We love cauliflower recipes! This food provides few calories, contains vitamins, minerals and fiber, making it ideal for regulating intestinal transit and following a healthy diet. We can cook it steamed, boiled, microwaved or baked. On this occasion, we will learn how to prepare an easy and spectacular oven-roasted cauliflower recipe. In addition, we will cook it whole, so that it will be even easier.
To enhance the flavor of the recipe, we propose two options for you to choose the one you like best. The first of them consists of a cheese sauce and the second of a mixture of aromatic spices. However, you can also skip these steps entirely and cook the roasted cauliflower on its own. Do you like the idea? Well keep reading and learn how to make oven roasted cauliflower.
Ingredients to make Roasted Cauliflower:
1 whole cauliflower
Option 1: sauce for roasted cauliflower
- 100 grams of Parmesan cheese
- 20 grams of cheddar cheese
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 dessert spoon of garlic powder
- 1 dessert spoon of mustard
- 1 dessert spoon of capers
- 1 pinch of black pepper
- 1 pinch of salt
- 200 milliliters of cooking cream (milk cream)
Option 2: spice mix
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon of curry
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1 teaspoon minced oregano
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of water
How to make Roasted Cauliflower:
Remove the leaves from the cauliflower and wash it well. Remember that we will make the whole roasted cauliflower, so it is not necessary to chop it. However, if you prefer you can do it without problem.
You have two options: steam the cauliflower before baking it or put it directly in the oven. For the first option, season with garlic, salt and pepper and place the bay leaves. If you don’t have a steamer, put the cauliflower in a colander, place it in a pot of boiling water (the water should not touch the colander) and cover the pot to let it cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. For the second option, later we will tell you how to proceed.
Remove the cauliflower from the pot and place it on the tray you will use to bake it. If you do not want to make the cheese sauce, we recommend you mix the aromatic spices with the water and paint the entire cauliflower with this preparation. This works whether you cook it before baking or not. Preheat the oven to 180ºC and roast the cauliflower in the oven for 15 minutes. If you cook it directly in the oven, the cooking time will be 50-60 minutes.
Tip: If you have steamed the cauliflower and want to use the spice mixture, do not add more salt or pepper, so mix only the curry, oregano, turmeric and cumin.
While the whole cauliflower is cooking in the oven, prepare the cheese sauce. To do this, heat the cream in a pan over low heat. When it starts to boil, add the cheeses and mix until they melt.
Tip: Remember that if you have chosen to use the spice mix, you can skip this step.
When the cheese melts, add the mustard, capers, and black pepper. Taste and, if necessary, add salt too.
Pour the cheese sauce over the roasted cauliflower and return it to the oven, but at 200ºC for -510 minutes or until the cheese is gratin.
Tip: This step is optional and will depend on whether you want the sauce to be au gratin or not.
Clever! You now have your roasted cauliflower recipe ready to serve. Both options are ideal, since the cheese sauce provides extra flavor and the spice crust a crunchier texture. If you don’t know which option to choose, you can always cook the roasted cauliflower with spices one day and with sauce another day, so you can compare!
