You know we love cauliflower (see also our Cauliflower Curry, Cauliflower tacos, and restaurant-y Cauliflower Steak with Walnut-Kale Pesto). It’s low-carb and satisfying, nutrient rich and easy to cook. But you’ve never seen our beloved cauliflower look quite as beautiful as it does in this whole roasted cauliflower recipe! Though this recipe is easily the most dramatic way we know to cook cauliflower, if you need even more cauliflower inspiration, we’ve rounded up our 20 Best Cauliflower Recipes for you, too.
Why We Love This Recipe
It is easy and show-stopping: Especially for holiday meals, we’re always looking for recipes that are both easy — just a few ingredients, not too much prep time — and make a dramatic or beautiful presentation.
It’s vegetarian, keto-friendly, Whole30, gluten-free and basically everything else-friendly. Whatever dietary restrictions you’re working with at your next dinner party or holiday, this recipe probably works for most of your guests. It can even be made vegan if need be.
There’s almost no prep work: You’ll need about an hour of oven time, but to make a whole head of cauliflower, the whole idea is to keep it, well, whole! Meaning you don’t really need to do any prep.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower Ingredients
Cauliflower head: Obviously! Look for a head of cauliflower that’s about 2 pounds and, if it’s for your holiday table, one that’s a little bit pretty.
Garlic: Fresh garlic, minced as finely as you can (or you can use a microplane grater to help it nearly melt into the spice mixture)
Paprika: Regular old paprika gives the whole roasted cauliflower a nice warmth and a bit of color, too.
Italian seasoning: Lots of herbs, one little bottle.
Parmesan cheese: We love the savory crust that the Parm gives the finished whole cauliflower, however if you need this dish to be vegan, it’s OK to skip it.
Olive oil, salt and pepper: Never cook without ‘em.
Parsley: “That’s just a garnish, I can skip that” you might say to yourself. And while that’s true, we don’t recommend it. Without a little green freshness, the cauliflower looks a little plain. We’re going for simple and stunning, not plain.
How To Make Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Get ready to roast. Roasting means high heat! In this case 400°F.
Stir together the seasoning mixture: Olive oil, garlic, salt, paprika, Italian seasoning, and pepper.
Season the cauliflower head: Coat the outside of the cauliflower with the seasoning mixture. A pastry brush is really helpful here.
Cook the cauliflower, part 1: First, we’re going to sort of steam the cauliflower, to make the inside of the whole roasted cauliflower meltingly tender. This step takes about 40 minutes.
Roast the cauliflower, part 2: Take the foil off, baste the whole cauliflower head (just like a turkey!) with the oil from the pan it is cooking in, add a dusting of Parm and roast it for about another 20 minutes.
Voila! You made a whole roasted cauliflower! Don’t skip that parsley and get it on the table, stat.
Variations & How To Serve
To make it extra smoky: Swap in Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón) for regular Hungarian paprika.
To make it vegan: You could skip the Parm, and serve the finished whole roasted cauliflower with a drizzle of rich tahini sauce instead.
Serve the roasted cauliflower whole, and if you want to be extra dramatic about it, you could even carve it at the table, like you would a chicken or turkey.
Take inspiration from our Za'atar Roasted Cauliflower with Herb Whipped Feta: use za’atar in the seasoning mixture for the whole roasted cauliflower, and serve the finished cauliflower with herby feta on the side.
More Roasted Cauliflower Side Dish Ideas
Show Us Your Show-Stoppers!
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