What did you do the last time you bought a head of cauliflower? Steam it? Grind it into rice? Puree it into a heap of hope that nobody will notice it’s not mashed potatoes? Roast it to a crisp, brown oblivion with olive oil and salt and eat it straight of the baking sheet? You sound sane.
I do not. The last time I bought cauliflower was two weeks ago when I fell for four adorable grapefruit-sized heads I had to take home with me. Then I had a whole-day project and didn’t cook them. Then I worked on a speech and ate leftovers for two days and didn’t cook them. Then I went away for three days and didn’t cook them. Then I had leftovers from grandma (thanks grandma) and didn’t cook them. Then I forgot to cook them. Then I wasted another day, indecisive.
I was dreaming, as one does (just kidding, nobody does except for Julia Child in 1948, right?) about sole meunière. The thin filets, the brown butter sauce cut with lemon, parsley and capers. But I was also thinking about lime juice and sumac and pepper flakes and then I spied this glorious amalgamation of all my cravings on Bon Appetit and ran into the kitchen to make them and you know what I found, right? The cauliflower had not made it. It deserved better in this life than to have its fate tethered to the likes of me.
And so I bought another head and with a few tweaks to cooking times and technique, sizzled some pumpkin seeds in a skillet of brown butter, salt and pepper flakes and squeezed in some lime juice and poured it over these deeply roasted cauliflower slices and ate the whole heavenly pan. Like, my family will not know until they see this post that it existed because it was so good, such a glorious reminder of how much flavor we can crank out of four ingredients we hadn’t combined in exactly this way before that immediately becomes unforgettable. After a 4+ hour candy grab last night, this is exactly what we want right now.
Previously
One year ago: Oven Fries and Chocolate Peanut and Pretzel Brittle
Two years ago: Squash Toasts with Ricotta and Cider Vinegar
Three years ago: Potato and Broccolini Frittata
Four years ago: Butternut Squash Salad with Farro and Pepitas and Roasted Pear and Chocolate Chunk Scones
Five years ago: Pear Cranberry and Gingersnap Crumble
Six years ago: Spiced Applesauce Cake and Spicy Squash Salad with Lentils and Goat Cheese
Seven years ago: Silky Decadent Old-School Chocolate Mousse and Baked Chicken Meatballs
Eight years ago: Pink Lady Cake and Cabbage and Mushroom Galette
Nine years ago: Pumpkin Butter + Pepita Granola and Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup and Cranberry Caramel and Almond Tart
Ten! years ago: Pumpkin Muffins and Easiest Baked Mac-and-Cheese
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Palm Springs Date Shake + Monkey Flip
1.5 Years Ago: Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies and Crispy Broccoli with Lemon and Garlic
2.5 Years Ago: Lamb Meatballs with Feta and Lemon
3.5 Years Ago: Spring Vegetable Potstickers
4.5 Years Ago: Classic Ice Cream Sandwiches and Cinnamon Toast French Toast
Roasted Cauliflower with Pumpkin Seeds, Brown Butter and Lime
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large or 2 small heads of cauliflower (about 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (30 grams) hulled pumpkin seeds (sold as pepitas) (see note above)
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or less to taste
- Juice of half a lime (about 1 tablespoon)
- Handful chopped fresh cilantro, parsley or chives
While cauliflower roasts, in a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter, then reduce heat to medium-low and add pumpkin seeds. Stirring the whole time, cook until butter becomes light brown and smells toasty, about 4 to 6 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then add lime juice and season with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.
Arrange cauliflower on a serving platter and drizzle with dressing. Serve topped with herbs.
This sounds amazing – my 10 yo is obsessed with a cauliflower recipe from Fine Cooking which involves basically steaming the cauliflower in the oven, and then coating it with a combination of mayonnaise, mustard, and time. And then roasting more. It is absolutely delicious
My parents always made a whole cauliflower head in the microwave (true to the 70’s!) and coated it with mayo, mustard and grated cheddar cheese. It’s quite delicious! A variation with thyme sounds intriguing.
Ours had peas, too, and I liked to call it brains and LOVED every bite!
Miss the stars… I’m a single person and it’s helpful to see the them. Because whatever I make lingers beyond one meal. Can you bring them back?
