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
Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients – I promise it’s worth it!
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!