I have been obsessed with roasted (baked) cauliflower. No exaggeration; I must eat my cauliflower baked at least once a week, sometimes more depending on how much I can get my hands on and what my wallet looks like.
The first time I baked cauliflower at home, I Googled the recipe to help create the recipe and used what was on hand – frozen veggies and vegetable oil. I shared on Facebook (what, you don’t share your food pics?!) and a friend shared her recipe. Since then I have been playing around with recipes to see which works better for me. I’ve alternated between fresh and frozen cauliflower and pit them head to head to compare which recipe worked best.
Price:
Frozen veggies win…sorta.
The supermarket that I use has been having a ten for ten sale on cauliflower and I have been taking advantage. The normal price is 1.67 per bag. Fresh heads run from 2.99 and up.
The frozen bags fill an 8 by 8 pan with some room to spare. When I used the 8 by 8 with the fresh head, it was too small. The 11 by 14 pan I have at home was full.
My math sucks but a fresh head may be the best bet when the frozen veggies go off of sale.
Cook time:
The frozen veggies cook faster than the fresh heads. If I were a better chef I’m sure I could wax and wane about the frozen veggies having and something about how they are prepped. Since I’m not I can only say that the frozen veggies roast faster.
Ingredients:
I realize olive oil is supposed to be better for you but I gret up in a house that loved for vegetable and later canola oil. The times I used canola or vegetable oil (a cap full) I didn’t find my cauliflower too oily. It tasted fine. When I used olive oil it was an adjustment. A cap full seemed too much. Olive oil seems to be richer than canola oil and stretches farther.
To prepare:
FRESH CAULIFLOWER
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
Rinse and separate cauliflower florets.
Place cauliflower in roasting pan in a single layer.
Season (I use seasoned salt and garlic)
Drizzle oil over florets
Bake for 40 minutes or until cauliflower is browned.
FROZEN CAULIFLOWER
Preheat oven to 400
Empty bag of cauliflower in pan in a single layer
Season (I use seasoned salt and garlic)
Drizzle oil over florets
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cauliflower is browned
I like to eat the cauliflower fresh from the oven but it is good reheated or straight from the fridge.
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Have a favorite cauliflower recipe? Share one in the comments.
Thanks for reading and Enjoy!
I LOVE roasted vegetables. My favorite: Brussels Sprouts (seriously… amazingness).
My basic rule for roasting is – about a table spoon of extra virgin olive oil and some Nature’s Seasons. THIS combination on just about any veg makes my mouth sing.
As for cauliflower– I actually haven’t roasted it! Which now makes me terribly excited to try it next time I pick up groceries (fingers crossed I can find it here in Singapore! Some Western veg is sparse….)
I am actually not a cauliflower fan, but that is probably because I’ve only had it raw yuck! But I think roasting it sounds pretty yum!
I don’t think I’ve had roasted cauliflower! I cannot wait to try it 🙂
Love Cauliflower – especially as a potato substitute – mashed cauliflower is delicious too 🙂