Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
Table of Contents
Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
Parmesan roasted cauliflower is easily the most requested side dish in my house! I love, love, love oven roasted vegetables, especially roasted cauliflower. They are seriously one of my favorite things to make and eat. Preparation is easy. My husband is even willing to try some vegetables he wouldn’t normally eat when I roast them in the oven.
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The flavor is incredible, and there is no other way to get that same flavor. Steaming veggies just bore me, and I always worry that I’m going to overcook them. Broccoli is the worst in that regard. Roasting is an incredible way to get the most flavor from a vegetable. Cauliflower is definitely a favorite in my house. One of the reasons I love roasted veggies is because there are so many things you can do with them to make a dish unique. Here is my go-to roasted cauliflower recipe!
Ingredients
Cauliflower
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Garlic Salt
Parmesan cheese (optional), fresh grated. I don’t use powder.
Directions
I always start with chopping up the cauliflower, then I put it on either a cookie sheet or in a shallow baking dish. A great way to save some cleanup time is to cover a cookie sheet with foil and roast the veggies there.
Note: If I use a shallow baking dish, I spray it with a non-stick cooking spray first and mix everything in a separate mixing bowl. This produces the best results. Once transferred to the baking dish, I don’t mix it anymore. Otherwise it will end up sticking.
Mix the olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice together. Add the cauliflower until it is nicely coated. Sprinkle some garlic salt over the top of it. I never measure this out, because cauliflower heads vary in size. The goal is to get everything coated nicely in the oil. The juice of half of a lemon is plenty, and a pinch or two of garlic salt.
My husband loves it when I put some parmesan cheese over the top of it as well. I’m pretty sure I can get him to eat anything by putting parmesan cheese on top of it. We make a potato dish somewhat similar to this, with the cheese on top and he eats a ton of it.
I personally love olive oil and lemon juice together because the olive oil is a healthy fat and fresh squeezed lemon adds a pop of freshness and acidity to the dish. Olive oil and lemon also compliment each other very well.
I then roast my cauliflower in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes. You want the cheese (if using) to be a nice golden brown color, and the stems of the cauliflower to be fork-tender, but not mushy or falling apart. Try to keep a close eye on the cauliflower after the 40 minute mark. Check them to see if they are fork-tender. Because for me, there is nothing worse than over cooked vegetables. They turn into mush and just fall apart on the plate. I can’t stand that and I’m picky.
I watch mine and keep checking it. Sometimes it may need a bit more time, depending on the size you’ve cut the cauliflower to be. Obviously bigger pieces need a longer cooking time. That is why I say start checking it at 40-45 minutes mark. If it needs longer, let it go about 5-7 and check again. It really shouldn’t need more than 60 minutes. But the 40 minute mark is the best time to start checking on them.
Want extra-crispy cheese?
If you are looking for a bit of char or extra-crispy cheese, in the last 5 minutes of cooking, turn the oven on to broil. The top of the cauliflower and cheese will darken up and become crispy.
Once it is done, I give it one last toss in the baking dish to cover it again with some of the oil and lemon juice, and then serve. I love serving this with chicken or a pan seared steak. I also love roasted red potatoes to go with it. The red potatoes, steak, and cauliflower create a gorgeous, multi-colored plate that is aesthetically pleasing.
I hope you enjoy! This is a favorite in my house. Because it is not only delicious, it is so easy to make. I love simple but amazing dishes like this. Those are always my favorites.
Make this dish kid-friendly!
This is also a dish where if you have kids, they could help. That could get them more interested in trying out veggies too. I mean, who doesn’t love something covered in parmesan cheese, right? I know I do. Lol. After chopping everything, throw it all in the mixing bowl, give it to the kid with a big spoon and let them go with mixing it all up! Since the olive oil is a dark rich color, it is obvious when they’ve coated the cauliflower in it, and it is mixed completely.
I suggest giving this to a kid as a job because I always find it fun when cooking can be a family thing. I love when my husband comes in to help me with things. Simply because it is quality time spent, not in front of an electronic device, or out somewhere with distractions. It is time we get to spend creating something together that is amazing.
Plus our conversations while cooking. That is our best quality time and memories. I always encourage couples and families to cook together. Who knows, you could be sparking a love of cooking in a kid, and a future career. Or, at the very least, just great memories.
Discussion
This parmesan roasted cauliflower is an excellent side dish to pair with Beer Can Chicken, Brown Butter Chicken, or Parmesan Dijon Chicken.
Have you tried parmesan roasted cauliflower? Let me know about it in the comments! Check out my other side dish recipes!
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34 Comments
Cat Palmer
That looks delicious and simple! I will need to try this soon!
The Prepping Wife
The simplicity of it is what makes it so amazing, in my opinion too! It is all things I typically have in the pantry, and can put together for a great fresh side dish that is delicious. Some of my favorite recipes are the simplest to make, but they taste the best.
Jessica
Ooooh girl this looks delicious!! ☺️☺️
I bet if you put this on Pinterest and link it to your blog, you’d draw a lot of traffic !! I’m all about some FOOD lol 😂😂😂🤦🏽♀️
The Prepping Wife
Everything I do is on Pinterest. I am a huge fan! I can be found at http://www.pinterest.com/thepreppingwife
Kay
Oooh this looks so good! I’m a fan of roasted vegetables and cheese is my favourite thing!! Seems like a perfect combination and so easy to prepare! I’m sure my kids and hubby would love this too!
