Have you ever tried roasting cauliflower? This healthy, easily customizable vegetable side dish issurprisingly delicious. Ditch your basic steamed and boiled cauliflower. The easy method outlined below produces the best roasted cauliflower – tender, caramelized, sweet and delicious. I’ve also included a video so you can watch the whole process, step by step!
When you roast cauliflower, it’s transformed into something so tasty, you almost forget you’re eating veggies. All you need is a touch of oil, salt and pepper to turn ordinary cauliflower into something extraordinary. The dry heat of the oven makes the cauliflower perfectly tender, and the roasting pan caramelizes the flat surfaces and edges.
Before we dive into the recipe, here are a few important points about cauliflower.
Is Cauliflower Healthy?
Cauliflower is really healthy! Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower are known to lower your risk of cancer, and nutritionists recommend that you eat them at least 3-5 times per week. It’s full of antioxidants, loaded with fiber, and brimming with anti-inflammatory properties. Even so, I was never too excited about cauliflower… until I discovered the magic of roasting.
How do you Cut Cauliflower for Roasting?
The key to getting the most flavor out of your roasted cauliflower is to make sure you have lots of flat surfaces on your florets. The more the flat edges come into contact with the hot baking sheet, the more caramelization you’ll achieve. Caramelization = flavor. I’ve provided instructions below for how to slice your cauliflower to ensure that you have lots of flat surfaces on your florets — this will maximize your caramelization.
How Many Florets are in a Head of Cauliflower?
It’s difficult to measure cauliflower florets (more technically known as curds) in cups because of their bulk and strange shape. I prefer to measure them by weight. Here is a rough guide that will tell you the weight of florets that differently sized cauliflower heads will produce. Keep in mind that each head of cauliflower is different, so this chart is a rough estimate:
1.5 lbs. cauliflower head = 1 lb. florets
2 lbs. cauliflower head = 1.5 lbs. florets
2.5 lbs. cauliflower head = 2 lbs. florets
3 lbs. cauliflower head = 2.5 lbs. florets
If you need to know how many cups of florets you’ll have, an average sized cauliflower (2 lbs.) will produce roughly 3-4 cups of uncooked florets. After roasting, the florets shrink up quite a bit.
How to Season Roasted Cauliflower
Olive oil, salt and pepper are really all you need to make mouthwatering roasted cauliflower. You can certainly add other ingredients to enhance the flavor; I’ve suggested a few ideas below. Parmesan cheese is popular. Garlic adds a lovely aroma. Italian seasoning, za’atar, turmeric, cumin, curry powder and cajun seasoning all give distinctly different flavors. Depending on the type of meal you’re making, you can enhance your roasted cauliflower with a variety of herbs and spices (smoked paprika is a favorite of mine). Feel free to get creative. However you dress it up, roasted cauliflower is downright delicious.Enjoy!
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How to Roast Cauliflower
How to Roast Cauliflower - Learn how to roast cauliflower to achieve maximum amount of flavor in minimum amount of time.
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COURSE: Side Dish
Kosher Key: Parve or Dairy, depending on preparation
Servings: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
NOTES
Optional Ingredients:2-3 cloves minced fresh garlic,1-2 tspyour favorite herb or spice (oregano, smoked paprika, thyme, and red chili pepper flakes work well), lemon zest,Parmesan cheese, or fresh lemon juice.
You will also need: baking sheet, tongs
Instructions
Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
Pull the leaves off of the cauliflower base. Cut off the lower part of the stem.
Cut the head of cauliflower into four quarters.
Slice each quarter into 6-8 pieces. You want as many flat surfaces as possible on each floret-- the flat surfaces caramelize best. Caramelization is the key to giving the roasted cauliflower flavor.
Give all the florets a thorough rinse in a colander. Shake them dry.
Spread the florets out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Reserve any small bits of cauliflower that have fallen away from the florets in a small bowl. (Please note - in this tutorial the baking sheet is lined with foil, but I no longer use foil for this process--I simply use a plain baking sheet).
Drizzle the florets evenly with 1 tbsp olive oil. I use a measuring spoon of olive oil for this step, which makes it easier to gauge how much oil I'm using, rather than pouring straight from the bottle. Toss the florets to coat them fully with oil-- I use clean hands for this.
Sprinkle the cauliflower florets evenly with salt and pepper. At this point, you can also sprinkle them with your choice of optional herbs or spices. Some ideas include - garlic, oregano, spicy red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, za'atar, turmeric, cumin, curry powder, or cajun seasoning. Sprinkle seasoning on to taste. If using parmesan or lemon juice, sprinkle those on at the very end of roasting.
Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven and let the cauliflower roast for 10 minutes.
While cauliflower is cooking, drizzle 1/4 tsp of olive oil into the small bowl of reserved cauliflower bits that have fallen away from the florets and toss to coat. You will add these to the sheet a little later so they won't burn.
After 10 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use tongs to turn over the florets, making sure that the florets with flat surfaces are pressed directly against the baking sheet. This will enhance caramelization.
Sprinkle the reserved cauliflower bits onto the baking sheet.
Return the baking sheet to the oven. Let the cauliflower roast for 10-20 minutes longer until tender. When it's ready you will be able to pierce it easily with a fork.
The flat surfaces should be nicely caramelized at this point.
If you plan to add parmesan cheese and/or lemon juice, now is the time. Sprinkle evenly to taste.
Serve hot.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
How to Roast Cauliflower
Amount Per Serving
Calories 67Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 334mg15%
Potassium 430mg12%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin C 69mg84%
Calcium 32mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Note: nutritional information above is for 1 standard head of cauliflower divided into 4 servings, with 1/2 tsp salt added. Nutrition will vary based on size of cauliflower, amount of salt added, and any additional ingredients used.
Nutritional information should be considered an estimate only; please consult a registered dietician, nutritionist, or your physician for specific health-related questions. Read more here. Please note that the recipe above is published using a recipe card plugin, with preexisting software which can auto-calculate metric measurements, as well as change the number of servings. Metric conversions and changes to the number of servings (resulting in different ingredient amounts) will only appear in the ingredient list, and are not changed within the step-by-step directions of the recipe.
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