Tossed in a lemon-garlic dressing, this delicious roasted cauliflower is healthy and naturally high in vitamin C.
Chef's notes
Keep in mind that the cauliflower will continue to cook, even after it comes out of the oven. When done, it should have a tiny bit of crunch to it. It should not be mushy.
Roasted cauliflower, whether it is served hot or cold, is delicious. It can be added to things such as salads, antipasto platters and frittatas. It can even be incorporated into soups.
Don't have any lemons on hand? Easily substitute the lemon juice with white wine or champagne vinegar.
To make this recipe 100% plant-based, please omit the cheese.
Steps
1
Making the Dressing
Ingredients
1 clove garlic
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
2 to 3 Tbsp olive oil (or other oil of your choice)
To make the dressing, crush the garlic over a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Set aside while you prepare the cauliflower.
2
Preparing and Roasting the Cauliflower
Ingredients
1 whole head cauliflower
parmesan cheese* (optional)
To start the cauliflower, preheat your oven to 450° degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the large florets from the cauliflower and cut them into even-sized pieces. Any of the very large florets can be sliced in half. Place the cauliflower into the dressing and toss to coat.
To roast the cauliflower, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Lay any flat pieces of cauliflower cut-side down, so they caramelize nicely. Roast for about 10 minutes before tossing. Return to the oven for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it is almost cooked through.
Once it is almost cooked through, grate some fresh parmesan cheese over top, if desired. Place back into the oven for another minute or so, just to melt the cheese.
*Note: For plant-based, garnish the finished cauliflower with a non-dairy parmesan, such as this Plant-Based Parmesan, or omit from the recipe.
Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy.
24 Comments
Liz S•
I have always loved roasted cauliflower. The lemon and garlic really kicked it up a notch.
Thank you for this recipe! I now roast cauliflower all of the time now...it is the only way my kids and husband will eat it. I've since experiemented with other ingredients and one of our famly favourites (in addition to this one) is a marinade of olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and dijon mustard. Delicious!
Sorry, not sure if I completely understand the question. Not sure that leaving out one of the "tossings" would benefit, this already quite simply, but delicious recipe.
It is important to toss the cauliflower in the dressing prior to rosting, as this allows the dressing to evenly coat the cauliflower. Tossing also allows the dressing to get right into the cauliflower.
Tossing during roasting, is done to develop more color and even cooking. Hope this helps!
I'm currently doing the Cook's Roadmap. Its vegetable lesson says not to add acid to non-green vegetables until halfway through cooking. This one has it added at the beginning. Which is right (or are both) and why? Thanks!
I think that you may have misunderstood what was said in that lesson — acid should not be added at the beginning for green vegetables, not "non-green". So in this case, since the cauliflower is not green, adding an acid at the beginning is fine. Hope that helps to clear things up. Cheers!
The video lesson on veggies says not to add acid until halfway through for non-green and not until just before serving for green. So in neither case do you add at beginning, according to video. In the case of non-green because it extends cooking time (not for taste reasons). I'd say my experience adding acid at the beginning with this recipe is consistent with the mechanics--took more like 20 minutes total cooking time at 450 degrees, so perhaps did extend cooking time. But it turned out fine.
Thanks Sarah- The level of acidity is also important here since acidity (especially mostly topical acid, as in the in case of roasting) won't do much one way or the other.
Acidity is most impactful when it's for extended times, in high concentration and when the acidity is prevalent throughout the food (e.g. simmering beans in tomato sauce).
So, for a fast/hot roast even on most green veggies - I would not worry about adding a bit of acid to build flavor as it cooks. ~Ken
I made this for dinner tonight, as well as the cauliflower sauce. I have to admit that I did it primarily to use up the head of cauliflower that has been sitting in my fridge for a week and haunting me every time I open the door.
I topped the roasted cauliflower with the cauliflower sauce and it was absolutely fantastic. As a matter of fact the roasted cauliflower was our main dish. I accompanied it with some julienned carrots and celery, and some cheese and crackers and the whole thing made a delicious and satisfying meal. I even took a second helping of the cauliflower!
The cauliflower sauce filled the house with a delicious aroma, and tasted fantastic. Winona said I cheated because the sauce tasted nothing like cauliflower, which is obviously why I liked it! :-)
Nice work Leigh and good for you for being open minded enough to try it, even though you don't like cauliflower. This is actually one of our favorite ways to eat it - sometimes we even eat it all before it even makes it to the oven :-)
My husband and I loved this recipe and ate a whole head of cauliflower along with the rest of our dinner. I left the garlic out, thinking it might get too burnt in such a hot oven, and it worked well for us. Next time I would add the lemon zest after the florets are roasted. I love the taste of lemon zest, very much and it was lost in the roasting process. Thanks for this simple recipe!
