Fresh & Easy Pesto Cauliflower Rice Bowls | Made in 30 minutes or less | Low Carb + Whole30 Compliant + Paleo

The pesto saga continues.

I wasn’t kidding the other week when I shared this Kale Pesto and said that I wanted to put it all over everything. I’ve still got *heart eyes* for the kale pesto pizza I posted earlier this week, but I figured I should probably balance out my meals with a little less carbs, ya know?

Enter: cauliflower rice.

As far as food trends go, I’m really enjoying my ride on the cauliflower rice bandwagon. While I totally understand that it’s an easy food to hate if you don’t do much to it – I’ve found that it can be such a great way to add volume to any meal without adding tons carbs and calories.  And as much as I loathe counting carbs or calories I am not immune to the fact that sometimes I really need to be aware of what and how much I’m eating. Especially considering the fact that I do spend most days in the kitchen testing recipes.

While cauliflower is pretty low when it comes to carbs & calories, it does pack in a fair amount of fibre which is really great for filling you up.

Back to the whole ‘easy to hate’ issue – as long as you add enough flavour and texture you’ll fall in love. Which is why I thought that pesto would be perfect for sprucing it up.

About This Recipe: Pesto Cauliflower Rice Breakfast Bowls

As mentioned above, I used my kale pesto recipe that I shared a couple weeks back. It uses nutritional yeast instead of parmesan so you still get that cheesy flavour without the dairy. You can of course use a store bought or your favourite homemade pesto for these breakfast bowls. Just make sure you make any changes necessary if you want/need these to be Whole30 complaint or paleo. Otherwise – full steam ahead!

Once you’ve got your pesto ready and your cauliflower ‘riced’ this recipe is incredibly easy to make. It’s mostly just a matter of softening the cauliflower and then frying your eggs. Because cauliflower naturally holds a lot of moisture, I like to ‘dry fry’ the cauliflower in a non stick skillet to draw out any extra moisture. I say ‘dry fry’ but you do need a little bit of oil while you sauté just so the cauliflower doesn’t stick.

If you’re a pesto fiend like me then I recommend keeping a little extra pesto on the side so you can top up your bowl before eating. Once my egg is down I love cutting into the runny yolk and mixing together the spinach and avocado for an extra rich & creamy flavour.

10/10 recommend

I hope you enjoy these bowls as much as I do! While they may have ‘breakfast’ in the name these would also be great as a quick and easy dinner when you want something fresh & simple.

Enjoy!

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Recipe

Pesto Cauliflower Rice Breakfast Bowls

Yield: 4 people Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes

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Fresh & Easy Pesto Cauliflower Rice Bowls | Make in 30 minutes or less | Low Carb + Whole30 Compliant + Paleo + Gluten Free

Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower head
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
• 1 cup kale pesto, or another pesto of your choice
• 2 cups spinach, loosely packed
• 1 avocado, diced
• 4 eggs
• salt & pepper to taste

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

How to make the cauliflower rice

1. Quarter cauliflower head and cut out the hard inner core from each section. Break apart the cauliflower into smaller florets. Transfer the florets to a food processor or blender. If you use a blender you will need to do this part in several batches so that you don’t over process the cauliflower. Pulse the cauliflower at 1 second intervals until it’s broken down into small, rice sized pieces. Once you’ve processed everything, set aside your cauliflower rice to a bowl until you’re ready to add it to your skillet.
2. If you don't want to use a blender or food processor you can still make your cauliflower rice simply by using a box grater. Don't cut the head into small florets, just grate it on the medium sized how (normally used for grating cheese). It might take a few extra minutes this way but you've got let clean up afterwards. 
3. In a large skillet heat 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the cauliflower to the pan a cook for 8-10 minutes until the cauliflower gets tender. As it heats up the cauliflower will release water. Just keep cooking and stirring until the cauliflower loses some of that moisture.
4. Once tender, mix the pesto into the cauliflower and stir well to combine. At this point you'll only need to keep the rice on the heat another minute or two just to warm the pesto. 
5. Once mixed and heated divide the cauliflower rice equally into four bowls. Top the cauliflower with spinach & avocado and set aside for a few minutes as you cook your eggs. 
6. Wipe down the pan you were using and return it to the stove top and set to a medium heat. Add the remaining 1/2 olive oil and warm. Swirl the pan around so that the oil coats the bottom.  
7. When the oil is hot, start cracking your eggs into the pan. Let the eggs cook a few minutes undisturbed on to let the whites cook. After a couple of minutes cover the pan with a fitted lid for 1-2 minutes and let the steam from the pan cook the tops. OR you can just flip the eggs over to cook each side well. Once the eggs are cooked to your liking turn off the heat and gently transfer each egg to your bowls. 
8. Have your salt & pepper ready to season to your taste. I like to mix my bowl all together once I'm ready. If you really love pesto, keep a little bowl on hand to spoon a little extra on top. 
9. Serve Warm & Enjoy! 

Nutrition Information

Yield: 4 Calories: 438Saturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 168mgSodium: 701mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 7gSugar: 5gProtein: 12g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Cuisine: American