Keto Cauliflower Ziti

I’ve been hearing about the Keto diet everywhere! I have a few friends that are on it and have lost a ton of weight. I decided to give it a go a few weeks ago and so far so good. The food I’m allowed to eat is right up my alley. Low carb, High fat and so delicious like this Keto Cauliflower Ziti I’m sharing today.

I love pasta dishes. If I had to eat one kind of food for the rest of my life, it would probably be pasta dishes. To save a few carbs from being ingested, though, I’d have to do some keto recipes.

For example, this cauliflower baked ziti has all of the flavor, but it has way less calories because it’s made with the cauliflower instead of the pasta! That, and it’s just as easy to make as the original.

I recently subscribed to a Keto subscription box (because you know how much I love my subscription boxes!) called Keto Can. Every month, they send out Keto snacks and food you can eat on a Keto diet. In the box was a recipe for Keto Cauliflower Ziti. I was intrigued. I love cauliflower pizza so was curious to see how this casserole would taste.

It tastes like lasagna, but without the carbs! Even if you aren’t a big cauliflower fan, you’ll probably still enjoy this recipe. The cauliflower acts as the noodles and takes on the flavours of the sauce.

Ingredients
Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup basil leaves loosely shredded
• 4 tablespoons dried Italian herb blend
• 4 cloves fresh garlic finely chopped
• 1 large white onion finely chopped
• 1 large tin or jar of low sugar chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce choose chopped tomatoes if you want a chunkier sauce, tomato sauce if you prefer smooth
• ½ cup cheap red wine
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-1.5 pounds medium ground beef

Ziti:

• 1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup basil leaves loosely shredded

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan to around medium, and then add chopped onion, garlic, and Italian herbs. Cook until onions turn translucent.
2. Add ground beef and cook, stirring constantly, until beef is browned.
3. Add tomato sauce and red wine, turn heat down to a low simmer, and allow to cook down for more than 30 minutes (and as much as 2 hours).
4. Mixture should be nicely reduced and thick by this stage. Season well with salt and pepper and add your basil, then take the mixture off the heat and set the pan aside.
5. (This step can be done whilst sauce is reducing) Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, and blanch chopped cauliflower florets in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain in a colander and set aside.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
7. In a large mixing bowl, combine Bolognese sauce and cauliflower florets, tossing with a non-metal spoon, gently, to combine. All cauliflower should be coated in the delicious red sauce.
8. In a large baking dish, around 9x12 inches (but whatever size you prefer is fine!), add a thin layer of Bolognese sauce to the bottom.
9. Begin layering your saucy cauliflower into the dish. Add enough to very loosely cover the dish, then top with ½ of each of the three cheese mixtures and ½ of the basil.
10. Layer the remainder of the cauliflower/Bolognese mixture on top of the first layer of cheese and basil, then use the remainder of the cheese mixture and basil, scattering sporadically, until most of the Bolognese/cauliflower mixture is covered.
11. Place the dish in the oven, and give it around 20 minutes to cook, uncovered. The cheese should be melted and beginning to brown. The dish should somewhat resemble a lasagna at this stage. A lumpy, amazing lasagna.
12. Give the dish 15 minutes to cool on the counter or stove once you take it out. This will allow it to “set” and come together a little better. I find this rule works wonders with any baked ziti or lasagna type dish.
13. Cut the meal into portions and serve.

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