I love my roasted cauliflower prep (soy/sesame/chile paste) almost more than my cats, but this is very tempting indeed. And with one of the local farmers selling GIANT heads of cauliflower cheap, I could always make both… right?
How do you cook your cats?
Similar — it’s a pretty flexible seasoning set.
This just made my day.
Agreed.
Too funny :)
So. Good. Just made this, and it’s going on the make again list!
I served it with steamed green beans and sweet potato roasted at the same time as the cauliflower. It was perfect!
This looks delicious, Deb. Have you tried this recipe for cauliflower (http://www.saveur.com/spicy-roasted-cauliflower-with-tahini-recipe)? Every time I buy a head with intentions of doing something new, I cannot keep myself from going back to this favourite. It is SO good. I cut my cauliflower into smaller pieces than the recipe calls for and up the amount of spice mix for the increased surface area.
OMG Sama. That looks incredible. My husband hates cauliflower, but he’s just going to have to get over it this Autumn! I have a growing queue of recipes with them, including Deb’s sheet pan chicken tikka, and now that Saveur recipe.
I have converted two cauliflower haters with it, so good luck!
I’m having a “I can’t believe no one is seeing this!!!” moment! You know, like Tom Hanks having built a fire in Castaway. My husband chose the wrong week to be away :)
I mixed these two recipes: prepped the cauliflower Deb’s way, use the Saveur spices, added pepitas and the tahini/lime sauce (with a dite of honey). Wow.
Looks delicious! And thanks for adding alternatives for cilantro as my family are part of the “I can’t stand cilantro” crowd.
I just threw away a cauliflower languishing in my crisper. I had such good intentions, too. Looking forward to trying this!
I’m glad I’m not the only one who buys vegetables with good intentions and lack of follow through. This sounds absolutely amazing. Brown butter and lime? Yes please. I can’t wait to try this.
me too! and admitting it on the blog! makes me feel less ashamed!
Something like 40% of food in the US is wasted. So sad. I try to plan my meals out a week in advance which helps a lot with not wasting stuff.
I’ve been holding on to this exact recipe for years and have never made it. I have a cauliflower in my fridge that I was planning to do our family’s favorite way, “A la Betsy” where you roast it with salt, pepper, olive oil, and then 5-10 minutes before it’s done, sprinkle with red pepper flakes and Parmesan. Frico, man. Gets me every time.
This might edge it out though…will report back.
Parmesan and red pepper?! Why didn’t I think of that? Yum!
This looks like a winner. I love cauliflower (steamed with a square of butter melting on top is fine–I can eat a whole head that way). That dressing is amazing.
I have an empty-the-fridge quiche in the oven at the moment. It’s always good to use what you have on hand, eh?
What did I make the last time I bought a head of cauliflower? It was last week and I made your charred cauliflower quesidillas. (I roasted the cauli.) Really delicious, thanks! This looks great too.
Wow! Once again Deb, you somehow know EXACTLY what is in my kitchen, what needs to be used and what I am craving (even when I don’t yet) to a shocking degree of accuracy. I came here (my most trusted go to for eating and feeding) to search Cauliflower (I knew I wasn’t up for your silky soup today though that is one of my all time favorites recipes of yours) and found this…which I’m currently cooking. I just had to share this with you! Thank you for dinner!
I love this recipe. My mom only served raw cauliflower at home growing up and I never liked it. I tried this recipe at 36 and I am a total cauliflower addict now! I also make this with lemon juice, hazelnuts, and park and it is equally tasty.
Baby Annie! Squeeee!
Well, there I was with a cauliflower in the fridge and pumpkin seeds in my pantry, so whatever else I had been planning for dinner went out the window. (Figuratively. It’s still in the fridge.) I think maybe I overdid the butter a little because it turned dark sooner than I’d expected, but yes, it was succulent and different and a new Thing to Do with Cauliflower, which is definitely Good.
The recipe looks great, but the first order of business was to find the cute pics of the smitten kiddos in their Halloween costumes:)
How could this be made ahead of meal???
Keep the dressing separate, mostly. Though you’ll probably be fine if you leave it on and warm them together.
