It’s 5pm and you’re trying to figure out what to make for dinner tonight. You want something healthy (ok, well, healthy-ISH), but something that’s delicious and that your family will love. OH! And it needs to be easy. Like, really easy. Pretty much as close to zero effort as possible because if we’re being honest, time and energy are precious commodities these days.
Mexican Cauliflower Rice Video:
Believe me when I say this: we are all right there with you, friend! And this 30-Minute Mexican Cauliflower Rice Recipe is just what you’re looking for. My husband and I absolutely loved it! Honestly, once you have all of the spices and tomato sauce in it, it doesn’t even taste like cauliflower. It is SO. GOOD. This is the ultimate healthy comfort food dinner recipe!
RELATED: Easy Mexican Barbacoa Tacos
How to make this 30-Minute Mexican Cauliflower Rice Recipe
Making cauliflower rice
Making cauliflower rice is easy! Wash and remove the greens from a head of cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower into medium sized pieces and place it in a food processor. Pulse the food processor several times until the cauliflower looks like “rice”.
Another option is to purchase pre-made cauliflower rice at the grocery store! Cauliflower rice is sold in the produce area at Trader Joe’s and several other grocery stores. You can also buy it HERE! This is a great option for saving even more time when making this Mexican Cauliflower Rice Recipe!
The spices in mexican cauliflower rice
Once you’ve made the cauliflower rice, the next step is to add spices. The spices in this 30-Minute Mexican Cauliflower Rice Recipe are everything! Add in onion flakes, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and crushed red pepper. Pour tomato sauce over the cauliflower rice and cook. Add salt, pepper, and dried (or fresh) cilantro to taste!
The vegetables
This 30-Minute Mexican Cauliflower Rice Recipe includes a green bell pepper and diced tomatoes. However, feel free to play around with adding different vegetables!
Pro-tip: Save time by having groceries delivered straight to your doorstep with a free trial of AmazonFresh!
Everything you need to know about Cauliflower rice
Why cauliflower rice?
Using cauliflower as rice is a great, healthy alternative! It’s lower in calories, lower in carbs, higher in fiber, and is loaded with antioxidants.
How long can cauliflower rice last in the refrigerator?
Cauliflower rice typically lasts about 3-4 days in the refrigerator!
What to pair this 30-Minute Mexican Cauliflower Rice Recipe with
Pair it with a protein of your choice (such as chicken, salmon, eggs, beef, or tofu).
Pro-tip: pair this Mexican Cauliflower Rice with the best, organic, high-quality meat through ButcherBox!
More recipes to pair this 30-Minute Mexican Cauliflower Rice Recipe with:
- Skinny Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
- Healthy Sriracha Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas Tacos
30-Minute Mexican Cauliflower Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 green pepper (chopped)
- 10 grape tomatoes (chopped)
- l head cauliflower (or 1 lb bag of cauliflower rice)
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp onion flakes
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- dried cilantro (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Wash, dry, and remove greens of the cauliflower.
- Cut the cauliflower into small pieces and place in food processor.
- Turn on the food processor, pulsing to create the cauliflower rice.
- Sauté the chopped green pepper and the tomatoes in the olive oil.
- Add in the cauliflower rice and the tomato sauce.
- Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add in the remaining ingredients, mix, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Chef Dennis says:
What a delicious way to make cauliflower! My family absolutely loved your recipe!
Genevieve | Fitty Foodlicious says:
This looks like the perfect healthy meal for those nights where you have no idea what to cook, but want something easy!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says:
Oh man! I could really sink my teeth into that!
Julie says:
I was looking for a super flavorful cauliflower rice recipe and this is it! I love how tender and delish this one came out. Will make it again soon.
Robin Sparks says:
I have a head of cauliflower in the refrigerator and all the ingredients too. I can’t wait to make this dish!
Natalie says:
This looks delicious. It’s loaded with veggies and flavors. Yum! I’m on a low-carb diet so this is the perfect recipe for me. I’m putting this on my menu. Thanks!
Stine Mari says:
I love Mexican rice and overall just sprucing up plain old rice with some extra flavor. Using cauliflower is a fantastic way of healthifying this dish!
Jessica Formicola says:
I’ve been looking for more low carb side dishes, and this rice looks like the perfect one! Thanks so much for sharing!
Audrey says:
I love this spin on cauliflower rice!
Amy Liu Dong says:
Such an easy, delicious and healthy recipe to make for the family. Perfect substitute for rice and perfect to eat with grilled chicken.
Wanda says:
I’ve been wanting to find a cauliflower rice recipe with loads of flavour and I finally have! Bookmarking to try this weekend!
Cheese Curd In Paradise says:
This is such a beautiful dish! So much color and so much flavor! I love to serve this with grilled chicken or even for breakfast with a fried egg on top!
Choclette says:
I was completely won over the first time I tried cauliflower rice, even though I’d been resisting it for ages. Love the sound of your Mexican version.
Marcelle says:
We love riced cauliflower and we use alot of it these days as a side dish. This will be a fun new way for us to make it. The smoky spices you use here are the best. Can’t wait to give this dish a try!
Pavani says:
That is such a healthy and delicious dish. I love Mexican flavors and your recipe with cauliflower rice sounds just perfect. Thanks for sharing.