We shot a wedding in early October that was so beautiful I can’t even put it into words. The couple hosted an intimate ceremony in the round on the bride’s family farm. They roasted a whole pig and dined by candlelight on the bottom floor of a barn. Then they cut loose, dancing and enjoying pie into the wee hours. Sometime during the dinner, the caterer dropped off heavy boxes of food for us, the same meal the guests were enjoying: succulent roast pig, a farro concoction that tasted just like stuffing, and cauliflower that was surely roasted in pig fat. I don’t know if love was just in the air that day, but I fell hard for that cauliflower.
Sadly, I can’t eat things roasted in pig fat on a daily basis. So I wrote of the cauliflower incident as a fling, a passing affair. Then I saw a recipe for roasted cauliflower on SkinnyTaste and my passion was renewed. Could I really have delicious, mounds of healthy cauliflower?
Oh, yes! And, now, you can too. The first time I made this recipe I eschewed the bread topping, opting to simply rough chop the cauliflower and roast it with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. That was divine.
Since the cauliflower basically cooks itself, on the second attempt I decided to take a crack at the breadcrumb topping, and hoped it wouldn’t take away from the cauliflower itself. Happily, it was a nice addition.
Ultimately, what you have here are two options.
Lazy: chop, drizzle, roast. Perfect for days you don’t really want to cook (Friday after Thanksgiving, I’m looking at you)
Fancy: chop, drizzle, roast, make topping. Perfect for a fancy meal or a large family get together… you know, like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
I’ll take it either way. I love roasted cauliflower and I don’t care who knows…
Roasted cauliflower
From Skinny Taste
1 head of cauliflower
5 – 6 garlic cloves
Olive oil
Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Topping
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 450°F. Roughly chop cauliflower and garlic. Place the cauliflower and garlic in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, tossing to coat, then season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender and browned, about 22 – 25 minutes, tossing every 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and sauté the onion for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and sauté until the onions become golden brown. Reduce heat to low, add breadcrumbs; sauté until the breadcrumbs are light golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Be careful not to burn them. Remove from the heat. When cool, add the cheese.
Top the cauliflower with the breadcrumbs and devour.
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