Growing up I don’t think I ever had cauliflower.
Seriously.
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I knew it existed, but I don’t think it ever walked through our door or entered our mouths for family dinners. But in the last 10 years or so I have been breaking out of my food box. I have been exploring and enjoying a world of real food.
This is the most delicious cauliflower recipe you’ll eat and on top of that it’s such an easy addition to include a roasted cauliflower in your family’s dinner plan or for a dinner party with friends.
We now get cauliflower or Romanesco weekly! At least one comes in either our Misfits Market Box or Imperfect foods delivery. If you’re interested in these, check out this article that will open in another window: https://karacarrero.com/misfits-market-imperfect-foods-family-comparison/
This post contains links to products I recommend and/or our family uses regularly and we may receive income from purchases.
In our journey to start and successfully complete Whole30, there are lots of heads of bump white veggies in our crisper. But I needed ways to mix up our cauliflower eating routine. So whether it’s making some simple cauliflower riceor trying to make an alternative to pizza crust, there are ways to get creative.
But in the end, I wanted a great side dish for my family and even for guests and dinner parties.
And this recipe fits the bill!
In fact, my three-year-old gobbled half of the entire thing down one night. She couldn’t get enough! Sheloves veggies now and loves to go grocery shopping with me to pick out fresh, seasonal foods with me!
What you need to make Whole Roasted Cauliflower
1 head of Cauliflower
Olive oilor Avocado oil
Salt/pepper
Butter or Ghee
Parsley, chopped
Cast Iron Skillet(or any oven safe pan)
Foil
Whole Roasted Cauliflower video recipe
How to make oven baked cauliflower
First, go preheat your oven to 400º Fahrenheit.
Trim the bottom of the cauliflower and remove all the leaves and the hard stem – but without breaking apart the cauliflower. Go ahead and give it a quick rinse, patting it to dry.
Generously drizzle your oilon top. It’s the key to a perfectly roasted cauliflower head.
Then add salt (and pepper if you wish… I’m just not really into pepper). Using your hands spread the oil and salt all around the cauliflower. We prefer using Pink Himalayan Salt, but any will do.
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Put it in a oven safe pan and cover it with foil, without leaving any gaps. Our favorite way to cook things is with cast iron skillets, but if you don’t have one, anything that you use in the oven will work. (Note that using cast iron is a great non-toxic choice and also introduces trace amounts of iron into your child’s diet which is perfect!
Cook in the oven for 40 – 50 minutes, depending on the size of your cauliflower.
Check with a knife, if it slides in easily, then it’s cooked.
Remove foil and allow it to roast for an extra 5 to 10 minutes so it turns golden brown. Keep an eye on it, so it doesn’t burn, especially since cast iron continues to cook a bit even when not actively being heated.
Melt 3 Tbsp of butter (clarified butter if doing whole30 or you can use melted ghee!) and mix in the parsley, then drizzle or brush it on the cauliflower while it’s still hot.
Once it’s sliced, it may need extra salt.
ENJOY! It may be the best way you eat cauliflower during Whole30… or ever.
Deliciously easy roasted cauliflower recipe your family will love
Yield: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
This is the easiest, most elegant way to make cauliflower that’s delicious for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 1 head of Cauliflower
- Olive oil or Avocado oil
- Salt/pepper
- Butter or Ghee
- Parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Trim your cauliflower head, making sure the green is cut from the bottom. Remove all leaves and hard stem to let it sit in your skillet correctly.
- Rinse the cauliflower and pat to dry.
- Generously drizzle oil on top of the cauliflower head, making sure it seeps into cracks. Avocado oil really shines in this recipe because of its high smoke point and good flavor.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Use your hands to spread salt and oil all around the cauliflower before roasting.
- Put in a cast iron skillet or oven safe pan and cover with foil.
- Cook in preheated oven at 400 for 40-50 minutes or until fork tender. I typically use a long sharp knife in the very middle. If it inserts and removes easily, then the roasted cauliflower is soft and done.
- Remove foil carefully and if you want a better roasted and crispy effect, let it char in the oven or broiler for 5 more minutes.
- Serve with steak, chicken, or even as a stand-alone dish.
Notes
You can do so many fun variations on this recipe, this is just a base. Consider adding hot chili powder, paprika, curry powder, or other spices to completely change the flavor up depending on the occasion.
We have found that this is such a universal dish because it’s so adaptable to other flavors. It pairs well with traditional cuisine or even with a great Thai or Indian Curry.
In short it’s a great way to add a sizable amount of vegetables to your dinner Plate.
Kara Carrero
Kara is an author and advocate for positive, grace-filled parenting. She is homeschooler to her 5 children living on a farm in New England. She believes in creative educational approaches to help kids dive deeper into a rich learning experience and has her degree in Secondary Education & Adolescent Childhood Development. She is passionate about connecting with and helping other parents on their journey to raise awesome kids!