I had trouble getting the cauliflower to get some good color on it, even at 450 degrees. I had 2 heads of cauliflower, both rather large. I placed each head (cut up, into florets) on it's own baking sheet, but both sheets were rather full. Wondering if my cauliflower steamed because there was too much on each sheet? I pulled both sheets out once the cauliflower was cooked through (but it still had no real color). It tasted good (especially with the vinaigrette), but thinking I want to try again with less cauliflower on each sheet pan; hopefully next time I can achieve that color roasting should impart.
Hi Sunnie. Great troubleshooting. A couple of thoughts....Most likely the cauliflower was overcrowded which does have a big impact on browning. Sometimes if you put two very full sheets of food in the oven, it just cant circulate the heat enough to get up to temp and brown adaquately. Last thought is that maybe your oven needs to be recalibrated. Next time, try a smaller amount of cauliflower on the sheet so that there is space around each piece. I prefer convect at 400 but you can bake at 400-450. Try just one baking sheet at a time and see if that works- it should. Lauren
Natalie A •I fixed this for 10 people last night. It was a big hit. Everyone loved it. So easy. Thanks
Cari S •Thank you for this recipe! I now roast cauliflower all of the time now...it is the only way my kids and husband will eat it. I've since experiemented with other ingredients and one of our famly favourites (in addition to this one) is a marinade of olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and dijon mustard. Delicious!
Liz H •How important is it that you roast before you toss? In an effort to simplify, can I toss first then roast?
Dawn T •Sorry, not sure if I completely understand the question. Not sure that leaving out one of the "tossings" would benefit, this already quite simply, but delicious recipe. It is important to toss the cauliflower in the dressing prior to rosting, as this allows the dressing to evenly coat the cauliflower. Tossing also allows the dressing to get right into the cauliflower. Tossing during roasting, is done to develop more color and even cooking. Hope this helps!
Kimberley S • Rouxbe Staff •Yes, feel free to substitute grapeseed oil and a good sea salt instead of kosher. Cheers!
Sarah D •I'm currently doing the Cook's Roadmap. Its vegetable lesson says not to add acid to non-green vegetables until halfway through cooking. This one has it added at the beginning. Which is right (or are both) and why? Thanks!
Ken R • Rouxbe Staff •Thanks Sarah- The level of acidity is also important here since acidity (especially mostly topical acid, as in the in case of roasting) won't do much one way or the other. Acidity is most impactful when it's for extended times, in high concentration and when the acidity is prevalent throughout the food (e.g. simmering beans in tomato sauce). So, for a fast/hot roast even on most green veggies - I would not worry about adding a bit of acid to build flavor as it cooks. ~Ken
Leigh S •I made this for dinner tonight, as well as the cauliflower sauce. I have to admit that I did it primarily to use up the head of cauliflower that has been sitting in my fridge for a week and haunting me every time I open the door. I topped the roasted cauliflower with the cauliflower sauce and it was absolutely fantastic. As a matter of fact the roasted cauliflower was our main dish. I accompanied it with some julienned carrots and celery, and some cheese and crackers and the whole thing made a delicious and satisfying meal. I even took a second helping of the cauliflower! The cauliflower sauce filled the house with a delicious aroma, and tasted fantastic. Winona said I cheated because the sauce tasted nothing like cauliflower, which is obviously why I liked it! :-)
Laura C •I have made this dish before and had great success. However, this time, the cauliflower became bitter, to my surprise! What could have gone wrong?
Eric W • Rouxbe Staff •Both garlic and lemon juice can impart bitterness. Also, one's physical reaction to foods can vary. Any other thoughts from the Rouxbe community?
Bedia canan O •My husband and I loved this recipe and ate a whole head of cauliflower along with the rest of our dinner. I left the garlic out, thinking it might get too burnt in such a hot oven, and it worked well for us. Next time I would add the lemon zest after the florets are roasted. I love the taste of lemon zest, very much and it was lost in the roasting process. Thanks for this simple recipe!
Sunnie S •I had trouble getting the cauliflower to get some good color on it, even at 450 degrees. I had 2 heads of cauliflower, both rather large. I placed each head (cut up, into florets) on it's own baking sheet, but both sheets were rather full. Wondering if my cauliflower steamed because there was too much on each sheet? I pulled both sheets out once the cauliflower was cooked through (but it still had no real color). It tasted good (especially with the vinaigrette), but thinking I want to try again with less cauliflower on each sheet pan; hopefully next time I can achieve that color roasting should impart.
Lauren L •Hi Sunnie. Great troubleshooting. A couple of thoughts....Most likely the cauliflower was overcrowded which does have a big impact on browning. Sometimes if you put two very full sheets of food in the oven, it just cant circulate the heat enough to get up to temp and brown adaquately. Last thought is that maybe your oven needs to be recalibrated. Next time, try a smaller amount of cauliflower on the sheet so that there is space around each piece. I prefer convect at 400 but you can bake at 400-450. Try just one baking sheet at a time and see if that works- it should. Lauren