Hi Deb, what is the best method to reheat the cauliflower if making ahead of time? Is there a specific temperature and time in the oven? Thanks!
Nice to see a different cauliflower recipe. On Halloween, we traditionally leave home to go to our favorite produce market, the Berkeley Bowl because of no kids anywhere! It was so quiet! I am surely the only Halloween Scrooge. Nonetheless, we did buy a cauliflower last night and I told my husband that he should be in charge of cooking it because I am like you and let them languish in the refrigerator too long. I did want to mention one recipe that I really enjoyed for cauliflower, however. It is called Cauliflower Kuku from Najmieh Batmanglij’s cookbook “Joon: Persian Cooking Made Simple” a sort of open-faced omelet crammed with cauliflower and so good. I hope you get a chance to try it. Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes!
Funny, I have cauliflower kuku on my to-try list! Great minds… ;)
Thanks much. Love you and your recipes !!!!
I wasn’t able to make the recipe as written because of a chili allergy and no pepitas on hand. However, in my refrigerator I did have a cauliflower, a bunch of parsley, and a half a lime that had been weighing on my conscience for some days. Little did I dream I’d be able to combine all of them for an easy and satisfying supper. I substituted sliced almonds for the pepitas and a liberal dose of white pepper for the red pepper flakes. The results were delicious.
Just piping back in to say that when I went to Whole Foods for ingredients to make this again, I found vast acreage of shelves with sunflower seeds, pine nuts, regular nuts…and an empty space above the “pepitas” label – and I thought, “I know why.”
This is pretty much, as you say, the terrific Bon Appetit recipe. Don’t we all make micro adjustments when we cook? Trying to figure out the purpose of this post…
This website doesn’t only share original recipes; it shares equal space with great recipes I’ve found in books and magazines that I’ve tested and adjusted if needed. I don’t change things just to make them “mine,” this is a great way to prep cauliflower thus credited as such.
I will concur. The list of recipes here is well curated. Everything here works (well, except the pumpkin brownies which I must have done wrong as they were terrible). Deb dislikes doing dishes as much as I do. She knows many of her readers will not go out to buy one ingredient. She also created this wonderful interactive community. If you just want to read cookbooks and magazines, they are there, but you will miss the pictures of her adorable children and proof that the recipes can be completed in a kitchen that is likely smaller than yours.
Actually, I didn’t care for the pumpkin brownies either. ;)
Like I would ever read BonAppetit. Thanks to Deb for her terrific posts, regardless of how big or small the changes to the original recipe. You fire up the beast with such petty criticism Mr. Chapin.
Cauliflower is roasting and I’m currently trying to figure out how not to eat this entire pan of buttery pepitas with a spoon
Oh I do so love when you post a recipe that I don’t have to “paleofy” in order to try it! This looks amazing!!
I don’t know what is happening but I’ve had to unapprove two comments insulting this person for saying they eat paleo. It’s so unlike this comment section to be outright rude to someone else; I prefer to think of this space as a dinner party and we are all guests — conversations about things we disagree on are fine and encouraged and welcome; direct personal attacks, never.
HEAR HEAR!! one of the reasons I love your comment section is I do feel like I am at a dinner party with nice respectful people, enjoying great food! Thanks for keeping it civil!
I’m not insulting the person, I’m trying to tell her that she’s doing something incredibly unhealthy. I’d say it in person at a dinner party as well.
And they would probably appreciate it just as much, which is not at all.
Love your site for so many reasons- your kindness and level headed manners are up there as well :)
Could someone please tell me – are red pepper flakes the same as chilli flakes? I’m south of the equator and east of the Greenwich meridian and I don’t believe I’ve ever seen red peppers reduced to flakes, although I know (having lived there for seven years) that in the USA almost anything is possible! (And I won’t get started on current politics!)
Yes, same. Lol, politics. (Or more like laugh-cry emoji.)
I like the way you cut the cauli, Deb; clearly you dream about the surface-area to maximum-browning ratio. Dream on.
Cauliflower: the great unrated veggie!
I will be making this tonight! (And I might make it after my daughters have gone to bed so I don’t have to share!)
