Park Street Deli Cauliflower & Cheese
Easy vegetable side dishes are a must on busy weeknights when my family needs dinner. I always keep several bags of frozen broccoli from Aldi in my deep freezer, and it’s simple to toss a bag right into the microwave to steam and serve. I also like bagged salad kits, or sometimes I’ll make up a big salad with Aldi artisan lettuce that we can eat for several days.
I recently discovered some new ready-to-heat veggie sides in the refrigerated deli section at Aldi. They include cauliflower and cheese as well as mashed cauliflower.
I’m taking a closer look here at the cauliflower and cheese. The package states this features “sous-vide cauliflower in a creamy, decadent cheese sauce.”
Park Street Deli Cauliflower and Cheese appears to be a new Regular Buy, meaning it should be available all year at Aldi.
We buy Aldi products for review using our own funds. I purchased the cauliflower & cheese for $4.99 for a 17-ounce package at the time of writing. That comes out to about 29 cents per ounce. With about 4.5 servings per package, that’s around $1.11 per serving.
This is keto certified and gluten free. It’s fully cooked and simply needs to be heated and served.
It is perishable and should be stored in the refrigerator. The package I bought had a use-by date of nearly a month out from my date of purchase.
Ingredients include cauliflower, sea salt, onion powder, and cheese, among other things.
If you’re looking out for allergens, this contains milk.
One half-cup serving has 80 calories, 5 grams of total fat (7% DV), 3 grams of total fat (15% DV), 400 mg of sodium (17% DV), 5 grams of total carbohydrates (2% DV), 2 grams of dietary fiber (6% DV), 3 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 5 grams of protein.
The package has directions for heating this in a microwave, on the stovetop, or in a conventional oven.
To microwave, cut open the cauliflower pouch, thoroughly drain the vegetable broth and discard the broth. (Excess vegetable broth is a result of the sous-vide cooking process.) Place cauliflower in the provided tray or in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Then, pour the sauce over the cauliflower, stir, and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the microwave, stir, and serve.
To heat on the stove top, heat a skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute and add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Cut open the cauliflower pouch and thoroughly drain the vegetable broth, discarding the broth. Saute the cauliflower for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, reduce heat to medium and pour sauce into the skillet. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Portion onto serving plates.
To heat in a conventional oven, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Thoroughly drain the vegetable broth from the cauliflower and discard the broth. Add cauliflower and sauce to an 8×8 baking dish. (Caution: do not put the included plastic tray in the oven.) Stir together until well mixed. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 1 minute, then portion onto serving plates.
I heated this in the microwave and it was simple and easy. My family also liked this. The cauliflower is cut into small pieces, unlike when you buy frozen cheesy cauliflower that tends to be in larger chunks. The cheese sauce is plentiful and flavorful, and we liked this all around.
It’s not a huge amount of food, so if you’re feeding more than a small family, you might need additional packages. Otherwise, this is a solid choice if you want a keto-friendly, gluten free veggie side.
The Verdict:
Park Street Deli Cauliflower & Cheese is sold refrigerated and is ready to heat in the microwave, in a conventional oven, or on the stove top. It features tender, small pieces of cauliflower in a creamy cheese sauce, and it’s good.