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Healthier Mashed Potatoes with cauliflower and protein! This skinny version of mashed potatoes adds cauliflower and Greek yogurt to make them healthier. Family friendly! No one will even notice this healthier side for your dinner table!
Say hello to healthier mashed potatoes with cauliflower! Okay, but first. You must promise you won't judge these mashed potatoes before hearing me out first. I don't care if you're a healthy eater, clean eater, Paleo, gluten-free, or someone just beginning to eat healthy.
The fact is this is a no judge zone. Deal? Now that we got that out of the way, let's talk mashed potatoes.
They're not the most weight friendly dish, but they are a traditional side we love on our holiday tables, or for regular dinners too. The thing is we usually make them all wrong loading this healthy vegetable with things that alter the nutritional value making them less nutritious, more fattening and with more fat. So how do we lighten them up? Let me tell you! 
First, keep the skins on the potatoes. Not what you were expecting me to say right off the bat, huh? Yep! The skins are loaded with fiber, iron and vitamins B-6 and C. That fiber, in particular, does a good job of balancing the starchy carb of the potato itself so digestively, it's helping you balance the sugar in the potato. Why is that important?
Because some people have a tendency to store starches as fats especially if they're insulin resistant. Not to mention fiber is heart healthy and the #1 thing I tell my clients they need to drastically increase to lose weight.
Second, use half the amount of russet potatoes and replace the remaining with roasted cauliflower. I love making my low calorie cauliflower mash for the holidays as a low carb option, but when you're trying to please a crowd replacing cauliflower in mashed potatoes is a great way to sneak in extra veggies while lightening up the dish. I promise they won't taste it!
I tested it on the boyfriend and he didn't notice it. Although, he was skeptical there was something creamy in them which leads me to.... Third, add Greek yogurt to the recipe. It adds protein to balance the carbohydrates in the potatoes and gives the potatoes a thick, creamy texture without affecting the taste or adding a ton of calories.
Butter, buttermilk, sour cream are common ingredients used in mashed potatoes, but can make the calories add up. You won't even notice the Greek Yogurt swap!
And that's how you do healthier mashed potatoes! Just three simple changes to a traditional recipe that makes it healthier, lighter and friendlier to your waistline. My challenge to you, is to try it. Let's stop dieting and depriving ourselves of traditional foods.
Rather, start by making simple swaps in your diet. That's how you see change in how you feel and look, and that's how you make those changes stick for good!
Dairy Free Alternatives To Greek Yogurt
If you are dairy free, you can use a dairy free yogurt like this high protein dairy free yogurt. Almost all dairy free yogurts are made from fats and have very little protein. So if you use a dairy free yogurt, the higher protein one is what I recommend for most individuals.
You can also use lactose free cottage cheese if you tolerate lactose free products. Please note that lactose free cottage cheese is not dairy free. You can blend the cottage cheese in a blender and use it to replace the Greek Yogurt.
Another alternative is using cashews to make a dairy free "cream sauce." Soaking cashews in water then blending them with dairy free milk turns them into a dairy free Alfredo sauce like I did in my Creamy Brusel Sprout Casserole Recipe.
Cashews are primarily healthy fats so if you are watching your weight, you will have to be mindful of the lack of protein and increase in calories from using cashews which are higher calories from fat.
Healthier Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower {GF, Low Cal}
Ingredients
- 2 medium russet potatoes ~1 lb., scrubbed clean with skin on and cubed
- 4 cups cauliflower
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt I use Fage
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bring a large pot to a boil. Add cubed potatoes and let them boil 30 minutes or until tender.
- Next place cauliflower on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt & pepper. You can optionally add a bit of extra virgin olive oil to them, but it's not necessary.
- Bake at 375 F 20-25 minutes until cauliflower is roasted.
- Then remove from the oven and let it cool on the baking sheet.
- Drain potatoes from the pot of water and add them to a food processor or blender. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to do this in batches.
- Add cauliflower and remaining ingredients. Process on high until smooth.
- Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 7 days.
Notes
- One serving is 1/3 cup.
- My shop has more products similar to those used for this recipe and that I recommend to my nutrition clients.
Nutrition
Hello, please could you let me know if a food processor is necessary, if you don't have one? Thank you 🙂
You can use a blender.
How much cauliflower is used? In the video, you say 2 cups but in the recipe here, you say 4 cups, Thanks-can't wait to make this!.
It should be 4 cups. Hope you enjoy it!
Greek yogurt it my go to very extra protein too. so creamy! Love this Megan!
I like Siggi's too!
Love the idea of using Greek yogurt to make it creamy!
Oh yes! You can never go wrong with an extra dose of protein and probiotics either.