Meatloaf with Smothered Mushrooms and Cheesy Cauliflower

I saw Rachael Ray make Meatloaf with Smothered Mushrooms and Cheesy Cauliflower last week and it looked really tasty, so I put it on this week's menu.


Unfortunately I'm not sure if it was a winner or a failure. The meatloaf was good. I used ground beef for the meatloaf patties and they were pretty good because of the combo of Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and grated onion. And I really enjoyed the smothered mushrooms in a sherry, beef broth and splash of heavy cream sauce, so that part of the meal worked.

What really disappointed me was the Cheesy Cauliflower. Now granted, I didn't buy the Boursin cheese (I actually meant to but forgot to put it on the shopping list), so it was missing that particular flavor. I tried to compensate by adding some garlic cloves to the cauliflower as it cooked and I still mashed the cauliflower with the chicken stock, Pecorino cheese, salt and pepper, but it had a really watery consistency. I tried boiling out some of the liquid, but it never got smooth like I was expecting it to. I've heard mashed cauliflower can be a stand-in for mashed potatoes, but mine didn't work out that way. I ended up adding a splash of heavy cream in an attempt to make them a little more interesting, but while the flavor was good, the texture was all wrong. I'll have to try to find another recipe for mashed cauliflower since I love cauliflower and it's a good, healthy vegetable.