Tater tots are one of my greatest weaknesses in the world! If I see them on a restaurant menu, I get super excited! When I was a kid, Tater Tots were one of the few things my mom would actually buy frozen and I would get so excited on nights we would have them. In retrospect, I think my mom was probably a little offended that one of our favorite side dishes came from a bag despite her efforts to constantly make amazing food, but we were kids, what did she expect.
Now, as an adult with a much deeper appreciation for home cooking, I set out to make my own version of tots and boy did that adventure pay off! If you guys are as big of Pinterest fans as I am, you’ve probably came across a recipe for cauliflower tots. This recipe is basically a product of lots of Pinterest research on how to make these as well as my own spin by adding white cheddar cheese and some extra seasoning! I also decided to make my own Sriracha Mayo dipping sauce which came out great!! It’s not exactly like the “Crispy Green Bean Sauce” from P.F. Changs (if you haven’t had that sauce, it’s the best), but it’s a close decoy.
While these aren’t the most healthy thing in the world, they are baked instead of deep fried so give some credit! Besides, they are cheesy, crunchy and absolutely perfect dipped in the sauce. If you’re making them for a party, definitely double the recipe because they are addicting!
Until Next Time,
Jackie
Cheesy Herb Baked Cauliflower Tots
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
These Cheesy Baked Tots are easy to throw together and packed with flavor!
Author: Jackie DeSana
Recipe type: Appetizer, Side, Snack
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Serves: 12-16 tots
Ingredients
- [i]For the Tots
- 1 large head cauliflower, chopped
- ½ cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ white onion, diced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- pinches of salt and pepper
- For the Sauce
- ½ cup Vegenaise*
- 2 tbs siracha
- 1 tbs Lime Juice
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tbs scallions, chopped[/i]
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While it is preheating, bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the chopped cauliflower and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, make the sriracha mayo sauce. In a small bowl, whisk the vegenaise, sriracha, lime juice, onion powder and scallions together. Reserve some scallions for garnish and set the sauce aside.
- When the cauliflower is tender, drain it and add it to your blender or food processor. You want to lightly pulse the cauliflower so that it breaks up but be careful not to over mash it. About three pulses should be fine.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a large bowl and add in the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, parsley, breadcrumbs, both cheeses and the eggs. Mix all the ingredients together until they are combined. You can you a hand mixer for this or just mix vigorously with a large spoon. It should have the consistency of mashed potatoes but with some of the cauliflower pieces in tact.
- Grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Scoop cauliflower mixture out of the bowl one tablespoon at a time and use your hands to mold it into a tot shape. Repeat this until you've used the whole mixture. You should end up with 12-16 tots. Bake the tots for 15 minutes on each side. They should still be soft but golden brown on the outside! Serve alongside the Sriracha Mayo. Enjoy!
Notes
*Since this recipe is not Vegan, feel free to use regular Mayo as well. I just prefer Vegenise.
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