Low-Fat Shake 'N Bake Cauliflower: How a Vegetarian Does Nostalgia

I’m doing it again. I’m posting a recipe that includes a boxed mix: Shake ‘N Bake. But hear me out! I was watching Talladega Nights the other day and thought “when was the last time I had Shake ‘N Bake?” I haven’t had meat in 25 years, so it was at least 25 years ago. And then I kept thinking about the Shake ‘N Bake commercials of my youth. Like the obsessive that I am, I couldn’t stop hearing “and I helped!” in my head. I’d walk the dog and hear “And I helped!” Vacuum the house: And I helped! Who the heck did I think I was helping? I live alone!

Do other people get phrases in their head like they get songs stuck in there? Am I losing my mind? (Don’t answer that)

We’ve seen my love of cauliflower before on the blog, with my smoked gouda cauliflower gratin, the thick and creamy mashed cauliflower, and even the cauliflower-crust “pizza” review that turned out more like a delicious cauliflower casserole than a real pizza.

So of course I had a head of cauliflower in my fridge. I ran down to Walmart to get a box of Shake ‘N Bake, and ended up finding this ranch flavored variety.

Guys, it’s good. Really good. Now that I’ve tried this with store-bought Shake ‘N Bake, I have a feeling I’ll be coming up with my own mixes in the near future. Maybe a smoked paprika and parsley blend? I don’t know, but whatever I end up making will make it to the blog!

Shake ‘N Bake Cauliflower

One head of cauliflower, broken up into whatever size pieces you’d enjoy
One box of Shake ‘N Bake
Olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 400F.

I knew that the cauliflower wouldn’t be moist enough to make the Shake ‘N Bake stick to it, so I dropped all the cauliflower florets into a bowl of water. If you want a more indulgent/filling dish, I think this would be delicious if you tossed the florets in olive oil instead.

Now for step one of Shake ‘N Bake: the shake. Guys, I don’t have to tell you how to do this! Place the coated cauliflower on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.