By Luc came home for Thanksgiving. He walked through the door and the house exhaled. The chair was full again. The table was five again. The Corolla was in the driveway again. He was different — thinner (dorm food), louder (confidence), and his handshake was a hug again, which tells me that college teaches you what the hugs were for. The roux is getting darker, he said. Thirty-five minutes now. "Almost dark." Almost. Not quite. The almost is the journey and the journey is the point.
Thanksgiving at the cottage. Thirty-three people — biggest yet. Rémy's gumbo, my turkey, Colette's pecan tart, and Luc's contribution: a jambalaya he made in his dorm room and transported in a cooler because the boy made Cajun food in Baton Rouge and drove it to a cottage on a bayou and the redundancy is beautiful. The jambalaya was good. Not great. The rice was slightly mushy. Mama tasted it and said, "Not bad for a dorm." High praise from a woman who doesn't grade on a curve.
Between Rémy’s gumbo and Luc’s cooler-traveled jambalaya, the turkey had plenty of company — but it was the cauliflower stuffing that quietly held the table together, the dish people kept returning to without quite knowing why. With thirty-three mouths to feed, I needed something that could carry the warmth of a traditional Thanksgiving side without demanding center stage, and this one delivered exactly that: humble, savory, and good enough that Mama didn’t grade it on a curve either.
Cauliflower Stuffing
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Prep the cauliflower. Pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor in batches until broken down into coarse, rice-like crumbles. Do not over-process — you want texture, not paste. Set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics. Melt butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, about 8–10 minutes.
- Add garlic and mushrooms. Stir in the garlic and mushrooms. Cook another 4–5 minutes until mushrooms release their moisture and begin to brown.
- Season. Add thyme, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat the vegetables evenly in the herbs.
- Add cauliflower and broth. Fold in the riced cauliflower and pour in the broth. Stir well to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10–12 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and most of the liquid has absorbed.
- Finish and serve. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat, stir in fresh parsley, and transfer to a serving dish. Serve warm alongside turkey or any holiday main.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 95 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 9g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 180mg