I’m always curious about cauliflower “slices”. How does one slice into uniform thickness an object with a narrow base and a broad top that falls into pieces when detached from said base? Do you slice the stems 1/2″ thick and then remove the excess width of florets, cooking them as smaller, crumblier bits that might or might not match the thickness of the big pieces?
I usually don’t slice, opting instead for quartered florets with stem attached, turning them while roasting to get the flat sides browned. I’m open to a better way, though!
When you trim the stem, you end up with a leveled base to rest it on. Then just slice straight down. Many florets will fall to smaller pieces, others will stay in big flaps, all will roast up well. If you’re shopping specifically for this recipe, look for a tighter head of cauliflower. Regular chunky florets would work too, I just liked the extra char you can get on the thinner pieces, as well as the nod to the sole with brown butter.
This was *exactly* the question I had while prepping this tonight – what slices?! It got quite messy. (And slices would have been nice because then turning things over would have gone faster.) And the head had looked quite tight (I am guessing you mean that there are no gaps between the florets?)
It was still delicious.
I love the simplicity! No question, I’ll be making it asap.
I grew up on cauliflower polonaise without knowing that was what it was: steamed cauliflower with browned buttery breadcrumbs. It was the way my mom and her mom always made it. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
You might like this, too.
Deb, I never particularly liked vegetables until I found your website. My Mother used to be on a perpetual diet, and that meant all vegetables were steamed, and served with salt. No roasting, strictly frying, no other spices were added. I literally could not eat cauliflower due to the memories. However, I am now buying it, last recipe was the cauliflower soup, a few weeks ago, which was gloriously delicious. I am now slowly coming to the realization that vegetables are good, and don’t need to be steamed to death, and served plain.
Do you think I could use my not hulled pumpkin seeds from my jack o-lantern? I was intending to toast them with salt as per usual, but would they not turn out deep fried in browned butter? Is this a terrible science experiment?
I was expecting someone to ask this. It makes sense, flavor-wise, but I haven’t tried it. My two concerns are that cooking time could be more or less, not sure, possibly more, and also that they tend to pop because of the moisture trapped inside so.. be careful. And please let us know how it goes, if you can. I bet a lot of us have fresh pumpkin seeds to spare right now!
Ok, the verdict! They came out under-cooked – shells were too hard after the butter had browned. I ended up toasting the majority of the seeds separately in fear that they wouldn’t work out, so it still came out great and the texture was perfect. Maybe if you pre-boiled or baked them in advance.
On the bright side, I put a screen over the pot in case but there was no violent popping.
Thanks for the verdict! Glad you were protected from popping! Sorry it didn’t work out better.
Oh holy crap, your little (non-)Orphan Annie is so freaking adorable!! Perfect combo with her beautifully tangled mess of curly hair, absolutely love it. (Not to downplay the storm trooper, even covered head to toe he still radiates that handsome gene!)
When we get CSA cauliflower, we do the following: break/cut into florets of all sizes (and cut up the core as well because why not), batter it lightly in gluten-free baking mix, water, garlic powder, and a drop of smoked paprika, roast it on a baking pan. Daughter gets it salted, pepperhead adults get it with hot sauce and salt.
I’m not allowed to do much else because this is a favorite, but I’m trying this and the Saveur recipe someone posted!
Delicious. I rarely have cauliflower in, but happened to this week. I switched the pumpkin seeds for walnuts and linseed purely because I had a couple of open packets.
This is my all time favourite, yey!
Made this tonight from my newly unpacked kitchen in Egypt. I used chives on top and walnuts in place of pepitas because I was too lazy and hungry to walk around the corner to the market; also I don’t know the word for pepitas in Arabic yet. It was amazing and even my 15 month old who had already eaten dinner twice had two helpings. For extra fun, we baked the cauliflower leaves into chips and ate them along side for extra crunch. Yummmmmm
You can go anywhere in Egypt and ask for “libb abyad” and you’ll find ’em. You can usually get hot toasted libb abyad at any ma’la (nut shop) on a main street too.
