If you’ve never made a Whole Roasted Cauliflower, this is the nudge you’ve been needed. It’s an impressive vegetarian main and I will forever be obsessed. The below recipe takes a beautifully roasted head of cauliflower with a chopped lemon vinaigrette and a creamy yogurt sauce to make a match made in heaven.
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Cauliflower has absolutely had it’s MOMENT in the spotlight the last few years (sometimes a little too much) but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s one of the most versatile veggies and makes an incredible meal!
Here’s what you need to make Whole Roasted Cauliflower:
- A beautiful head of cauliflower
- Olive Oil
- Kosher salt
And that’s pretty much it!! For all the other great sauces / condiments on this recipe, you’ll need:
- Store bought labneh – this is the one I buy most frequently
- Garlic
- Feta
- Shallots
- Red Wine Vinegar Meyer Lemons
- Herbs
Here’s how to make this Whole Roasted Cauliflower:
Let’s just discuss the cauliflower here as the duo of sauces are pretty self explanatory!
First – we need HOT heat – so preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
While that is coming to temp, you’re going to boil the cauliflower to start to make sure it gets tender in the middle. If you JUST roast it, the inside will never soften up at all before the outside burns.
Once it’s out of the pot and done boiling, you’ll let it dry for about 10 minutes before drizzling it with olive oil and placing it into the pre-heated oven to get golden and crispy on the outside! That’s it! It’s quite simple and very impressive.
Ways to jazz up this Whole Roasted Cauliflower:
Perhaps you don’t want to make these 2 sauces that I serve with my Whole Roasted Cauliflower – it’s also great with my basil vinaigrette on top. It would be lovely with a bunch of freshly made Pico de Gallo too! And my last suggestion would be tomato confit! OMG it’s everything.
FAQ’s:
Why is my roasted cauliflower mushy?
Probably because you boiled it for too long! You want it to just be tender – not overly tender. So use a sharp knife and if it just barely goes through the head of cauliflower, without having to push it too hard, you’re good! If it goes thru TOO easily, it’s already over-cooked.
Do you have to blanch cauliflower before cooking?
For a whole head yes! If you’re doing florets for a different recipe, no.
How do you wash cauliflower before roasting?
I give it a great rinse under water and get any dirt off and trim off any brown pieces.
What does Baked cauliflower taste like?
IT TASTES LIKE HEAVEN. You want all those crispy roasted bits to really amp up the flavor. It’s creamy and crispy and pairs so well with just about everything.
Other Amazing Cauliflower Recipes
- Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower – such an epic side dish!
- Buffalo Cauliflower – best game day snack if you don’t want to make wings
- Crispy Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin – omg the side dish to end all side dishes!
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup – this recipe is incredible and it freezes beautifully
- Cauliflower Rice Veggie Bowls – our fams fav veggie bowl recipe
- Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta – a healthy spin on everyones fav creamy pasta dish!
Tools used to make this
What you’ll need:
Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
For the Cauliflower
- 1 head of cauliflower please keep the stems and leaves on, they get delicious when crispy and golden
- olive oil
- Kosher salt to taste
For the Garlic Feta Labneh
- 1 cup store bought labneh
- Kosher salt to taste
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup feta
For the Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 whole Meyer lemon
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- Parsley and Chives to garnish
Instructions
For the Garlic Feta Labneh
- Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and stir to combine the feta. Season with salt as needed.
For the Vinaigrette
- Combine the shallot, vinegar and a pinch of salt and let sit for 15 minutes. Cut the lemon into 8 wedges and remove all seeds. Then chop the lemon wedges into a fine dice, you’ll wind up with about ½ cup of chopped lemon. Add the chopped lemon to the shallot mixture and add the olive oil, herbs and salt and pepper to taste. (NOTE – if using the whole lemon peel freaks you out, zest the entire lemon and use that instead. But the peel of Meyer Lemons is very edible and very delish)
For the Cauliflower
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Carefully place the cauliflower in the water and cover and let cook for 5-7 minutes until just barely fork tender on the outside. Remove the cauliflower and place on a sheet tray to dry for around 10 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil all over and season well with kosher salt. Transfer the baking sheet into the oven and let roast for 30-40 minutes until golden on the outside.
- Remove from the oven once golden and charred and place on a serving plate with a bed of labneh. Drizzle with vinaigrette and garnish with parsley and chives.
Notes
- Make sure to keep the stems and leaves on the cauliflower, they get delicious when crispy and golden
Um, yes, please! This sounds amazing!
Yummy!
I remember seeing this in the Bon Appetit mag and wanting to try it… but then totally forgot! Thanks for the reminder and inspiration! On my list to make 🙂
I have GOT to roast a whole cauliflower! This looks incredible!
I. Licked. My. Screen.
Cauliflower is making a serious comeback these days! I love the look of a whole roasted head of it. Did that make it any harder to serve in the end?
That sauce sounds so interesting and I love that it’s so easy to make. Thanks for sharing!
It wasn’t hard to serve once it was ready, I just cut it into quarters with a big knife and we all went to town!!
Roasted cauli is the best!
um, you are right. This will be happening, and at my house and ASAP!
Holy moly. That looks good. Cauliflower FTW! I love the charred black on top of the white. So dramatic.
Yum! This looks muy bueno. I pickin’ up a head of cauliflower ASAP.
I made this last night and it was amazing! The only change came from subbing in 1 cup of sherry and adding, as I didn’t have enough white wine. The end result was beautiful to look at. Though I may quarter the head before roasting in the future to get browning on more surface area. Every little bit of char and sauce was sublime.
I took the time to make this (and yes, it takes some time) and it was AMAZING! I am an omnivore with significant carnivore leanings and this was just as satisfying and delicious as a prime piece of steak. This 100% gets added to the recipe books and is a must for any vegetarian friends. Thank you for sharing this!
I’m intrigued by this recipie, I use cauliflower often, steamed with parsnips and smashed with sour cream, crushed and raw in a lightly curried potato salad, I also love roasted vegtables. I’ll try this next week, and I’m concerned about the cooking time. It seems like 20 minutes in boiling liquid followed by a 40 minute roast at 475 deg. would result in an uncomfortably soft cauliflower…
Is labneh just greek yogurt? Or are they not interchangable?
little different – but you could use either
This looks amazing!! Do I leave the skin on the lemon when dicing it up?
yes!
Can’t get labneh where I live? An you suggest any subs?
greek yogurt!
O.M.G. This looks so beautiful and delicious! I have never tried this before, but need to go get a cauliflower STAT!!!
This was a hit at my house. Everyone, even my husband who claims to be allergic to veggies had some!