This dish was inspired by a meal one of my coworkers ordered at a local restaurant last week. He let me try a bite, and it was delicious. I wanted to make it a tiny bit healthier (admittedly, not much) by using cauliflower rice rather than arborio rice.

Shrimp & Bacon Fauxsotto

Ingredients

• 3 3/4 c cauliflower rice
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp butter
• 5 tbsp minced garlic
• 3 tbsp pesto
• 1/4 c sundried tomatoes
• 4 slices of chopped bacon
• 1 lb shrimp
• 1/4 c broth
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Add butter, 1 tbsp of garlic, cauliflower rice, and a splash of water to a pan with a lid. Cover and cook until softened.
2. Add cream cheese and parmesan cheese, and cook until cheese is melted, stirring constantly. Add pesto and sundried tomatoes, and cook until warm.
3. While the fauxsotto is cooking, place the bacon in another pan and cook until crisp, remove, and set aside.
4. In the bacon pan, add the remaining garlic for 1 minute, then the shrimp. Cook until they are just beginning to turn pink and add broth, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and parsley. Cook until liquid reduces, then add the bacon.
5. Serve bacon and shrimp mixture over the fauxsotto.

Tips & Tricks

The broth was a little messy, I really think the recipe might still be great without it.

This was one of the best things I've cooked in a while. I legitimately did not want to share it with anyone but still did...lucky them.

We also had some virgin mojitos...or fauxjitos, if you will.

Download the recipe below.