by Holly
Oven roasted cauliflower is a super easy and delicious way to prepare cauliflower!
An entire head of cauliflower is brushed with a simple homemade garlic butter and baked until tender.
Roasting adds lots of flavor while this method produces a delicious side and is easy to make!
Roasting cauliflower as a whole head turns it into a side dish or main that not only looks impressive, it’s absolutely delicious too!
When roasted in the oven, cauliflower will caramelize to golden brown on the outside while still being perfectly tender crisp.
My mom has been making whole roasted cauliflower for years and she always raves about it so I knew I needed to try it so see what the fuss was all about!
Now I know why, it’s so easy and so incredibly delicious!
The great thing about roasting cauliflower is that its very versatile. While I love the combination of garlic and parmesan (with a hint of lemon), you can really season this with anything you like. Simply brush with butter (or olive oil) season and bake.
My friend makes an incredible Indian spiced cauliflower and I think it’d be an amazing seasoning to try roasted whole!
If you’re short on time, you can create roasted cauliflower steaks out of it by cutting it up and roasting them flat (full instructions below)!
They’ll take much less time while still providing the same delicious flavor combo!
I know you’ll love this recipe, nothing compares to taking such an easy dish filled with parmesan, butter, and garlic, then roasting it to crispy perfection.
What Kind of Meat Goes With Cauliflower?
Cauliflower is a mildly flavored vegetable that can be prepared a multitude of different ways from Mashed Cauliflower Potatoes to Cauliflower Rice.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower is perfect to serve alongside steak, Perfect Pork Tenderloin, or even roasted chicken.
While most often I prepare this dish as a side, it’s a great meatless meal or perfect to serve if you have vegetarian friends!
How Do You Make Cauliflower Steaks?
Oven roasted cauliflower steaks are a great way to change up this whole roasted cauliflower.
To create cauliflower steaks out of this recipe, you’ll want to adjust your baking time but the ingredients will remain the same.
Cutting cauliflower into steaks is easiest to do with larger cauliflower (so buy the biggest one you can find). Cut the steaks at least 3/4″ but I prefer a 1″ cut so they stay in tact better.
How to Roast Cauliflower Steaks
- Remove the leaves from the outside of the cauliflower. (Keep the stem intact to hold the cauliflower together but trim it a little bit)
- Slice your cauliflower head into 1 inch thick steaks from top to bottom.
- Brush your cauliflower steaks with half of the toppings and roast them about 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Flip them, add additional reamining seasonings and roast about 10 more minutes or until tender crisp when pierced with a fork.
If you have already roasted your cauliflower and would like to cut it into steaks, follow the steps above but be sure to take extra care, as the inside of your cauliflower will be roasted and tender!
Keep in mind, cauliflower steaks will not always come out absolutely perfectly shaped, that’s just the way that cauliflower cuts up.
If you have leftover cauliflower, I have found that it keeps well in the fridge.
I love cutting it up and sprinkling it on salad, or even throwing it back in the oven to enjoy again the next day!
Another awesome option to use up any leftover cauliflower is to create a delicious Creamy Cauliflower Soup!
The roasting of this recipe, as well as the garlic and butter make the soup extra delicious!
WHOLE ROASTED CAULIFLOWER
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Trim leaves from cauliflower head. Place in baking dish.
- Combine butter, garlic, lemon zest, parsley, salt and pepper. Brush mixture on top of cauliflower head and cover with foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake for 15 minutes more (or just until tender crisp, do not overcook). Remove and turn oven to Broil.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese on cauliflower head and broil for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly brown.
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
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