Roasted cauliflower is a delicious and easy-to-make side dish, very easy to prepare, and delicious, a great alternative to the usual boiled and seasoned cauliflower. The oven-roasted cauliflower should be cooked whole, and you can season it as I did with smoked paprika or even with turmeric or curry. Alternatively, you can use a mixture of herbs like sage, rosemary, and thyme or a roast seasoning available at the supermarket. To prepare the cauliflower in the oven, you can proceed in 2 ways: boiling it first for a few minutes to reduce the cooking time in the oven, or if you are not in a hurry, you can roast it in the oven raw, knowing that the cooking time will be longer; both methods are described in the steps. I love cauliflower in all its forms and always try it in many ways; I suggest you check my collection of recipes on HOW TO COOK CAULIFLOWER to find more ideas to try. Whole roasted cauliflower is very practical and quick; you won’t even have to spend time dividing it into florets, and it will be nice and firm and tasty. I’ve also prepared it this way IN THE AIR FRYER, so if you don’t want to turn on the oven, you can try that as well. Now let’s see how to make whole roasted cauliflower in the oven, and if you try it, let me know. Barbara
Here are more tasty recipes I recommend trying.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven, Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients for preparing roasted cauliflower
- 1 cauliflower
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
How to prepare roasted cauliflower
Let’s start preparing the roasted cauliflower, clean the cauliflower, remove any bad outer leaves, the stalk if there is one, and wash it well under running water.
If you don’t have much time, you can cook it first in a pot with lightly salted water for 15 minutes from when the water starts to boil, or cook it in a pressure cooker for 8 minutes from when the valve starts to whistle and lower the heat. When the cauliflower is cooked but still very firm, remove it from the pot and let it drain.
Pour the extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, some pepper, and the paprika or other seasoning you’ve chosen into a small bowl, beat well with a fork to emulsify the ingredients well.
Place the whole cauliflower on a baking tray and brush well with the seasoned oil to distribute it well, sprinkle with pepper, and adjust with salt. If you like, you can also add additional aromas. Bake in a static oven at 356°F for 20 minutes.
If you prefer to cook the whole cauliflower in the oven from raw, after preparing the seasoned oil as described earlier, place the cauliflower in an oven-safe dish, add about 1/3 cup of water, and place the cauliflower on it. Brush well with the seasoned oil to distribute it well, sprinkle with pepper, and adjust with salt. If you like, you can also add additional aromas. Bake in a fan oven at 356°F for 60 minutes.
Once ready, remove the cauliflower from the oven, divide it into florets, and serve it hot.
How to store roasted cauliflower
Store roasted cauliflower in the refrigerator for 2/3 days; you can also freeze it for several months.