I know crispy cauliflower is in fashion right now, but my favorite thing about cauliflower, one of my absolutely favorite vegetables, is how, when you cook it till soft, it just drinks up all the sauce you cook it in and becomes so insanely flavorful. So I like to braise mine Chinese red-cooked style with black bean paste for some extra umami. The black beans, a bit of fermented tofu, lots of soy sauce, garlic, some sugar, and a dash of vinegar, and it becomes one of my favorite dishes. Devour with some sambal olek on the side.
That sounds INSANELY delicious
My family loved this dish, even the people who don’t care for cauliflower. I added a pinch of ground cumin to the butter mixture, & it worked well.
Deb, another winner can’t wait to make this for my husband who hates cauliflower – this will convert him. Thanks for sharing the recipes from places like bon appetit, ATK, etc. I don’t get cooking mags any more though I did just subscribe to MIlk Street, Chris Kimbal new mag and project. Looks interesting.
As always, thank you for the wonderful blog, you and Ina are the best!
I love light veggie recipes and cauliflower is a very healthy one and in season now. Beautiful combination of flavours.
This looks and sounds delicious! One question–I have a lemon in the house. I do not have lime. I think typically lemon goes nicely with cauliflower–any reason it would clash with the other flavors here? Thank you and love your blog!
made this last night!!!!!!!!! amazing, absolutely loved it – will definitely make again and again!
Thanks
I made this for dinner tonight – delicious! I used the convection feature on my oven to speed up the roasting process a bit, and added cilantro and scallions to the finished dish. I’m looking forward to enjoying the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
I buy cauli all the time and roast it whole. The family absolutely devours it – even Miss 8, who is pathologically afraid of peas. I adore pepitas and lime so I am filing this away for next cauli…
I made this for dinner yesterday, as a side to salmon and millet. It was awesome and a star of the meal. Even as a side, we ate all of it – just the two of us. (Well, it was not a huge head of cauliflower, so maybe that’s why.) The flavour was wonderful and so unexpected yet spot-on.
I had never browned butter before and the addition of pepitas made the colour hard to interpret, so I was unsure on that part. But I let it come to the foaming stage and stay there for maybe a minute, then took it off the heat, and it seemed to be OK.
I think this would also be good with broccoli. Why is cauliflower getting all the love? Is it because it’s been the underdog for so long? Nutritionally, broccoli seems the winner… http://www.prevention.com/content/which-healthier-broccoli-or-cauliflower
How to make cauliflower taste like lobster. Yes, I made this (pretty close, anyway) last night with part of the mixed bag of cauliflower & broccoli chunks in the $2 bag from the Union Square greenmarket. I didn’t have the parsley or cilantro, alas, and I used lemon instead of lime. So I had brown butter lemon sauce, which I associate with my infrequent eating of lobsters, and which also seems like a standby so old-fashioned we don’t make it any more. A pity, as it is delicious.
So delicious! I’m the only one in my family who likes cauliflower so I got to eat it all myself. In my oven the roasting times were much too long, about 15 min then flip for 5 more was enough at 450 degrees.
OMG. It’s like we have the same cauliflower dreams! Eating roasted cauliflower straight from the pan –YES!!! I just tried cauliflower fried rice this week and it’s so good!
I love cauliflower and cook it all the time but my husband won’t ever try it. Its nice to know HE’S the insane one.
I usually do a lemon butter roast but this recipe is going to get me to change it up. Thank you! I also love Mikes suggestion below : soy/sesame/chili
Great post.
-e
The cauliflower was outstanding! My husband actually got a spoon from the kitchen to make sure he didn’t miss anything. Lovely compliments from him on the dish. Thank you!
I need a recommendation for a large rimmed baking sheet like the one needed for this recipe.
I want to be able to bake and roast with it and I want it to be non-reactive. I
I’ve read about stoneware and other alternatives, do you (or any of the other readers) have a preferred type or brand of cookware?
I got rid of the non-stick pots and pans, there is a lot of information about how they leach into food and are bad for the environment as well.
I’d like to not break the bank but a few good pieces that I could build on would be great.
I love the recipes here and bought cauliflower today. I’ve wanted to find a way to enjoy cauliflower for a long time, this looks great and I’m looking forward to making it.
