What is Magic Cauliflower Cream? Cauliflower Cream is our favorite lightened-up (and meal prep friendly!) substitution for a traditional béchamel sauce (a milk or cream sauce thickened with a flour-and-butter roux). In a nutshell, cook 1 pound of chopped cauliflower with 1 and 1/2 cups of vegetable stock until cauliflower is ultra-soft, then blend well to make a smooth “cream”.

Substitutions and Additions. This creamed corn recipe is very forgiving - don’t be afraid to doctor it up! Switch up the herbs, dial up the heat with a dash of cayenne pepper or paprika, add extra cauli cream or veggie stock for a looser sauce, or toss in your favorite veggies. We love adding diced bell peppers, jalapeño or green chiles, or (if you aren’t vegan) a little cheese or a splash of cream or butter.

If you prefer to use fresh thyme, we recommend using 1 Tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves.

Use any kind of corn you like! This recipe works well with fresh corn cut off the cob, canned corn or frozen corn. If using frozen corn, thaw before using or increase the cook time by 2-3 minutes. For extra flavor, use grilled corn!

How to adapt for a Crock Pot or Slow Cooker: This sauce comes together in just a few minutes on the stovetop, but if you’d prefer, it’s easy to make in a slow cooker (we like this one!)! We recommend sautéing the onions in a skillet as directed first (you can skip this step if you need to, but the flavor and texture is much better when the onions are sautéed!) and then adding them along with the rest of the ingredients to your slow cooker. Stir to combine and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until you’re ready to eat! You may need to add an extra splash of liquid with this method - just keep an eye on it and adjust as needed!

Equipment. We like using a good nonstick skillet or a cast iron skillet here.