Francesca
I love a simple recipe because I am an impatient cook! 🙂
I’ll definitely try this one out!
Thanks so much for sharing.
Fran x
Yaya
I love any kind of cauliflower cheese and your recipe looks SO good!!
Geraldine
Oh my goodness I never thought of combining parmesan and garlic salt and lemon with cauliflower! We only ever cook our cauliflower with salt and pepper and maybe a little fish sauce (we’re an Asian family LOL). Will have to try this, thank you! 😍
The Prepping Wife
I like the garlic salt because it adds a little garlic flavor without being overpowering. The lemon juice is a wonderful pop of both freshness and acidity. Plus the olive oil is a healthy fat and helps everything stick to the cauliflower.
Daphne Takahashi
What a great recipe! And it came with great timing because I have all the ingredientes! Going to try it out tonight!
Michelle Miller
This looks so delicious! I love easy recipes. 🙂
Scott J DeNicola
I love simple and tasty and this is both. I also like roasted vegetables way more than steamed! Brussels sprouts are probably my favorite roasted veggie with some olive oil and bacon or pancetta. I am definitely giving this a try this week. Cheese is like bacon to me. Put in on anything and it’s a homerun! I also just noticed your easy brown butter chicken recipe. Good lord! Martha Stewart has nothing on you!
Despite Pain
I totally agree about oven roasted veg. They are transformed, taste entirely different, and the texture is nicer. I only tried roasting cauliflower a couple of years ago and I couldn’t believe the difference. And with cheese on top – wow, you are on to a real winner.
kara hyvarinen
So, I’m eating keto right now and this recipe is perfect!
Sonia Seivwright
This is great. Looks very yummy, and easy to make. I love cauliflower and parmesan, so this dish sounds like heaven to me. I’m gonna try it out.
Trish Veltman
I love roasted veggies too, and adding the parmesan to roasted cauliflower sounds like a really tasty combination.
Beauty Tending
Cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies! Mostly I cook it as a main dish to have with chappattis or in rice as fried rice. This recipe is very new to me and it sounds so tasty with cheese in it! Another of my fave 🤤 I will try this out tomorrow! 😋
Live Learn Better
Cauliflower and Green Beans seem to be the only veggie my kids can tolerate. This approach will even make it more attractive.
Thank you for sharing.
The Prepping Wife
Give this recipe a try with asparagus and see if your kids will eat it. My husband wouldn’t eat asparagus until I made it this way, and I put extra cheese on it to make it more appealing too. It’s always worth a try!
Subhashish Roy
Cauliflower is my favorite vegetable at all times but it is available in our country only during the winter months. I am loving this preparation and will try in our home after a couple of months. Yummy.
Lyosha
I love this dish! it’s simple and easy to make yet it contains cauliflower and Parmesan cheese which are fantastic and super delicious products as is. I make it often enough and your post reminds me to schedule it for tomorrow
Tracy C
This sounds delicious! I love that you link to the recipes that you serve the roasted cauliflower with–there’s nothing like a great-sounding menu that’s already made for you. I’m saving this to make for my husband’s welcome home dinner (he’s been working out of state for the last month).
Thuy
I’m so glad people are getting really creative with their cauliflower recipes. Parmesan is a perfect flavor addition to tons of veggies
Live Well Choose Joy
I LOVE roasted veggies and this recipe I bet does not disappoint! Thanks!
Kristin
Wow!! This dish looks absolutely incredible. My daughters favorite veggie is cauliflower, I am going to give this a try and see if she loves it! Thanks for sharing.
Gina (Love, Auntie)
Thank you for sharing! I’m trying to learn to roast vegetables – I grew up in a family that steamed everything. I appreciate posts like this. Today I successfully roasted carrots, so I’m feeling confident to do something like cauliflower!
Trish Veltman
This recipe is so simple and so delicious!
Kelly Martin
This recipe looks great. I’m a big fan of cauliflower. It’s so healthy too.
Lyanna Soria
That parmesan roasted cauliflower looks quite delicious! It’s easy to make and I can incorporate veggies in my sons food too.
Lindsay Brown
Love this recipe! Parm is one of my favourite things, and I am also trying to be conscious of what I’m eating lately so this will be a great recipe to try out! Thanks for sharing friend!
abby hewes
I am so excited to try this recipe this week- we have everything on hand. I printed it out and put it on the fridge!
Live Learn Better
This is on another level of awesomeness. I will sure try it out
Clarice
OMG! This looks amazing. I am not a huge fan of cauliflower but this one is definitely an upgrade. Thank you for sharing the recipe and the tips on how to make this delicious dish. Can’t wait to try this.
Britt K
I absolutely LOVE roasted cauliflower. It’s so delicious and makes a perfect side dish for pretty much any meal. I also adore that it’s so easy to make. We often bring either roasted cauliflower or BBQ cauliflower wings when we go to a potluck. They are easy to make, veggie-friendly and always receive compliments. Plus, I find that I always have a unique dish to share (unlike the multitude of meatballs that often come to events like that lol)