The only pans that should be reactive are aluminum or copper and I’m not sure I see them in bakeware anymore, certainly not sheet pans. I have been pretty happy with the Chicago Metallic baking sheets I use, they’re aluminized steel, they last longer if you don’t put them in the dishwasher but I do and that’s why they look 100 years old. Mostly what I’m looking for in sheets is that they’re heavy with a strong rim, so they’re less prone to warping.
I have a bunch of these…
https://www.amazon.com/Bellemain-Heavy-Duty-Aluminum-Sheet/dp/B01AGQ027S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1478533963&sr=8-3&keywords=sheet+pans
…in both 1/2 and 1/4 quarter sheet, and they’re great. I also put mine in the dishwasher, and they LOOK terrible, but perform very well – no warping, etc. And at this price, when they start getting really disgusting, they’re easy to replace.
Funny, I ordered a half-sheet of that one the moment after I responded to this comment. (Which had reminded me that for the first time ever, I think my oven can fit a half-sheet pan and thus I should celebrate by purchasing my first.) Glad to hear they’re what I’m looking for.
Yay for ovens that can fit half sheet pans! As someone whose first experience cooking a full Thanksgiving dinner was in a teeny Boston galley kitchen, I understand the significance of the milestone. Enjoy.
For this recipe, I just use my lasagna pan, which is 10×14, but 3″ deep. My only cookie sheets have no rims, which is great for sliding off a whole tray of cookies at a time right on the parchment paper, but less good for stuff that needs to be contained. ;>
Already made this twice in the week since it was posted, and pretty sure it’s gonna be a threepeat next week! I added some chopped garlic to the browned butter after I took it off the heat, and this last time added sesame seeds and sunflower seeds along with the pepitas. So so good. Been cooking along with you for many years now, and Deb, you’ve never steered me wrong! Thank you!
I love this recipe. I ripped it out of the magazine and have made it multiple times. You won’t regret making this!
Hi! this isn’t a comment specifically about this recipe, but a suggestion to have a kind of bookmark feature on your website where we can save recipes. I come across recipes that I want to try not immediately but at some stage and don’t want to forget about them! :)
(sorry read your comment guidelines after posting this)
Besides just bookmarking a page in my web browser, I sometimes save page links in draft emails, which are easy to sort through to find keywords.
I greatly enjoyed this recipe yesterday. I was easy to make and has good depth of flavor! Cauliflower is a vegetable that I have not appreciated much in the past–sort of like eggplant was until recently–but it turned out so well that I now feel inspired to not only make this recipe again but to look for other options as well.
One of the tastiest healthy ways to do cauliflower. The lime and pumpkins seeds elevated this dish marvelously. The next day, the little bit that was left didn’t look very good, but still tasted fine!
Can anyone tell me what they served this with? I’m trying to make it into a vegetarian dinner and I can’t imagine the flavor combinations do what to serve it with. Thanks.
What about a lentil loaf? Or a hearty salad? I also think this would go beautiful with simply baked sweet potato topped with a simple, stewed chickpea mixture
OMG! This is the best I’ve ever had. However, I only got as far as roasting it. I took it out of the oven and it’s almost all gone. I started taste-testing at the first turn-over. My little Chihuahua went nuts when I took this out of the oven. He had to have some too. YUM x 1000!!!
I made this to take to a Friendsgiving, and it came out wonderfully! Totally fine to eat room temperature. Thanks for something simple, yet delicious, Deb!
And thank you for your recent post with all your heart. In moments like this, we have to keep in mind the different moments and thoughts and things and ideas that have the ability to provoke unity. Food is one of them. Your blog is a lot of that. And for that, I thank you.
I am literally just cleaning up after making this recipe, and I have to say it’s very important to make sure it gets really brown! I made this in two batches. One I just got it brown in spots and the other look like it was almost burnt. The almost burnt version was amazingly delicious, with a texture like kale chips, whereas the “just brown in spots” version was just sort of “oh, that is interesting”.
This is amazing. I am eating it as I type and keep saying, “oh my God” and, “Deb. Dude. Oh my God. Deb”.
I planned to have this last for 2 nights; not sure right now that that’s possible.
Thank you!! I think this will be eaten weekly until I get totally sick of it. Even with cauliflowers currently at a pricey $5 each.
