Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
These Parmesan cauliflower steaks are a delicious way to enjoy cauliflower.
Forget tasteless, watery boiled cauliflower and try this version where it is sliced and roasted in the oven until it becomes sweet and nutty.
Add to that the crunch of polenta mixed with chilli and Parmesan and cauliflower gets exciting!
Perfect for vegetarians as a main course or for meat eaters as a side dish too.
Bon appétit!
Jump to:
Why you will love this recipe
How do you cook cauliflower? Do you normally just boil or steam it? Or, are you like me and often feel compelled to drown it in a cheese sauce to get some flavour into it?
Roasting the cauliflower is easy removes some of its water and intensifies the natural sugars. This gives it a sweeter and nuttier flavour.
The polenta adds some texture and crunch and the Parmesan gives a cheese hit without loading it with the fat of cheddar.
Best of all, its easy to make!
What are the ingredients?
You will need one medium cauliflower for this recipe.
For roasting I have used some olive oil, chilli flakes, Parmesan cheese and some polenta.
You can leave out the chilli flakes if you are not keen on spice.
How do you make this?
Normally, when preparing cauliflower, the florets are cut off from the central stalk and the stalk is discarded. For Parmesan cauliflower steaks 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 make 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 200C/400F.
Combine the chilli flakes, grated 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.
Recipe FAQs
For meat eaters this dish would go well with roasted or grilled meats.
It's perfect for vegetarians as the main event, perhaps with a mix of roasted vegetables, salad or a jacket potato.
Simply leave out the cheese to make the dish vegan or replace with a vegan substitute such as Nutritional Yeast to get that cheesy flavour.
The little bits that are left over from cutting the cauliflower into steaks and perfect to make cauliflower rice. I like to process it with a grater attachment and then let it sit on some kitchen paper to remove as much moisture as possible before frying it with Indian spices.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais.
More vegetable dishes to try
📋 Recipe
Parmesan Cauliflower Steaks
Ingredients
- 4 Cauliflower steaks 2cm thick
- 4 tbsp Parmesan grated
- 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 200C/400F 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.
Amanda
Thanks Beth. There's certainly plenty of crunch.
Amanda
Thanks Mary. I though I would try something a bit different!
Amanda
Thanks Morgan. It's good to have some easy recipes to make.
Amanda
Thanks Adriana. I'm so pleased everyone liked it!
Amanda
Thanks Beth. It's so much better than boiled!
Beth
These look so delicious! I positive that even my picky eaters would gobble these up!
Adriana
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
Morgan Eisenberg
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!
Mary
I looove roasted cauliflower, but the polenta crust brings it to a new level!
Beth Pierce
What a satisfying dish! Looks perfectly crunch and flavorful!
Amanda
Thanks Megala. They are really nutty when roasted.
Megala
I would love to take these beautifully roasted cauliflower florets as snacks. 🙂
Amanda
Thanks Mae. I'm glad you agree. It deserves a bit of love and crunch too!
Amanda
Thanks Karen. It's really different and no more soggy cauliflower, just a nice nutty crunch instead!
Karen
My timing is perfect, I just bought a lovely big head of cauliflower today. What a nice recipe.
mae
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
Amanda
Thanks Ellie. My family will normally only eat it in sauce so this is a healthy alternative that they loved!
Amanda
Thanks so much. It really is easy to make too. I hope you get to try it.
Amanda
Thanks Julie. It really tastes even better roasted!
Amanda
Thanks Jacqui. I love cauliflower cheese too but this dish is a lot less calories too!
Jacqueline Debono
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!
Julie @ Running in a Skirt
Oh my! This really looks delicious! I can't wait to try... cauliflower is my fav!
Meymi-Pastry and Beyond
This is a perfect vegetarian side dish. Sounds so delicious that I want to make it!
Ellie
So delicious! I'm sure that even people who don't like cauliflower will love this recipe!