We can’t believe these loaded cauliflower bites are low-carb

Cauliflower is one versatile vegetable. The cruciferous plant’s been used as a healthier choice in pizza crust, pasta and even as chicken-free chicken wings.

One of its best disguises is as a lower-carb potato substitute. These indulgent cauliflower bites by Delicious Little Bites mimic the satisfaction of loaded baked potato skins.

The idea is simple: Use roasted cauliflower as a bed for all your favorite tater toppings. Traditional garnishes like bacon, scallions and cheese are encouraged, but part of the beauty of the recipe is that it’s totally customizable.

The first step, of course, is to roast that cauliflower. Delicious Little Bites blogger Lauren simply tosses bite-sized florets of cauliflower with olive oil, salt and pepper before throwing them in the oven on a baking sheet.

She estimates the roasting takes 20 to 30 minutes, which should give you time to prepare your buffet of toppings. If you need bacon bits, now’s a good time to cook up some slices for crumbling. You’ll want to chop your scallions and shred your cheese, too, if desired.

Here Lauren notes that shredding cheese right off the block is preferable to using bagged, pre-shredded cheese if you’re trying to keep it low-carb. Bagged cheese uses an anti-caking agent that doesn’t melt well and can add to the carb count.

Once the cauliflower is fork-tender, arrange the florets into four piles. Each pile is a “potato skin” for you and your fellow diners to decorate as you wish. Keep the oven on, though — you’ll want to put the topped cauliflower bites back in to melt cheese or warm up cooled bacon.

After that quick warmup, it’s time to add any finishing touches like sour cream, ranch dressing or salsa. Totally your call.

As written, this recipe only has 4 grams of carbohydrate per serving! A regular potato skin has 26.7 grams of carbs, so that’s a big savings. Check out the full recipe here.

If you’re looking for more unique ways to use cauliflower as a carb substitute, check out this dairy-free recipe from Delighted Momma for cauliflower biscuits, or these cheesy cauliflower breadsticks from Jo Cooks.

All right — who’s hungry?