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Cheesy Cauliflower Rice combines cauliflower rice, cheese and shrimp into one delicious, low carb dinner recipe. It’s topped with breadcrumbs and ready in 30 minutes and a great way to switch up your normal dinner routine.
Original recipe created: April 2017 // Updated: March 2020
Over the past several years, I’ve come to the conclusion that sometimes you just need cheese for dinner. This cheesy cauliflower rice skillet is sort of like mac and cheese, but with cauliflower rice instead of pasta noodles, making it an excellent low carb option.
See, I love shrimp and cheese, so I figured why not combine them in a skillet with some cauliflower rice? I don’t know about you, but I pretty much always have a bag of cauliflower rice in my freezer, and this is a great way to use it up!
Why This Cheesy Cauliflower Rice Is So Good
- It’s made in ONE SKILLET, which means less dishes to do afterward
- To me, it tastes like mac and cheese but with cauliflower rice instead of noodles
- The shrimp and buffalo sauce add a delicious flavor that compliments the cheese
How To Make A Cheesy Cauliflower Rice Skillet
Cook the shrimp: I bought uncooked shrimp, so if you go that route, make sure you peel and devein your shrimp beforehand. Then, cook it in the skillet until the shrimp are nice and pink. If you buy already-cooked shrimp, you’ll still have to do this step, but you won’t have to cook them for more than 2 minutes. Basically, you want the shrimp to be lightly coated in buffalo sauce when they’re all done.
Make the cheese sauce: This recipe would be nothing without the cheese sauce, which is essentially garlic, onion, milk, cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese (yum!). First, whisk the milk and cornstarch (or arrowroot) together in a bowl then set it aside. Then, sauté the onion and garlic together in the same skillet you cooked the shrimp for 2-3 minute, then pour in the milk. Wait 30 seconds or so, reduce the heat to medium-low, then slowly stir in the cheese until a smooth cheese sauce forms.
If it seems to be getting too thick, add 1-2 tbsp milk and reduce the heat to low.
Bake it: The final step is to combine EVERYTHING–basically adding the shrimp and cooked cauliflower rice to the skillet–then add the breadcrumbs on top. Place the whole skillet into the oven and bake it until the cheese is bubbly, about 15 minutes. The actual final step, which is also optional, is to add some hot sauce or extra buffalo sauce on top, which helps to give it a little kick.
Ingredient Substitutions
Milk: Most of the savory recipes on this site simply state that you can use your “milk of choice”, and that holds true for this cauliflower rice skillet. I believe I used almond milk, but any milk should work (almond and oat are my most used milks). With that said, I’d stay away from canned coconut milk, as that might cause the dish to have a slight coconut-y flavor, which we don’t want.
Breadcrumbs: Personally, I like using Italian-flavored breadcrumbs because they have more flavor, but you can use whatever you have in your pantry. If you’re gluten free, simply use gluten free breadcrumbs!
Cheese: I love using a combination of cheeses in cheesy recipes, but you don’t have to use both cheddar and parmesan–one or the other (preferably cheddar) will work just fine.
More Quick Weeknight Dinner Recipes
Cheesy Cauliflower Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 10 oz. cauliflower rice*
- 1 lb. shrimp deveined and peeled
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp buffalo sauce I used Frank's
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup yellow onion diced
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 2 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot
- 1 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 handful kale or spinach
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs**
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Add olive oil, shrimp and buffalo sauce to a large oven-proof skillet. Cook the shrimp completely, then use a slotted spoon to remove shrimp; set aside. Meanwhile, cook the cauliflower rice according to the package instructions.
- In that same skillet, add onion and garlic (you may need to add a little extra oil, too) and sauté for 2-3 minutes. While those are cooking, whisk milk and cornstarch together in a bowl. Then, pour milk into the skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Once milk starts bubbling, add the cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese is smooth, then add the parmesan cheese and stir until smooth.
- Add the spinach/kale and stir for 30 seconds. Remove skillet from the heat, then add the cauliflower rice and shrimp to the skillet and stir until everything is combined. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top, then place the skillet into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
- Top skillet with extra buffalo sauce or hot sauce and enjoy!
Notes
