc…), and I hoped that they would be robust enough to mask any cauliflower flavor.
The original recipe calls for radicchio, which has a nice bite to it, but I subbed in red cabbage for mine because I couldn’t find any in my local grocery store. The cabbage worked, but if you can find the radicchio I recommend it!
The original recipe also calls for toasted pine nuts which are a really tasty addition. I omitted them from my version simply because they are expensive and hard to find depending on where you live, and I wanted to see if it would still taste good without them. It does, but if you have them, toast some up and toss them in because they are awesome.
Lastly, I added chopped artichoke hearts, which added a nice flavor and texture. I can’t say it’s as good as the original – only because it’s hard to beat the chewiness and comfort food feel of the pasta, but the cauliflower worked really well as a substitute.
This is a truly delicious, flavor-packed side dish – and it’s hearty enough (especially with the pine nuts) to eat on it’s own for a light lunch. Hope you guys like it!
Keto “Anti” Pasta Cauliflower Salad
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: (8) 1/2 cup servings
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
This Keto “Anti” Pasta Salad is a truly delicious, flavor-packed dish! Perfect as a side or hearty enough to eat on it’s own for a light lunch. Gluten Free, Keto, Low Carb
Ingredients
- 2 cups of raw cauliflower, chopped
- 1/2 cup radicchio, chopped
- 1/2 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
- 3 Tbsp sundried tomatoes, chopped
- 3 Tbsp kalamata olives, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, cook your finely chopped cauliflower in the microwave for five minutes. Don’t add any liquid or seasoning to it, just spread it on a microwave safe dish and zap it. Let the cauliflower cool while you prep the other ingredients.
- Combine the radicchio, artichoke hearts, basil, parmesan, sundried tomatoes, olives, and garlic in a medium bowl.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar, then pour it over the salad.
- Toss to combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Can be served room temperature or chilled.
Notes
Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil to get the best results. The artichoke hearts should be packed in water, not marinated in oil and seasonings.
Also, the sundried tomatoes I used were packed in oil so they were nice and soft – if you use the dehydrated ones, reconstitute in some warm water for 20 minutes before using them.
Finally, use a shredded parmesan or asiago, not the granular grated stuff you get in the can.
If you use the best quality ingredients you can get for this salad it will make a huge difference in the flavor.
Approximate Net Carbs=4g
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Microwave
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 127
- Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
Keywords: keto pasta salad, low carb pasta salad, keto anti pasta salad
Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients – I promise it’s worth it!
Misty Mills says
I’m not going to lie… This recipe came up on the Keto menu and I wasn’t digging it. I told myself I’d try it anyway. I finally made it today… and didn’t even use the good stuff (LOL). But, I DID use a White Balsamic from Italy. SO DELICIOUS!! This is going on my Trello board for favorite recipes! And next time, I’ll use all the good stuff (Olive Oil from Greece, L’arte Balsamic Vinegar from Italy, real Parmesan… !! ) Thanks, Melissa for yet another favorite recipe!!
★★★★★
Julia says
Fantastic! One question, because I have too much leftover- can it be frozen? Thanks for your wonderful
Recipes. I’m loving EVeRything!
★★★★★
Marlene VanderLaan says
I just bought a huge jar of Artichoke Hearts in oil & seasoning from Costco! What will they do to the calorie/fat count in this recipe?
Love your recipes!
Marley from southern Ontario, Canada
TLR says
Would roasting the cauliflower be permissible? Just wondering if you need the extra moisture when microwaving the cauliflower. Thought roasting the pine nuts and cauliflower would give it a nutty flavor.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sounds delicious!
Abby says
I accidentally bought artichoke in oil. Will this mess up the recipe too terribly if I use them? Any suggestions?
Elisa says
Radicchio is dandelion leaves! I never realized that until yesterday when I brought herb seeds to my mom. My mom is full blooded Italian. She goes Oh! You brought me radicchio! Now I grew up on radicchio and never even knew I was eating weeds lol
★★★★★
Christina S says
Radicchio is red? Not sure your on the right track thinking it is dandelion greens.
Ann says
I’m making this tonight and need to know how long to zap the cauliflower in the microwave to get it al dente?? I bought your cookbook yesterday and can’t put it down! Great recipes – amazing pics!
★★★★★
Tayler Stegman says
Is there a replacement for the radicchio? Small town living doesn’t provide that ingredient for us, dang it!
