Monday, June 19, 2017

Easiest Ever Roasted Cauliflower


At our last Around the Kitchen Table feature, I mentioned that Natasha forces me to keep up with food trends. She doesn't just want to be on the cutting edge. She wants to make the trends!

This is one of those trending recipes. When I first saw this recipe, I was stunned. I knew you could cut a cauliflower into slices and bake them, but it never occurred to me to bake the whole thing. This is now our go-to recipe for cauliflower.

It barely qualifies as a recipe because it's so easy but you're going to start seeing this recipe everywhere (if you haven't already). It's quite flexible in terms of flavor as well. The possible seasonings are endless. I think I would avoid anything too leafy, though, like fresh herbs, because they might scorch. Sprinkling with fresh parsley after baking would be great.

Some people make a lemon or Dijon sauce for it, but we like it plain or with melted butter. After cutting, I like mine sprinkled with a little sea salt. You can bake it in any kind of pan. I have used a metal roasting pan as well as a cast iron pan and both work equally well.

If you hate cauliflower, this recipe will not change your mind because it tastes like, well, cauliflower! But if cauliflower tends to die an ugly death in your fridge because you dread cooking it, this is an easy way to prepare it. No more cauliflowericide!


Roasted Whole Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower
high heat-friendly oil like canola or sunflower

Your choice of seasoning:
salt
paprika
smoked paprika
lemon salt

Preheat oven to 400.

Carve the stem out of the bottom of the cauliflower. You don't have to go deep, just enough for the cauliflower to sit up. Pour oil over top. Sprinkle with your choice of seasoning.

Place on baking pan and roast 40-50 minutes.


Carve out stem.

Drizzle with heat-friendly oil.

Sprinkle with seasoning. This is smoked paprika.
After roasting.

18 comments:

  1. I love cauliflower! Amazingly, so do my husband and oldest daughter. I usually only buy it frozen so I can easily heat it up in a pan, but this sounds way better! Thanks for sharing. Can't wait for Not a Creature Was Purring!

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    1. I often buy frozen broccoli for the same reason. But this is so easy!

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  2. I usually cut it up into florets and toss them with oil and garlic powder and roast them. Much better then the boiled frozen cauliflower my Mom made when I was a kid.

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    1. Sandy, I do that with chopped apples, pecans, and maple syrup. Another way we love our cauliflower!

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  3. Looks yummy and easy. I've been seeing recipes using cauliflower rice -- have you and Natasha tried it?

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    1. Neither Natasha nor I have tried it. But maybe we should!

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  4. This looks delicious! I really enjoy roasted cauliflower.

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    1. Isn't it amazing how much better vegetables taste when they're roasted?

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    2. You are so right. I never could get my kids to eat Brussel sprouts. When I roasted them, they fought over them.

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  5. What a great, EASY method of making a healthful side dish for dinner. Looks beautiful with the smoked paprika!

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  6. Looks really good,will have to try iy.

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  7. I cut mine up to big florets then toss in a bowl with half bottle of buffalo wing sauce then line a cookie sheet with heavy duty tin foil drizzle with little oil so it won't stick then I roast it at 430 degrees for abou t 35-40 minutes. The whole family goes nuts for it.

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  8. Brilliant!
    I can imagine sprinkling some freshly grated cheese just before serving.

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  9. This will be perfect to make for vegetarian son. He usually doesn't get much to eat when we go to family/friends. Easy to make and take!

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  10. I am really looking forward to the "Not a Creature was Stirring" book! Thanks for the super easy cauliflower recipe. I often forget about roasting it whole. I always chop into florets. -Heather

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  11. LOL, I meant to say "Not a Creature was Purring". This hot day has officially cooked my noggin. :) -Heather

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