When it comes to healthy side dishes for a holiday meal or any busy weeknight, this Herb Whole Roasted Cauliflower is always a winner.
A chalky cousin of broccoli, cauliflower is slightly spongy, but also crisp and can be fairly bland in flavor. This feature makes it an ideal base for fresh herbs and sauces. It is like having a blank canvas to paint.
Many folks have tossed cauliflower in buffalo sauce, roasted it or pureed it to a mashed potato-like consistency. All of these versions are delicious so I decided to try something new.
First I wanted cauliflower steaks. Thicks cuts of cauliflower basted with my hot sauce spiked yogurt sauce. But for the life of me, I’ve never found a head of cauliflower that actually slices nicely for a steak. Have you?
Instead, I kept the head whole for a simple, but dramatic presentation. Dredging in yogurt, fresh herbs and a dash or two of hot sauce adds just enough flavor to make it a suitable side for nearly any main course.
It has flavor, but not so much to overpower. It stays low carb and super healthy, catering to so many specialty diets, I won’t even name them all!
If you don’t have or like hot sauce try adding a few dabs of lemon juice or lemon zest to add acidity and elevate the flavor profile of the dish. It really brightens the fresh herbs.
Dipping Sauces
While it has plenty of flavor after being dredged in this fabulous yogurt sauce, but some people just like sauces. They are saucy people.
Hubby is one. So here are a few suggestions of my favorite sauces.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower Ingredients
First things first, the ingredient list. It’s super simple and and you can easily find all of these ingredients at your local grocery store.
- Plain yogurt – This yogurt will be used as the base of the creamy sauce used to season the cauliflower. It’s full of fresh herbs, and any remaining sauce can be used as a dip for veggies.
- Fresh herbs – I like to use a blend of fresh parsley, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme and fresh garlic cloves to season the herb sauce used to give flavor to this versatile vegetable.
- Salt and pepper – I like to use fine sea salt and finely ground black pepper. Simple, yet effective when paired with the fresh herbs listed above.
- Hot sauce – Just because I like my cauliflower to have a little kick, I like to add a little hot sauce. You can use your favorite brand, or omit it all together if you don’t like spice.
- Lemon – Always make sure to use fresh lemon here rather than the bottled version. It adds a brightness and acidity to the cauliflower florets that can’t be beat.
- Cauliflower – You can’t make this easy cauliflower recipe without, well, and entire head of cauliflower of course. You’ll want the size of the cauliflower to be pretty large.
How to Make Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Prepare oven and baking dish. Preheat oven and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Prepare cauliflower. Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower, then trim the stem flush with the bottom of the head so the cauliflower sits flat on the prepared baking sheet, bulb side up.
- Make sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt through ground black pepper. Zest lemon and then add fresh lemon juice. Set aside 1/2 cup of yogurt sauce, keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Coat whole heads of cauliflower. Dredge cauliflower head directly into the bowl, covering with yogurt. Use a spoon to get into the nooks and crannies.
- Bake. Roast the cauliflower for approximately until yogurt forms a browned shell. Insert long wooden skewer into the center to test that it is cooked the whole way through. It should pass easily. The exact cooking time varies depending on how large the cauliflower is.
- Serve. Transfer to serving plate and cut into thick wedges. Serve with additional cold yogurt sauce.
Storage, Make Ahead and Freezing
Storage: You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three to five days.
Make Ahead: You can parbake the cauliflower and then finish heating right before serving. Don’t bake it the whole way or else when you reheat it, it will be soft and soggy.
Freezing: Place leftover cauliflower in a freezer bag or airtight container and it will stay in the freezer for up to three months.
More Cauliflower Side Dishes
Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper finely ground
- 1 lemon
- 1 large head cauliflower
Instructions
- Preheat to 350°F and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, then trim the stem flush with the bottom of the head so the cauliflower sits flat on the prepared baking sheet, bulb side up.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt through ground black pepper. Zest lemon and then add fresh lemon juice. Set aside 1/2 cup of yogurt sauce, keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Dredge cauliflower head directly into the bowl, covering with yogurt. Use a spoon to get into the nooks and crannies.
- Roast the cauliflower for approximately 1 hour or until yogurt forms a browned shell. Insert long wooden skewer into the center to test that it is cooked the whole way through. It should pass easily. The exact cooking time varies depending on how large the cauliflower is, larger could take up to 90 minutes, while a smaller head could only be 45 minutes.
- Transfer to serving platter and cut into thick wedges. Serve with additional cold yogurt sauce.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!
I always forget how much I love cauliflower until I make a great recipe using it, and then I get mad that I don’t buy it more often. This was one of those recipes! Haha. So good!
I love the yoburt and herb coating for this cauliflower recipe. So important to get it into all the nooks and crannies.
This came out really good. We had some leftover so I plan on eating it for lunch today!
This sounds great! Now if only I could get the husband to eat cauliflower! But, in the meantime, this is all mine! 🙂
Broccoli and cauliflower are two of my favourite vegetables. I have never made herb roasted cauliflower. I will definitely need to try it soon.
I love cauliflower. It is one of my favourite vegetables and I am always looking for new ways to make it.
I just ate dinner but I could so go for some of that right now! looks awesome.
That sounds delicious. I haven’t cooked with cauliflower before.
That sounds like a great snack will have to try it.
I’ve been looking for new healthier recipes! I’ll have to try this one out!
I’ve never tried roasted cauliflower. This looks delicious!
This looks delicious! I love cooked cauliflower!
I’ve been trying to get my kids to eat cauliflower more often recently, and it hasn’t been going well. This sounds like an amazing recipe. I’m hoping this’ll be the recipe that turns the tides.
I like that you roasted the head of cauliflower as a whole – usually I see it chopped and then roasted. It looks SO good!
I’ve heard roasted cauliflower tastes so good. I’ve yet to try it, but I will!
This sounds really good. I have been trying to eat healthier so this is perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
This is definitely going to be on my menu from now on. This would be perfect with a nice roasted chicken. Yum!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I roast cauliflower, carrots, celery, and peppers together all the time. I’ve never thought to add a spice mix before. Yum!
I have seen this and been dying to try it. This looks so lovely and golden what a great side dish.
That sounds amazing! What a healthy snack idea! I love it.