A student’s fast-paced lifestyle can call for lots of snacking. This cauliflower tater tot recipe only requires a few ingredients, and the hardest part of it is turning on the oven.

Story by Alexis Fischer

Glorified in indie-cult film Napoleon Dynamite, tater-tots are an American staple. In fact, a school lunch is incomplete without them. Tater-tots, the holy grail of finger food, are getting a veggie-induced makeover with the versatility of cauliflower. Swap beets out for tomatoes for a healthier (but still tasty!) version of ketchup to compliment.

Ingredients

Cauliflower Tots

• 2 heads of fresh cauliflower, cut into florets
• ¼ cup diced onion
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. salt
• ⅔  tsp. pepper
• ½ cup breadcrumbs

Beet Ketchup

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 large beet
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp. white vinegar
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ tsp. salt

Instructions

Cauliflower Tots

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower florets to the water with a pinch of salt and cook for 5-10 minutes.
2. Drain and put in food processor. Mix cauliflower until they become small, chunky pieces.
3. In a bowl, combine onion, egg, parmesan, salt and pepper. Add cauliflower and stir together.
4. Mold mixture into shape of tater tots. The consistency should not be runny. If not, the tots will noy retain their shape.
5. Roll molded tots into breadcrumbs to cover outside layer.
6. Bake at 350°F on a baking sheet for 20 minutes.
7. Flip over and bake for another 15 minutes. Depending on the desired level of crispiness, they may require longer baking.

Beet Ketchup

1. Grate beet into small strips.
2. In a pot, cook onions in olive oil until brown. Add beets and water.
3. Continue stirring ingredients until the beets are soft, typically around 15 minutes.
4. Add salt, vinegar, sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Pour mixture into blender and blend until the mixture has the consistency of ketchup.
6. Pour mixture into smaller container and keep refrigerated.
7. Dip away!