Roasted cauliflower steaks recipe / How to roast cauliflower (2024)

30-Minute Dinner/ Christmas/ Dinner/ Side dish/ Thanksgiving/ vegetarian dinner

9 October 2019 | Last Updated: 8 December 2021 By Aleksandra

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This is hands down the best way to eat this gorgeous vegetable. Roasted cauliflower is just so flavorful and tender. Look at these golden and crispy edges. Amazing! Roasted cauliflower steaks transform this simple-looking vegetable into an elegant dinner that looks beautiful on the plate. My favorite way to serve cauliflower steaks is with romesco sauce (quick and easy Spanish red paprika sauce).

Ingredients – what you’ll need:

• Whole cauliflower head – it’s best to buy a medium/large cauliflower, but a smaller one will also work (like on the photos). Medium/large cauliflower is easier to cut into nice-looking steaks.
• Olive oil – don’t spare on olive oil. Half of it will stay on the baking tray and not on the cauliflower. The cauliflower should be thoroughly coated in olive oil on all sides. Olive oil coating makes the cauliflower extra crispy and golden. You can use refined olive oil instead of extra-virgin olive oil since we’re roasting the cauliflower at high temperature. Extra-virgin olive oil’s smoke point (a temperature when it starts to smoke and burn) is often not high enough (this depends on the brand and oil quality) and also it’s much more expensive. This is a great article on this topic.
• Spices: this recipe calls for paprika powder, oregano, salt, and pepper but there are other flavor combinations that would be a good match (see below).

Other seasoning options:

• I served these cauliflower steaks with romesco sauce, I wanted them flavorful but simply seasoned. Paprika powder and oregano provide great flavor and go well with many other dishes and condiments.
• Indian-inspired – season the cauliflower with garam masala and turmeric.
• Middle-Eastern-inspired – season it with zaatar and sesame seeds.
• Mexican-inspired – season with oregano, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper.
• Italian-inspired – season with Italian seasoning then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (add the cheese at the end of baking time or sprinkle over already roasted cauliflower).
• Greek-inspired – chopped parsley, lemon juice and zest, garlic.
• Morrocan-inspired – you can use Ras-el-hanout spice mix or a mix of coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, turmeric, cumin, and ginger.
• You could also make cauliflower steak pizza – drizzle the ‘steaks’ with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake for 15 minutes, then top with marinara sauce, toppings of your choice, and mozzarella cheese, bake for 10 more minutes. Delicious!

How to make it – step-by-step photos:

1. Gather all the ingredients.
2. Whisk the olive oil with the spices. This ensures that the spices are evenly distributed.
3. Cut the whole cauliflower head into steaks. You can also just divide the cauliflower into florets and roast it this way.
4. Rub the cauliflower with the spice mixture on all sides and roast until tender.

How to cut cauliflower steaks:

• It’s best to choose a medium/large cauliflower, the slices are less prone to crumble.
• Use a big knife to cut out the outer leaves them trim the bottom of the core, but just a little! You need a big part of the core to hold the steaks together.
• First slice the cauliflower head in the middle in two, then cut 1-1.5/2.5-3cm inch slices.
• You’ll get about 4 slices from a large cauliflower, 3 from a medium cauliflower, and 2 from a small one and a couple of florets. You can bake the florets along with the cauliflower slices or use them to make another dish (like cauliflower rice or cauliflower soup, you can also freeze the florets).
• Don’t throw out the leftover stem, it’s edible and also delicious. Peel it and slice into 1/2-inch/1.5cm slices and bake with the steaks.
  

Cauliflower cooking methods: (roasting vs. pan-frying):

• I found that the best method preparation for making roasted cauliflower or cauliflower steaks is roasting in the oven. Best is high temperature – 435°F/220°C – it’s hot enough that the cauliflower gets beautiful browned and crispy edges but it’s not too hot that it’s browned on the outside but still not tender. I’ve tried making pan-fried cauliflower steaks and wasn’t that happy with the results. You need to babysit the steaks so that they don’t burn, it takes long until they’re tender. I’ve also found them much more oily. They also are more prone to break/crumble when you try to flip them over. Thinner slicer, that would cook faster won’t hold their shape together very well. When roasting the cauliflower you can just throw it in the oven and forget about it. It yields the same results every time. Stovetop cauliflower is only slightly more crispy but requires more attention.
• I haven’t tried grilling these steaks, but from looking at this recipe it’s clear that it’s a good idea!

What to serve it with:

• As mentioned above romesco sauce + roasted cauliflower is a match made in heaven!
• Italian pesto
• green tahini sauce (herb and lemon sauce with tahini paste)
• herb yogurt lemon dip (like in this recipe for whole roasted trout)
• chimichurri sauce – a classic sauce that is often served with meat steak
• chanterelle sauce – when chanterelles are in season, out of the season you can use cremini/button mushrooms
• gremolata (parsley-garlic-lemon condiment)

Storing and freezing tips:

• I think freshly prepared roasted cauliflower tastes best. You can, of course, reheat it but it doesn’t taste as good as freshly prepared.
• How do you reheat cauliflower? You can just quickly reheat them in a pan, steam it or bake in the oven until warm.
• Can you freeze leftover cooked cauliflower? I don’t recommend freezing cooked cauliflower as it’s consistency is too mushy.
• You can use leftover roasted cauliflower to make these cauliflower fritters.

Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!

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