Baked Cauliflower
on May 15, 2024
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Baked Cauliflower is a great way to prepare a delicious side dish in no time! Tossing your cauliflower with olive oil and a variety of seasonings makes them crispy and flavorful.
Cauliflower can be an intimidating vegetable to work with because it can be hard to cook and has a mild flavor that doesn’t always impress. However, it is great at absorbing flavor when prepared properly. Seasonings like oregano and garlic powder are amplified when cooked into the cauliflower. We like to customize our spice blend according to what we are serving with our cauliflower.
For seafood dishes like salmon, coat your veggies in lemon pepper seasoning. Preparing some steak? Toss your cauliflower in some red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. As the dish cooks, the cauliflower will absorb the flavor of whatever spices you choose to use and will develop a deliciously crispy exterior.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Is a simple side dish that pairs perfectly with any meal.
- Gives a bright and delicious seasoning to an easy-to-prep vegetable.
- Crisps your cauliflower to perfection.
Recipe Ingredients
- Cauliflower—Chopped into florets.
- Olive Oil—Can be replaced with vegetable or canola oil.
- Dried Oregano—Or an Italian spice blend.
- Black Pepper—For a light earthy flavor.
- Garlic Powder—Adds a sharp, savory flavor to your veggies.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Baked Cauliflower
Step #1. Preheat the oven. Cut your cauliflower into florets and then toss them in a large bowl with the oil, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
Step #2. Spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet and cook until golden brown. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
While choosing a head of cauliflower at the store, the color should be a creamy white and free of any dark or gray spots on the florets. Fresh cauliflower will be firm and heavy for its size, and if there are any leaves they should be bright green. For this recipe you will want about 1 pound of fresh cauliflower.
Cauliflower is a delicate vegetable and can get mushy quickly when not cooked properly. The best way to prevent your veggies from getting mushy is to minimize excess moisture. After washing your cauliflower, be diligent in drying it off completely, otherwise it will steam rather than roast the outside.
Cooking the cauliflower at a high temperature also helps in getting crispy cauliflower rather than veggies that are soft and almost fall apart.
There is no need to boil the cauliflower beforehand. You can grab it straight out of your fridge, chop it up, season it, and throw it on your baking sheet into the oven.
Usually, when baking vegetables in the oven it is a good idea to flip them with a spatula or toss them on the pan about halfway through cooking. If you notice the cauliflower doesn’t seem to be cooking evenly you can go for it, but I have found that it is not necessary for this baked cauliflower recipe. You will still get an even roast, golden brown color, and crunch on all sides!
How to Serve and Store Baked Cauliflower
Baked cauliflower is easy to make and tastes delicious, which makes it a great side dish! You can garnish the cauliflower with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese before serving for some extra flavor. This dish pairs well with easy grilled salmon, pork tenderloin, and pot roast. Other side dishes that you can serve with baked cauliflower include any type of grain such as rice or quinoa, and practically any other vegetables like green beans or brussel sprouts!
If you have any leftover cauliflower, you can store it in the fridge for 3 days. Simply reheat your cauliflower in the microwave for 45 seconds when you are ready to enjoy it again. Although your reheated cauliflower will not have as much of a crunch as the freshly baked cauliflower, it will still taste amazing.
Popular Substitutions and Variations
One of our favorite things about this recipe is being able to modify what spices we use so that the cauliflower pairs well with whatever else we are having. Some of our favorite variations include:
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning—If you are looking to add a lightly sweet zest to your cauliflower. You can also drizzle some fresh lemon juice over your baked veggies.
- Cajun Seasoning—For some spicy cauliflower. This pairs especially well with Cajun chicken pasta, gumbo, and jambalaya.
- Montreal Spice Blend—This spice blend is traditionally used in steak, but will give your cauliflower a Smokey, savory flavor.
Expert Tips
- One pound of cauliflower will yield about 6 cups of florets, so plan accordingly.
- The olive oil will give your cauliflower a nice golden brown char and will also help the spices adhere to the veggies better.
- Other spices you can use to season your cauliflower include paprika, chili powder, lemon pepper seasoning, onion powder, and sea salt. Use different seasonings when you want a change of pace.
- Be sure you spread out the cauliflower florets on your baking sheet into one single layer so they can cook and crisp up equally.
More Side Dishes To Consider
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Baked Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425.
- Cut your cauliflower into florets and then toss them in a large bowl with the oil, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Spread the cauliflower out on a baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you don’t have olive oil then you can use vegetable or canola oil.
- The olive oil helps give your cauliflower a nice golden brown char and will also help the spices adhere to the veggies.
- You can store your leftover cauliflower in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat your cauliflower in the microwave for 45 minutes.
- Your reheated cauliflower will not have as much of a crunch as the fresh cauliflower, but it will still taste great.
- Other spices you can use include paprika, chili powder, lemon pepper seasoning, onion powder, and sea salt.
- One pound of cauliflower will yield about 6 cups of florets.
