Roasted Cauliflower is the perfect side dish to serve alongside any meal. It’s tossed with garlic, spices, and Parmesan cheese, and then roasted at 425 degrees until golden brown and tender. This recipe will convert even the most stubborn of cauliflower haters!
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the best roasted cauliflower
OK, so who else loves cauliflower? It has gained a lot of popularity in recent years as the whole world has jumped on the health food bandwagon. You can rice it for fried rice, fry it as a meat alternative, and even puree it for a decadent soup. There’s really no wrong way to prepare it, but this might be my favorite. It’s family-friendly and is sure to impress!
What’s So Great About Roasted Cauliflower?
Roasting might be my favorite way to prepare and serve cauliflower. In fact, it’s my favorite way to cook a lot of vegetables, including asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, and potatoes,
But there’s a certain magic that happens when you take a plain vegetable like cauliflower, toss it with some simple ingredients you likely have on-hand, and roast it at a high temperature. It completely transforms the flavor profile and texture, making it crispy and golden on the outside but perfectly tender on the inside.
This cauliflower is tossed with olive oil, sliced garlic, Parmesan cheese, onion powder, salt, and pepper before being roasted at a high temperature of 425 degrees. Plus, there’s only three steps to this super simple recipe. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
Roasted Cauliflower Ingredients
- Cauliflower Florets: Make sure to cut these into bite-sized pieces, but not too small since they will shrink a little as they cook and the water within them evaporates.
- Olive oil: You can use any type of oil in this recipe. I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil, but any lightly flavored oil can be used, like canola, vegetable, or even avocado.
- Parmesan cheese:You can use either the fancy block parmesan and grate it yourself, or the pre-packaged powder.
- Garlic: My favorite part of this dish is the garlic. Yes, even more so than the cauliflower. Being sliced, it’s roasted with the cauliflower, so you’re able to bite into it. It gets perfectly golden brown and crispy, and almost caramelized. Perfection!
How To Roast Cauliflower
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees: This is the perfect temperature for roasting cauliflower. It gets golden brown and tender without cooking too fast and burning.
- Toss the cauliflower, garlic, cheese, and spices in oil: Spread the florets onto a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, then add in garlic, cheese, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat the cauliflower in oil and seasonings before popping into the heated oven.
- Roast: For 20-25 minutes or until the cauliflower is golden brown on the inside and fork tender.
Tips for the Best Cauliflower
- Choose the freshest cauliflower: When buying cauliflower, look for crowns that are firm without any yellow, brown, or black spots.
- Wash and dry the cauliflower: After washing your cauliflower, make sure to thoroughly dry it before roasting. This will help keep the cauliflower crispy. Any moisture will result in a soggy dish.
- Cut the cauliflower into large, bite-sized chunks: Like any vegetable, your cauliflower will shrink some after cooking because of its water being evaporated during the roasting process. I find that the larger chunks cook better and hold up to the high heat. Smaller florets tend to burn faster instead of getting caramelized throughout. However, I do like some charred pieces mixed in to add some flavor, so don’t toss those tiny bits.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan: Make sure to choose a pan that is big enough for the cauliflower. Overcrowding will cause it to steam and not crisp up, which is what we don’t want!
- Make sure to flip the cauliflower halfway through cooking: This ensures that both sides get golden brown and crispy.
- Don’t forget about the stalk: I always use the stalk as well and roasted it along with the florets. Just don’t cute them too big since they’re thicker than the florets. You can also roast the leaves, but they’ll crisp up quicker than the rest of the cauliflower, so you may need to watch them and remove after flipping the other pieces.
Can You Roast Frozen Cauliflower?
You sure can! And you won’t have to thaw them, either. Frozen cauliflower may take an extra 10 to roast, and it won’t get as crispy as fresh cauliflower due to it’s additional water content.
Also, watch the salt. Frozen vegetables are often frozen with sodium, so you may want to lean on the light side and add salt after they are cooked!
How To Serve Roasted Cauliflower
- With a protein! This cauliflower goes great alongside your favorite entree, like chicken,beef,salmonorshrimp.
- Withpasta
- Alongsidesandwiches
- Swedish Meatballs
- Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Shells
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken
- Asian Style Chicken Meatballs
- Orange Teriyaki Salmon
- Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo
- Or make your own grain bowl with the roasted cauliflower, your favorite grain (quinoa / lentils / brown rice) then top with a yummy cilantro lime sauce!
Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Store: Leftover cauliflower in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: Simply heat a bit of oil in a skillet, add the cauliflower, and cook over medium high heat until warmed through and crisp. You can also warm back in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through, or crisp up in the AirFryer for 5-10 minutes.
More Veggie Recipes To Try!
- Buffalo Cauliflower
- Honey Roasted Carrots
- Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Broccoli
- Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges
- Roasted Asparagus
Roasted Cauliflower
5 from 2 votes
This roasted cauliflower is tossed with garlic and Parmesan cheese, and then baked until golden brown — making it the perfect side dish!
Servings: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 25 minutes mins
Total Time: 40 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower,, about 1-1 1/2 pounds
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, I use the sprinkle cheese
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add cauliflower, garlic, olive oil, cheese, onion powder, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Toss to coat the cauliflower.
Transfer the coated cauliflower to a rimmed baking sheet. If there is still cheese / garlic at the bottom of the bowl just sprinkle it back on top of the cauliflower.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the outside and fork tender on the inside.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 111kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 4gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 215mgPotassium: 293mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 43IUVitamin C: 47mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 1mg
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