Forget cutting cauliflower into florets to roast, instead make Garlic & Herb Butter Whole Roasted Cauliflower for a bit of wow & less prep work. It’s sure to make a statement on the holiday dinner table.
The humble cauliflower – stinky, gaseous, insipid & now apparently a stand in for rice & other grains, takes on a new role & centerpiece for the holiday table when slathered in garlic butter & roasted whole. Move over turkey.
If you’ve ever eaten garlic bread, garlic prawns/shrimp or garlic butter escargots then this whole roasted cauliflower is like those but in vegetable form. And is ridiculously easy to make. Slather garlic & herb butter all over it, cover with some non-stick baking paper & pop it into the oven to roast for about an hour or so.
Towards the end of cooking give it a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Now feel free to mix the parmesan into the butter mixture. I’ve tried it that way, it’s good. My concern about adding the cheese early in the cooking was the cheese would become tough. Overcooking cheese will do that. So the second time I added the cheese towards the end of cooking time. I’ll let you decide what method you prefer because both work.
I love the look of the cauliflower when you cut a wedge or two from it – like a sea creature. If you prefer to free-up some oven space, this will work on high in a slow cooker too. Though roasting does give veggies that golden caramelization that elevates them. What I love most about this is it’s such a nice way to showcase cauliflower instead of drowning it in cream sauce. You can’t go wrong with garlic butter anything – holidays or not. What sides are you making for your festive table this year & are you trying something new? Toodles,
PIN IT!
- 1/2 cup (4 oz/125g) butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, optional
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- a good pinch of salt & freshly ground pepper
- 1 whole cauliflower
- 1/2 cup chicken or veggie broth
- parchment/nonstick paper
- 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C/gas mark 5).
- Combine butter, parsley, rosemary, thyme, garlic, nutmeg, salt & pepper in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Trim a little off the stalk end of the cauliflower, leaving any leaves intact. Place the cauliflower into a 10-inch (25cm) cast iron pan or other ovenproof dish. Slather the butter mixture all over the cauliflower. Add the broth to the dish. Cover the cauliflower with a piece of parchment paper. Roast for 50 minutes.
- Remove cover & cook for a further 15 minutes, basting the cauliflower a couple of times with the pan juices. Sprinkle with parmesan, ensuring the parmesan also sticks to the side of the cauliflower. Roast another 10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Cut into wedges to serve. Serves 6.
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