Complete Roasted Cauliflower Recipe – Love and Lemons

A shocking important or facet dish, this complete roasted cauliflower is tender, scrumptious, and easy to make. A fast harissa sauce provides daring taste.


Whole roasted cauliflower


Let’s make an entire roasted cauliflower! This veggie “roast” may be my all-time favourite dish to make for a cocktail party or a vacation meal. It’s easy (the oven does many of the give you the results you want!), it could possibly move as a important dish for some people and as a facet for others, and it appears so spectacular on the middle of the desk.

And this complete roasted cauliflower recipe doesn’t disappoint on style both. Because of a protracted, two-part roast, it’s superbly browned on the skin and meltingly tender to its core. I’ve included directions for roasting it plain within the recipe card under, however you even have the choice of dressing it up with the colourful, harissa-based sauce pictured right here. This sauce is fast and straightforward to stir collectively, and it provides wealthy, earthy, smoky taste to the entire roasted cauliflower. I feel you’ll find it irresistible!


Whole roasted cauliflower recipe ingredients


Complete Roasted Cauliflower Recipe Elements

Very first thing’s first: to make this complete roasted cauliflower recipe, you’ll want a cauliflower! Select a medium-sized one weighing about 2 kilos. A barely smaller or bigger cauliflower head may even work high-quality, however word that you simply’ll want to regulate the baking time accordingly.

If you wish to roast it plain, you’ll want olive oil to assist it soften and brown within the oven and salt and pepper for seasoning it.

In the event you’re making the sauce, you’ll additionally want these components:

  • Delicate harissa – I just like the Mina harissa model.
  • Floor cumin – For earthy, savory taste.
  • Smoked paprika – For smokiness.
  • Dried thyme – It provides recent, woodsy, citrusy taste.
  • And crimson pepper flakes – For warmth.

Both manner, you’ll need lemon wedges and recent cilantro for serving.

Discover the whole recipe with measurements under.


Brushing sauce over head of cauliflower


How you can Make a Complete Roasted Cauliflower

Yow will discover the whole recipe with measurements under, however right here’s a fast overview of the method:

  • First, make the sauce. It’s tremendous easy to stir collectively! Skip this step in the event you’re making the plain model.
  • Subsequent, put together the cauliflower. Take away any powerful outer leaves, and use a pointy knife to fastidiously reduce off the underside of the stem in order that the cauliflower sits flat. Place it in a cast-iron skillet and brush with 1/3 of the sauce. In the event you’re making the plain model, rub the cauliflower with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  • Now for roast half 1. Cowl the skillet with foil and roast at 425°F for half-hour.
  • And roast half 2. Take away the foil from the skillet. In the event you’re making the plain model, drizzle the cauliflower with extra olive oil at this level. Both manner, roast for an additional half-hour, or till the cauliflower is tender within the center.
  • Season and serve. In the event you’re making the sauce model, take away the cauliflower from the oven and brush it with half the remaining sauce. Lower into wedges and serve with squeezes of lemon juice, recent herbs, and the remaining sauce. In the event you made the plain model, serve the roasted cauliflower head with a sauce of your selection! Discover some options within the suggestions under.

That’s it!

Complete Roasted Cauliflower Recipe Ideas and Variations

  • Use a two-part roast. This method is vital for getting the roasted complete cauliflower tender inside and browned on the skin. Roast it for half-hour lined, then uncover it and roast till the middle is tender, for about one other half-hour. Word that the precise timing will differ relying in your oven and the scale of your cauliflower.
  • Add extra sauce after baking. It offers the cauliflower a stunning shiny look and provides daring taste. Serve with extra sauce on the facet!
  • Experiment with a unique taste profile. I really like the harissa sauce I like to recommend right here, however you’ll be able to take this complete roasted cauliflower in loads of different instructions. Make the plain recipe, and serve slices with drizzles of turmeric tahini sauce or dollops of romesco sauce, recent parsley, and toasted almonds. It’d be glorious with pesto, roasted tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts too.
  • Make it a meal. In the event you’re serving this complete roasted cauliflower at Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner, you’ll possible have loads of facet dishes to spherical out the meal. However you may as well make this complete roasted cauliflower a satisfying vegan important dish by itself. Plate wedges over herb-flecked farro and high them off with roasted chickpeas, or serve them on high of a swoosh of hummus or white bean dip. These bean-based spreads will add scrumptious creamy texture and a lift of protein to this plant-based recipe. Take pleasure in!


Whole roasted cauliflower recipe


Extra Veggie Major Dish Recipes

In the event you love roasting a complete head of cauliflower(!), attempt certainly one of these veggie entrees subsequent:

Complete Roasted Cauliflower

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Prepare dinner Time: 1 hr

Complete Time: 1 hr 15 minutes

Serves 4

This complete roasted cauliflower recipe is a scrumptious plant-based important or facet dish! I provide two variations right here. You possibly can roast the cauliflower in a flavorful harissa sauce, or you’ll be able to roast it plain (see the notes under). For both choice, discover serving options within the publish above.

  • 1 medium cauliflower, about 2 kilos, powerful outer leaves eliminated
  • Sea salt and freshly floor black pepper
  • Lemon wedges, for squeezing
  • Recent cilantro, for garnish

Sauce

  • ¾ cup gentle harissa, we like Mina Harissa Mild
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¾ teaspoon floor cumin
  • ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • Heaping ¼ teaspoon crimson pepper flakes
  • Preheat the oven to 425°F.

  • Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine collectively the harissa, olive oil, cumin, paprika, thyme, salt, and crimson pepper flakes.

  • Slice the underside of the core off the cauliflower in order that it sits flat. Place the cauliflower in a forged iron skillet and brush the cauliflower with ⅓ of the sauce. Cowl the skillet with foil and roast for half-hour. Uncover and roast for 30 extra minutes, or till the cauliflower is fork-tender within the center.

  • Take away from the oven and brush with half the remaining sauce. Season with salt and pepper and squeeze with lemon juice. Garnish with cilantro, slice into quarters, and serve with the remaining sauce on the facet.

**For the model with no sauce, slice the underside of the core off the cauliflower in order that it sits flat. Place the cauliflower in a forged iron skillet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon sea salt. Use your arms to coat. Cowl the skillet with foil and roast for half-hour. Uncover, drizzle with one other 2 tablespoons olive oil, and roast for 30 extra minutes, or till the cauliflower is golden brown on the skin and fork-tender within the center.