I just made this, and the sauce is the phenomenal star of this dish. I think I want to put the whole thing over rice and mildly prepared beans.
Delicious, big hit with my 12 yr old who often struggles with cauliflower. Wasn’t entirely sure what red pepper flakes were so used chille flakes. Our other go to cauliflower recipe is Ottolenghi’s roasted cauliflower and hazelnut salad.
Is it possible to make the dressing in advance (like the day before) and then just roast the cauliflower the day of and add the reserved dressing? Trying to make ahead as much as possible for a friends thanksgiving feast I am making this weekend. Thanks!
Wow! I loved cauliflower roasted with olive oil and salt before, this is an easy way to make it even more amazing with ingredients I always have on hand. Thanks for sharing!
This is the best cauliflower that I have ever tried!
I would like to make this for Thanksgiving dinner at my sister-in-law’s house. Will making it 3 hours ahead and reheating kill it?
I worry if she sticks it in the microwave (before I add the dressing) it will undo the roast-y flavor of the cauliflower.
Fabulous! Yes, simply fabulous.
I told my sister I’d be bringing a different vegetable to thanksgiving this year, since I’ve brought your Cauliflower with Brown Butter Crumbs for the last three years. Then I saw this. Cauliflower it is!
Okay. You just changed the cauliflower end game. I have to go out and get some. Right now.
I finally made this, and it is every bit as amazing as you claim it to be – I, too, ate the whole pan… and I have zero regret about it. Already looking forward to making it again soon!
Is it possible to make the sauce ahead of time, store for 24 hours and reheat when the cauliflower is ready?
Thanks for any advice that you can offer.
I think so; it had been my plan, at least, before I ran out of time.
This appears like a winner. I enjoy cauliflower steamed with a square of butter melting on top is fine I can consume a whole head that way. That dressing is fantastic.
I don’t normally like cauliflower, but you’ve manage to make it look amazing! I’m going to need to try this…
I just made this with chopped raw almonds instead of pumpkin seeds and chili powder from the South Asian grocery store and it was delicious. My husband declared that “cauliflower should never be made any other way”.
The best thing I’ve eaten in weeks! So simple, so delicious. Thank you!!!
To było pyszne!
1
This is so excellent! Made it for guests and would do it again!
Delicious! This was a huge hit at Thanksgiving and a definite make again, and again and again–and that’s from a total cauliflower hater (me)!
This is very possibly the best thing I have ever eaten. That is all.
I made this for dinner the other night. It is SO delish. I didn’t have red pepper flakes on hand so I substituted Tajin (which has lime in it) seasoning instead.
I added Organic raw pumpkin seeds and raw cashews on top of the cauliflower just before serving it, to preserve the nutritional value of the nuts, as well as a half of a cup of fresh roasted coconut flakes. I am already craving it again. Thanks for sharing this amazing dish here on your blog.
Thanks Deb. It’s the first time I’ve enjoyed cauliflower ever! Just subbed almonds for pepitas as I didn’t want to shop. Like you, I ate the entire recipe on my own. Trust that secret is safe with the Smitten Kitchen tribe. By the way, I was surprised how moist the cauliflower was in spite of the roasting – glad you prompted in the recipe that we should cut In 1/2″ wedges. Cheers
This was absolutely delicious! Even my cauliflower snubbing bf enjoyed. I added freshly ground cumin seed and forgot the pepper flakes. Complex and surprising flavors and textures you don’t normally get with cauliflower. Thank you for this recipe, Deb!!
This dish is stunning! The brown butter takes it to a different level. I normally do roasted cauliflower with Indian spices which the entire family devour. They did the same with this one. Thank you!
What a lovely side dish. Made almost exactly as specified, except I added some golden raisins at the end for a bright pop of sweetness. Very delicious, can’t wait to make this again.
What a fabulous recipe and delicious recipe book.. I’ll keep my eye out for it! The mango in this flips my switch! Delicious share Heidi! Thank you!
This is one of my favorite recipe of yours. Make it for lunch for just me all the time. So good.
PRO- tip, I doubled the recipe – half I used as my contribution for a pot luck (went down a treat, so delicious) the other half I blended with three cups of veggie broth ans froze it, it makes an amazing veggie soup with some crusty bread and such a treat when it’s cold out!