Mellissa Sevigny says
red cabbage is fine!
Britt says
I was so skeptical about making this for some reason. IT WAS AMAZING. Definitely saving this recipe to make over and over. New favorite, for sure. Thank you so much for this one!!
★★★★★
Ashley says
This was so good but I have to say I was disappointed. Everyone ate it all and I didn’t have any leftovers for the next day. I will definitely make again, and again, and again.
Natasha says
Wow. Just wow. This is next level amazing. I cook a lot and experiment a lot but have to say that the flavours in this salad are so perfect. Well done, I think you may have created the perfect recipe here! What I don’t appreciate is the fact that I need to stop myself from polishing off the entire salad in one sitting….my restraint is waning….
★★★★★
Jessica says
This. was. delicious! I don’t even like olives – but I liked them in this salad.
★★★★★
DuAnne says
This is a great versatile salad. I used broccoli slaw in place of raddichio just case I had it on hand, as well as dry kalmata olives and thin sliced red onion. Beautiful served with halved cherry tomatoes and mozzarella pearls.
★★★★★
Beth B says
oh. em. gee.! This recipe is absolutely amazing and is now my very favorite salad I have ever had in my life. I absolutely LOVE it! I had to use red cabbage and I think it’s fantastic! I also couldn’t find pine nuts this time. I don’t know if I want to find them; I may have to be locked away from the salad to stop eating it. Thank you so much for sharing this! I doubled it and I am so glad that I did. I will be taking this salad to family dinners, it’s that amazing. Did I say thanks? I did. But it needs to be doubled, too. :)
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
I love this one too Beth, thanks so much!!!
Penny says
Guessing you were using fresh artichoke hearts not canned?
Never cooked with artichokes before, will one artichoke probably give enough for this recipe?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Nope, I used canned and it works just fine!
shooten68 says
This was amazing!!! I don’t care for cauliflower, but we have been trying new foods….pine nuts should be a must!! I will definitely be making again!
★★★★★
Jennifer says
Please do not use auto-play videos. They waste my data usage and discourage me from visiting your site. If I want to watch the video, I will activate it.
Thank you.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for the feedback!
Nicole says
Have you ever made this with Shirataki noodles? I’m wondering if the flavour would be too strong.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I haven’t tried it Nicole, but theoretically it could work. Not sure that the texture would be good though – let us know if you try it!
Ana says
I made this and OMG! It was amazing. It certainly does not lack in flavor.
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Ana, still one of my favorite salads!
Harriet says
Your anti-pasta salad is one of the most delicious things I’ve eaten. Certainly the most delicious way I’ve had cauliflower!!! I served it last night to a group of people (I’m the only low-carber) and it was a serious hit. Thank you.
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Right?!?! I love this one too and I’m so glad you and your guests did as well! It’s one of those recipes that will probably never go viral, but it should because the flavors and textures are just so good! Thanks for letting me know that it was a hit!
Candace says
I have been banned from making anything with cauliflower at home ( probably went a little crazy with it the first year or 2 of low-carb). What about miracle rice or cooked radishes riced? Has anyone tried any other alternatives?
Linda @ The says
Even I haven’t tried some of these ingredients like Radicchio! I’m excited to make this, I’ll just omit the parmesan. :)
★★★★★
Patti says
Saw this come across my facebook feed yesterday, and made it last night — delicious! Thank you for sharing this, I loved it, and it will become a regular in our house. In fact, left overs for lunch today!
Mellissa Sevigny says
This is one of my favorites from way back – so glad you liked it too!!!!
Frodosdojo says
This was DELICIOUS !! A lot of my fav ingredients: cauliflower, parmesan, olives and artichokes! I was thinking of adding pepperoni to make it a meal – I can’t really eat on 1/2 cup – lol !
Wendy says
Thank you for the recipe. It looks great. I’m not a big fan of cooking foods in the microwave. I love grating and roasting my cauliflower in the oven, steaming it and using the water in my smoothie or even a quick saute on stove with ghee or olive oil really brings out the flavor without loosing the nutrients.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sounds like a great alternative to the microwave Wendy, thanks for sharing your method!
Lindsay S says
Hi Mellissa,
This salad was AMAZING! I didn’t have the raddichio – I didn’t know what it was at the store so just didn’t get anything. Then when I got home was worried my salad wouldn’t taste good and be missing something. I ended up adding chopped walnuts. This was the perfect add! It gave a crunch!
