Trader Joe's Mashed Cauliflower

The pros:  Trader Joe's Mashed Cauliflower is for the people who need cauliflower everything. If you are looking to cut calories, this is a starting point but maybe not the best avenue.

The cons: From the microwave it seems more like soup and less like a mash. The bag this comes in should be resealable. Have a bag clip ready if you are not going to make the whole thing.

The verdict:  As an Irish-American, mashed potatoes are a serious thing. In a more health centered society, cauliflower has now taken center stage as the go to food substitute item. Especially for cutting carbs. People go mad for the Cauliflower Rice or the Cauliflower Pizza Crusts. I hope they bring back the decadent Cauliflower Gratin come Thanksgiving. I also do enjoy the Kung Pao Cauliflower in the freezer section. For $2.99 however, I found this product to be a bit disappointing.

Inside the bags are smaller pucks of mashed cauliflower that are frozen. You can remove as few or many as you'd like. Covered in the microwave this came out more runny than the familiar flavor of a mash. Perhaps that was due to the fact that it was covered in the microwave which should not allow any of the moisture to escape. However, it's not all bad. The flavor was ok. It had some creaminess to it. It also had the flavor of garlic and pepper. However, much like the revered potato in my household, it still needs some personalization. This product is less like a finished masterpiece and more like a work in progress.

If you are just looking to cut carbs and want to make a smooth transition: do have mashed potatoes with half mashed cauliflower. It might start as a better starting point than going cold turkey. If you are already enamored with the flavor of cauliflower odds are that you'll still want to add your own spices, seasoning, and flavorings to this. It's not a bad thing. Just think of this more as a something that will require your own personal touches to make it to your liking.

As for me, I might purchase this again to figure out a way to make it more to my liking. For me, it was a huge leap from the familiar potato mash to cauliflower mash. Perhaps with more practice I'd like this better, but it wasn't my thing.

Here is the visual rundown of what you get when you purchase this item:

The bag of Trader Joe's Mashed Cauliflower:

The nutritional information:

The ingredients:

How to prepare:

Out of the package you get:

After being cooked you get:

Would I buy this again?  For me, Trader Joe's Mashed Cauliflower is at best a maybe. I'm hoping to see Trader Joe's Garlic Mashed Potatoes before Thanksgiving and stocking up on them. If you wanted to cut calories, you could mix the two. I think I love my mashed 'taters too much to make the full switch.

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.

Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!