OMG. Had this last night. It was Ah-mazing! We all really enjoyed it. Not one morsel left. Have you ever tried cumin on cauliflower? They go together nicely. I am going to try it in this recipe next time because for sure, there will be a next time.
Can you do this dish with broccoli and cauliflower?
Made this as a side. Absolutely delicious. Would not change a thing. 5 stars
Anyone successfully make this ahead of time and reheated?
Yes. It’s still delish.
Erin, did you make the whole thing, including adding the dressing? And did you just reheat in the oven? Thanks.
What would be the best way to make this ahead? Thanks!
Apologies — I see my question answered above. Never mind!
just made this with slivered almonds instead of pepitas. was super nervous about the lime and pepper flakes, but it’s quite good. glad I faced my fears. =)
I made this at our Friendsgiving last year as one of the side dishes. It was truly the star of the show..
This was so delicious! I’m not big on cauliflower but roasting and serving with lime brown butter sauce is magic. We had walnuts and they worked just fine.
We made this this week, following recipe exactly, with one change. We couldn’t find pepitas, so used pistachios, coarsly chopped. So delicious, we had to stop conversation to savor every bite.
Served it with brined, roasted pork tenderloin and grilled pineapple salsa. Heaven.
Hi, I’m looking for a side dish to serve with pasta–a veggie–and this looks perfect. Will the flavors (lime, cilantro) conflict with a good red sauce? I wanted to swap the lime for lemon and use chives instead. Thoughts?
I used parsley and it was fabulous! Lemon and chives sound delicious too!
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! My girls really loved the hint of lime and of course the pepitas. Thanks for always having such great and unique recipes.
I’m a little late to the party on this recipe… just made it, eating it now (chewing as I type), it’s freaking killer. This one is going into the regular rotation!
PS having it with the avocado cucumber salad!
Hi – what did everybody make to go with this – I defaulted to salad but feel there must be something more interesting!
C
I boiled butternut squash and then drained and threw it in baking dish with cauliflower and poured the sauce over everything, mixed. I thought it was a really nice combo!
This was excellent!! The combination of ingredients was brilliant.
This recipe was fabulous! I only had a small head of cauliflower that was going to go off soon… not enough for a meal for 2. Decided the pack of butternut squash would also taste delicious with these flavours. (I was right) The star of the show was definitely the cauliflower though. My husband has advised me that this needs to enter our regular rotation. 😉
Thank you for a fabulous and simple recipe!!
I love your recipes/ideas and I too love to tinker with recipes. I added some parmesan cheese to the pumpkin seed butter mixture and mixed the roasted veggies & seeds with some farro! Mmmmm
So beautifully evenly golden roasted, is it ‘weights’ that make the difference?
“included my own roasting tweaks; I added weights”
I usually toss cauliflower slices gently with oil and seasonings. Perhaps doing it on the baking tray makes the difference….?
Meantime we are mid-summer and I am saving this iteration until my garden is providing cauliflowers again.
I love your newsletter, always so cheerful, with interesting links and delicious recipe reminders.
Deb! The combo of brown butter and lime juice is genius! I used already roasted and salted pepitas too and it added more depth of flavor I feel. Guests loved this side!! THANK YOU THANK YOU!!
Simple and delicious! I used lemon instead of lime, it’s what I had, and served it with steak.
We love this. While I was pregnant, I must have made it at least once a week for several weeks!
My husband calls this our best vegetarian taco. We top it with green salsa, cotija and cilantro and eat it on a taco shell.
And we use Trader Joe chili lime salt instead of regular salt on the pepitas
I can’t get over how good it this is. It reminds me of that Samin Nosrat show on Netflix…I feel like this recipe has all the elements: salt, fat, acid, and heat, and it’s probably the best cauliflower I’ve ever eaten.
Really tasty. This also works with romanesco.
Cooking for one this evening, so I roasted half the cauliflower in the air fryer, but otherwise followed the recipe as directed. I just finished the dish and am currently considering roasting the other half of the cauliflower for seconds. This recipe is THAT good!
This was outrageously delicious!