Roasted Cauliflower

Originally posted February 4th, 2009.

While I really like the spicy bite of raw cauliflower, the only form of cooked cauliflower I had ever eaten was over cooked, stinky mush. To say that I didn’t enjoy it would be an understatement. So I was happy to find a delicious rendition of plain our cauliflower.

Cauliflower is a pretty inexpensive vegetable and since I am not eating grains right now, eating lots of these kinds of veggies keeps the budget in check.

I came across the idea to roast cauliflower from reading several different cookbooks. There are endless options with this recipe. You can add any flavors you’d like to create something different every time.

This version is fairly basic, and lends itself well to Italian meals. This dish alongside a pasta sauce served over spaghetti squash is a great produce-centered, grain free meal.

Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients

  • 1 medium head of cauliflower, resulting in about 3 cups of florets
  • 2 or more Tablespoons of real olive oil or ghee
  • 1 or more teaspoons of sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • parmesan cheese for serving

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cut cauliflower into small florets about the size of your thumb. In a bowl toss the florets with olive oil, salt and red pepper flakes. Spread in one layer over one or two cookie sheets or a large sheet pan or pizza pan. It is important not to overcrowd the cauliflower, otherwise it can steam.
  2. Roast at 425 for 15-20  minutes. Remove from the oven and rotate the florets to ensure even browning. Place cauliflower back in the oven. Continue to roast and turn the cauliflower in 10 minute increments until you are satisfied with it’s color. You want it dark brown on as many sides as possible. This ensures an almost french fry like quality.
  3. Grate parmesan cheese over the cauliflower and serve.

 

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12 Comments

  1. Mmm…I love roasted cauliflower! It was the means by which I began to actually enjoy eating cauliflower. About 6 months ago I started using it to make ‘mashed potatoes’ because I couldn’t eat potatoes at that time. I steam 1 head of cauliflower florets and puree it in the food processor with a heaping 1/2 cup soaked, rinsed cashews, a clove of roasted garlic, and some salt and pepper. So good!

  2. Add a little red wine to it and it is very good. Martha Steward had a recipe that was like this but added the red wine….I cook it this way all the time..

  3. Its also good as a substitute for mashed potatoes…just steam, then put in a food processor w/butter & season to taste.

  4. Yum. We love cauliflower at our house. Our favorite way to eat it as a snack is to cut it up using mainly just the heads, breaking them into smaller pieces. Put in a gallon baggie with olive oil, nutritional yeast, sea salt and pepper and shake until all the pieces are coated. Then we throw it onto the dehydrator and leave over night. It is crispy and salty. It will soon be taking the place of our popcorn as we will be starting GAPS soon.

  5. I am also avoiding carbs for a while. Tonight I made roasted cauliflower for dinner along with peas and fish. I added brie cheese on top of the cauliflower which I then broiled- it was very delicious. What made you decide to not eat carbs right now?

    1. Mollie – Sounds delicious. I decided not to eat carbs right now for a few reasons – weight, hypothyroidism, blood sugar, etc.

  6. i love roasted cauliflower! thanks for the reminder to make this again.
    i truly love your blog … i love the look; the wealth of amazing information; the vision and passion that you share.
    THANK YOU so much!!
    blessings,
    emily

  7. We love roasted cauliflower too–sometimes adding curry powder to make it have more middle eastern flavor, or I’ll toast cumin seeds and grind them and add. Such an improvement over soggy cauliflower in a white sauce.

  8. I usually lurk on your site but had to come out of the woodwork for this post! We recently discovered roasted cauliflower in my house and can’t get enough of it (especially my 2 year old daughter).

    We roast enough to cover a 9×13 pan in a single layer, sprinkle with olive oil and half a lemon with 2-4 cloves of finely chopped garlic tossed in. After roasting at 425 until browned (maybe 20 minutes?) we sprinkle with a generous handful of parm. cheese (or romano). We LOVE LOVE LOVE this lemony, garlicky version!

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