Varying your diet is a good way to fully enjoy the benefits of the foods we bring to the table. I love to get creative, and one thing I enjoy doing is surprising with vegetables that are commonly underappreciated or underestimated! That’s the case with cauliflower, especially the white type, with a very neutral, almost bland taste, so much so that years ago I created a fake béchamel as an alternative to the traditional one, which goes well with everything because of its delicate flavor! Today, however, I propose cauliflower in another guise, evoking chicken cutlets, but much more wholesome and healthy! Preparing them is really easy and also quite quick; you just need to slice the cauliflower, create a vegan batter with water and chickpea flour, dip each slice in this batter, coat it in a mix of breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan, and straight into the oven! An easy recipe, perfect for everyone who, for dietary reasons, cannot use eggs or wants to pursue a diet more attentive to calories and richer in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. You can serve these cauliflower cutlets as a vegetarian main course, accompanied by a fresh seasonal salad, just as you would with classic chicken cutlets. Moreover, they are baked, but you can also cook them in an air fryer, making them even lighter and more digestible.
If you love reinventing vegetables, I recommend checking out these recipes below:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; buying them through my blog supports me and my work, while it costs you nothing extra!
- 1 cauliflower
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
- as needed breadcrumbs
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp chives (or other herbs of choice)
- 1 tsp salt
- as needed pepper
Tools:
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; buying them through my blog supports me and my work, while it costs you nothing extra!
- 1 Paper towels
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Parchment paper
Steps:
Clean the cauliflower, removing the outer leaves and the more protruding central core, then wash it under running water and pat it dry with kitchen paper.
On a cutting board, cut the cauliflower into 1/2 inch slices approximately. Some may break or be smaller during cutting, don’t worry, that’s fine too.
In a large bowl, sieve the chickpea flour, add the sweet paprika and garlic powder.
Also add the chives, adjust with salt and pepper.
Pour in the water slowly, stirring vigorously with a whisk.
You should obtain a semi-liquid, homogeneous batter that is free of lumps. If necessary, I recommend sieving it again.
In a separate large bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the grated Parmesan.
Very gently dip each cauliflower slice into the batter, using a spatula to prevent breaking.
Carefully turn them over to coat both sides with batter.
Then coat them in the breadcrumb and Parmesan mix, ensuring the coating adheres to both sides and edges.
Repeat the process with the remaining slices and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle the surface with 2-3 tablespoons of oil and bake in a preheated oven at 392°F (200°C) for 30 minutes, then gently turn them with a spatula and continue baking for another 5 minutes or until golden.
Serve while still warm.
And voilà… your cauliflower cutlets are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉 You can store the cauliflower cutlets in the fridge in a suitable container for refrigeration for up to 2 days.
Tips, Notes, Variations, and Suggestions
🟣 For a total vegan version, you can replace the Parmesan with nutritional yeast flakes, which is not a real yeast as it is deactivated but acts as a flavoring agent. In this case, this recipe will also become dairy-free, hence lactose-free.
🟣 For a gluten-free version, you just need to replace the regular breadcrumbs with gluten-free breadcrumbs, and you’re good to go!
🟣 For an even tastier vegetarian version, try adding a few slices of mozzarella on the surface of each cutlet to melt during the last 5-6 minutes before the end of cooking. You’ll see that even the most reluctant kids to eat cabbage won’t be able to resist!
🟣 For those who wish, the batter can also be made plain, without adding any spices or aromas, which are absolutely optional! Certainly, adding them gives a boost to the recipe, so feel free to replace the chives with some good fresh rosemary leaves and chopped or oregano, etc. The same goes for sweet paprika, which can be replaced with smoked paprika, turmeric powder, cumin, cardamom, or anything else you like!
🟣 It’s possible to reduce the cooking time in the oven by cooking the cauliflower 5 minutes steamed before slicing. Alternatively, if you have an air fryer, you can cook the cauliflower cutlets at 375°F (190°C) for approximately 25 minutes.