I was very very worried making this salad but it was definitely worth it. Thank you so much for posting and including in your 7 day keto menu!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for letting me know Lindsay and I’m so glad it turned out to be worth it for you! This salad has more ingredients than some of my other recipes and definitely stronger flavors, but I LOVE it and I’m so happy that you did too! I can imagine the chopped walnuts would be delicious in it as well – might try it next time I make this if I don’t have the pine nuts on hand! Thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know that you liked it!
Leslie says
What Pine Nuts!!!
Melissa Cooney says
Hi! I just made this – tasted great, but mine was brown due to adding the balsamic. Is there also a white balsamic and I used the wrong kind? I’d love to be able to make this again but it just looked a lot worse than it tasted! Ha ha!
Mellissa Sevigny says
It’s true that the cauliflower absorbs the vinegar so it looks kind of brownish – Trader Joe’s sells a white balsamic vinegar and that would definitely work well!
Karen Simonsen says
This salad is terrific! I’ve only just found your blog — I’ve been thinking of going low-carb again, but it was so bacon-and-eggs-steak-chicken boring last time. What a relief to find a bunch of innovative recipes. I made the cauli/cheddar/jalapeno muffins & the breakfast lasagna, too. Suddenly this week’s menu is looking up. Thanks!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Karen! I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying the recipes and I hope that you have great success on low carb! Keep us posted in the Forum on your progress!
Anonymous says
Thanks Melissa! Becky also introduced me to ‘Orzo with Everything ‘ and I’ve been missing it since I’ve gone gluten free. Made your version tonight to rave reviews. I cannot wait to try more of your GF recipes. — Becky’s Mom
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Hi Becky’s Mom! Glad to hear that you liked it too! Hope our paths will cross again here in SC soon! And hello to Becky’s Dad! :)
Debbie says
Thanks and I will definitely continue to enjoy the recipes! Make the Southwestern Chicken Salad w/Avocado and Bacon every week. Also make the Cream Cheese Pancakes regularly but sometimes substitute part-skim ricotta cheese for the cream cheese. Look forward to your e-cookbook.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Debbie! Glad to hear you like the southwestern chicken salad! I love that one too but it wasn’t nearly as popular on the blog as some other recipes! Nice to know I’m not the only one enjoying it! :)
Debbie says
Love your recipes but how can I print them?
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Hi Debbie, glad you like the recipes! Until I switch to WordPress or another platform there is no easy way to print from the blog. You can cut and paste into a text document and print that way for now which is a pain, I know. It will be awhile before I switch because I’m putting all my time into the e-cookbook right now (which will of course be printer friendly!) and after that I’ll address the blog issues and making it more user friendly. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help but I hope you can still enjoy the recipes.
Denise says
Also got this via my email subscription and can’t wait to try this. Looks like a confetti salad which would be just perfect for a party!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
It’s definitely pretty enough for a party! It tastes even better the second day but the colors aren’t as pronounced so it’s a toss up! No pun intended! :)
Anonymous says
Just received my email version of this and am busy making grocery list! Sounds delicious and since we do have radicchio here in CT ( sorry, don’t want to rub it in ) it’s on the list. Love your blog – Eva
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Ha ha! Thanks a lot Eva! Actually it was pretty tasty with the cabbage, but I love radicchio! Sadly, it might as well be Dodo steaks down here in rural SC! Enjoy!
eva kay walsh says
not hard to grow radicchio yourself in early spring (they dont like the heat but can take a light frost) I put 4 plants into a 18″ flower box or 3 in a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot or Lowes. Seeds are cheap start in the flower box a few weeks before last frost. Then 3 weeks later start another window box. You’ll have radicchio for a 2-3 months until the heat gets to them. In SC you can have another crop planting in Sep
YummyInspirations says
Love this! Looks beautiful! Pinning it to give it a try!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks for pinning! Hope you like it!
Paul Halliday says
Anti-pasta, indeed! Bravo!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Paul, love your shoes! :)
Debby@Just Breathe says
This sounds wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing it!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
You’re welcome Debby, hope you like it!
Kim Bee says
So you’re saying if I use my cheap a** oil it’ll ruin it. Dang girl.
Love this anti salad. I would eat this one for sure. And you know me saying I’d eat a salad is HUGE. xx
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
LOL! Pony up for the good stuff chick, you’ll never go back! ;)