
A shocking principal or aspect dish, this complete roasted cauliflower is tender, scrumptious, and easy to make. A fast harissa sauce provides daring taste.
Let’s make an entire roasted cauliflower! This veggie “roast” could be my all-time favourite dish to make for a cocktail party or a vacation meal. It’s easy (the oven does a lot of the give you the results you want!), it could go as a principal dish for some of us and as a aspect for others, and it seems so spectacular on the heart of the desk.
And this complete roasted cauliflower recipe doesn’t disappoint on style both. Due to an extended, 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 beneath, however you even have the choice of dressing it up with the colourful, harissa-based sauce pictured right here. This sauce is fast and simple to stir collectively, and it provides wealthy, earthy, smoky taste to the entire roasted cauliflower. I feel you’ll find it irresistible!
Entire Roasted Cauliflower Recipe Components
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 can even work fantastic, 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.
For those who’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 contemporary, woodsy, citrusy taste.
- And purple pepper flakes – For warmth.
Both approach, you’ll need lemon wedges and contemporary cilantro for serving.
Discover the entire recipe with measurements beneath.
How one can Make a Entire Roasted Cauliflower
You could find the entire recipe with measurements beneath, 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 robust outer leaves, and use a pointy knife to fastidiously lower 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. For those who’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. For those who’re making the plain model, drizzle the cauliflower with extra olive oil at this level. Both approach, roast for one more half-hour, or till the cauliflower is tender within the center.
- Season and serve. For those who’re making the sauce model, take away the cauliflower from the oven and brush it with half the remaining sauce. Reduce into wedges and serve with squeezes of lemon juice, contemporary herbs, and the remaining sauce. For those who made the plain model, serve the roasted cauliflower head with a sauce of your selection! Discover some options within the ideas beneath.
That’s it!
Entire Roasted Cauliflower Recipe Ideas and Variations
- Use a two-part roast. This system 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. Observe that the precise timing will fluctuate relying in your oven and the dimensions of your cauliflower.
- Add extra sauce after baking. It provides the cauliflower a beautiful shiny look and provides daring taste. Serve with extra sauce on the aspect!
- Experiment with a unique taste profile. I like the harissa sauce I like to recommend right here, however you possibly can 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, contemporary parsley, and toasted almonds. It’d be wonderful with pesto, roasted tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts too.
- Make it a meal. For those who’re serving this complete roasted cauliflower at Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner, you’ll seemingly have loads of aspect dishes to spherical out the meal. However it’s also possible to make this complete roasted cauliflower a satisfying vegan principal dish by itself. Plate wedges over herb-flecked farro and prime them off with roasted chickpeas, or serve them on prime 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!
Extra Veggie Predominant Dish Recipes
For those who love roasting a complete head of cauliflower(!), attempt one among these veggie entrees subsequent:

Entire Roasted Cauliflower
Serves 4
This complete roasted cauliflower recipe is a scrumptious plant-based principal or aspect dish! I provide two variations right here. You’ll be able to roast the cauliflower in a flavorful harissa sauce, or you possibly can roast it plain (see the notes beneath). For both possibility, discover serving options within the put up above.
- 1 medium cauliflower, about 2 kilos, robust outer leaves eliminated
- Sea salt and freshly floor black pepper
- Lemon wedges, for squeezing
- Recent cilantro, for garnish
Sauce
- ¾ cup delicate 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 purple pepper flakes
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Preheat the oven to 425°F.
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Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine collectively the harissa, olive oil, cumin, paprika, thyme, salt, and purple pepper flakes.
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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.
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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 aspect.
**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.