Roast Cauliflower with a Parmesan Polenta Crust.
How do you cook cauliflower? Do you normally just boil or steam cauliflower, or like me, do you often feel compelled to drown it in a cheese sauce to get some flavour into it? Roasting the cauliflower is easy and makes it the star of the show for a vegetarian meal or an impressive side dish.
How to make Roast Cauliflower with a Parmesan Polenta Crust.
Normally, when preparing cauliflower, the florets are cut off from the central stalk and the stalk discarded. For roasted cauliflower the stalk is necessary to hold the florets all together. Begin by removing the leaves from the base as normal. Trim the base of the stalk so you can rest it on a chopping board stalk down. Next slice in half and then cut 2 cm steaks from these halves.
You will end up with some florets that will fall off at this stage which are perfect to make cauliflower rice, a pizza base or another side dish for 4 people. I then cut my steaks in half but you could leave them whole for a vegetarian dinner.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush both sides of the cauliflower with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 15 minutes at 200 C. Combine chilli flakes, Parmesan and polenta in a bowl and then turn the roast cauliflower over and sprinkle on the mixture.
Return the roast cauliflower to the oven for a further 15 minutes.
It should be just tender with a delicious crunch on the outside.
How to serve the Roasted Cauliflower.
This would make a main meal for vegetarian guests or if you are trying to reduce your meat intake. Alternatively serve with roast meats as an easy but impressive side dish. Omit the cheese to make the dish vegan or replace with a vegan substitute such as Nutritional Yeast
If, like me, you like your veggies roasted then you might like Corinader and Cumin Roasted Root Vegetables
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Roast Cauliflower with a Parmesan Polenta Crust
Ingredients
- 4 Cauliflower steaks 2cm thick
- 4 Tbsp Grated Parmesan
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 3 Tbsp Polenta
- 1 Tsp Chilli flakes Optional
- Seasoning
Instructions
- Line a baking tray with baking parchement and add the cauliflower, brushing both sides with oil and seasoning.
- Roast in the oven at 200 C for 15 minutes then remove from the oven and turn over.
- Combine the Parmesan with the polenta and chilli flakes and sprinkle over the roast cauliflower.
- Roast for another 15 minutes and then serve.
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Thanks Beth. There's certainly plenty of crunch.
Thanks Mary. I though I would try something a bit different!
Thanks Morgan. It's good to have some easy recipes to make.
Thanks Adriana. I'm so pleased everyone liked it!
Thanks Beth. It's so much better than boiled!
These look so delicious! I positive that even my picky eaters would gobble these up!
I made this recipe not so long ago and it was a hit with my family, cauliflower is a wonderful ingredient. Easy, convenient and budget friendly too
I thought this recipe was going to be much harder to make when I first read it, but was too happy to see how easy it is!
I looove roasted cauliflower, but the polenta crust brings it to a new level!
What a satisfying dish! Looks perfectly crunch and flavorful!
Thanks Megala. They are really nutty when roasted.
I would love to take these beautifully roasted cauliflower florets as snacks. 🙂
Thanks Mae. I'm glad you agree. It deserves a bit of love and crunch too!
Thanks Karen. It's really different and no more soggy cauliflower, just a nice nutty crunch instead!
My timing is perfect, I just bought a lovely big head of cauliflower today. What a nice recipe.
Cauliflower's adaptability is often underestimated. So many ways to cook & eat it -- what a shame it's often just served boiled and soggy! Great idea to make it even crunchier.
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks Ellie. My family will normally only eat it in sauce so this is a healthy alternative that they loved!
Thanks so much. It really is easy to make too. I hope you get to try it.
Thanks Julie. It really tastes even better roasted!
Thanks Jacqui. I love cauliflower cheese too but this dish is a lot less calories too!
I'm a cauliflower cheese person as to be honest I find steamed or boiled cauliflower a little insipid! So this idea really appeals to me. Looking forward to trying it the next time I do a roast lunch!
Oh my! This really looks delicious! I can't wait to try... cauliflower is my fav!
This is a perfect vegetarian side dish. Sounds so delicious that I want to make it!
So delicious! I'm sure that even people who don't like cauliflower will love this recipe!