Sicilian-style cauliflower gratin, without béchamel, with breadcrumb crumbs. Mediterranean-style baked cauliflower, a delicious and tasty oven-baked side dish, perfect on its own or as an accompaniment to meat, fish and cheeses. Sicilian cuisine is rich in delightful aromas and flavors and inspires many recipes that can be revisited in its spirit. The cauliflower gratin with breadcrumbs, cherry tomatoes and olives with anchovies is one of these recipes — a light, healthy and flavorful idea to cook purple cauliflower or whatever variety you have on hand, simply and deliciously, like Cauliflower alla pizzaiola, Easy baked cauliflower gratins, or the Cauliflower flan without béchamel. Today we will prepare Sicilian-style (Mediterranean) cauliflower, baked with olives, cherry tomatoes and a few other tasty ingredients, all finished with a crisp, flavorful gratin that will make you love this winter vegetable, often undervalued! Before heading to the kitchen, remember that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 5
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter

Ingredients to make oven-baked cauliflower with breadcrumb crumbs

28 oz cauliflower
as needed salt
10 olives
1 oz raisins
2 tbsp pine nuts
3/4 cup grated Grana Padano (or pecorino or a mix)
as needed extra-virgin olive oil
1 oz raisins
10 cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup stale bread (a couple of days old)
as needed oregano
6 fillets anchovies in oil
1 tbsp capers (in oil)

Tools

Ovens
Pot

Steps to make Sicilian-style oven-baked cauliflower gratin without béchamel

Prepare the cauliflower by separating the florets from each other, then rinse them and drop them into plenty of lightly salted water. Blanch for 10-15 minutes or until tender but not overcooked. Drain the cauliflower and transfer it to a large baking dish. Add the grated cheese, the cherry tomatoes, the chopped olives, the raisins, the capers, the chopped anchovies, the pine nuts and the cherry tomatoes cut into pieces, finishing with the stale bread torn into very small pieces. Drizzle generously with olive oil and mix well. Spread everything evenly in the baking dish, adjust salt, sprinkle with oregano and bake for 10-15 minutes in a conventional oven at 392°F or until a crunchy, even golden gratin forms.
Remove from the oven and enjoy — the cauliflower gratin without béchamel is delicious hot, warm or even at room temperature.
Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 24 hours and preferably reheat before serving.