Easy whole roasted cauliflower is as simple as it is stunning. This cruciferous beauty comes out tender and flavorful thanks to a two-part cooking technique, and served with an herbaceous green tahini sauce. Vegan and gluten-free, whole roasted cauliflower is perfect to serve to any guests gathered around your table. And this hearty vegetable might be a side dish, but is so impressive it might just steal the whole show!
Why whole roast a cauliflower?
Let’s be honest, cauliflower can be a bit underrated when it comes to vegetables. Some may say bland, but when treated correctly cauliflower can be both the perfect blank canvas for a delicious sauce and be very flavorful in its own right. Roasting cauliflower caramelizes its natural sugars and brings out all of its flavors. Not to mention, roasting it whole makes for a beautiful and dramatic presentation.
How to make whole roasted cauliflower
A perfectly executed whole roasted cauliflower must be three things: tender, well-seasoned, and beautifully caramelized.
- Cauliflower is a firm, dense vegetable. So to ensure it comes out fork tender, it should be steamed or boiled prior to roasting. Either way will yield a tender cauli, but only boiling allows you the opportunity to inject some flavor into this step of the process.
- To ensure the cauliflower is well-seasoned all the way through, par-boil it in heavily seasoned water. Add as much salt to the boiling water as you would for pasta.
- To caramelize, rub the par-cooked cauliflower with lots of extra virgin olive oil and roast in a screaming hot oven. For maximum caramelization, be sure the dome of the cauliflower is sitting near the top of your oven.
More Delicious Vegetables
- balsamic glazed brussels sprouts with bacon
- blueberry pecan salad with maple balsamic
- grilled edamame
- spinach salad with warm bacon vinaigrette
Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- coarse kosher salt, to taste
Green Tahini Sauce
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1/2 large lemon, juiced
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, plus extra for serving
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, plus extra for serving
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, optional topping*
- coarse kosher salt, to taste
- fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Pre heat the oven to 475° with the rack set in the upper middle. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, salt the water as heavily as you would for pasta.
- Rinse 1 head of cauliflower under cold water to clean. If the outer leaves are wilted or damaged, remove them using a knife of kitchen shears. If the leaves look fresh, keep them intact as they are delicious when roasted.
- Using a spider, carefully lower the cauliflower into the salted, boiling water. Cover with a lid and boil for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, use the spider to carefully remove the cauliflower and allow to rest for a few minutes until slightly cool enough to touch.
- Place the cauliflower on a small baking tray. Pour over 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and salt liberally to taste on all sides. Arrange your oven rack so that the dome of the cauliflower is near the top of the oven. Roast at 475° for 30 minutes, rotating the tray half way through. When roasted and golden, remove the cauliflower and top with green tahini sauce, mint, cilantro and toasted pine nuts.* Serve hot or room temp!
Green Tahini Sauce
- Combine tahini paste, water, the juice from 1/2 a lemon, 1 garlic clove, mint and cilantro leaves with coarse kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Blend using a standard or immersion blender until smooth.
- Pour over hot or room temperature whole roasted cauliflower. Top the sauced cauliflower with extra mint and cilantro leaves and roasted pine nuts*. Serve with extra green tahini sauce on the side.
Equipment
- 1 large pot with lid
- 1 spider or sturdy pair of tongs
- 1 standard or immersion blender
Notes
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