Roasted Cauliflower with Herbed Salsa Verde
Within 30 minutes, you can have the crispiest, well-seasoned, yet delicately charred roasted cauliflower straight from your oven! Get ready to add this to your weekly meal planning list because it’s a keeper.
I love roasted cauliflower. It is by far, one of my favorite vegetables to roast in the oven.
Today after I dropped my kids off at school, I went to a co-working space not far from where I live to get some work done.
There are days when I spend time at home to catch up on emails, schedule out my Pinterest posts, or work on my content creation, but there are some days where I just need a change of scenery to ignite my creativity and imagination.
I got so much accomplished today at the co-working space that of course as 1:30 pm rolled around, I started to think about what I was going to make for dinner that was quick, nutritious, hearty, and not a curry dish.
About two nights ago, I had an intuitive nudge to eat a big bowl of salad.
For some reason, I can’t even remember why I didn’t make that big bowl of salad – it’s possible that my kids distracted me so much that I totally forgot to eat (has that happened to anyone else before or is this just me??).
But, of course, seeing that I didn’t scratch that ‘gotta eat your veggies‘ itch, the nudge came back again full force, but this time, I really wanted roasted vegetables.
I remember the first time my younger sister (who is vegan) made me the most epic roasted cauliflower – I think I saw Jesus.
I don’t know what she put on it, but I had never tasted roasted cauliflower like that before!
The seasonings, the charred bits, the smokiness of the roasting, it was divine.
So right there & then, I knew I wanted to make roasted cauliflower.
I remember back in November, I was perusing Laura Wright’s website (she’s the cookbook author and recipe developing genius behind The First Mess) and found a salsa verde recipe she used when she created a vegan squash recipe. You can find that recipe here if you’re interested.
I am a lover of blogs and I bookmark them A LOT when I want to try something different. Her salsa verde was one of those recipes I made sure to keep in my back pocket if/when needed.
I immediately knew that a herbed salsa verde recipe would be a perfect pairing because of its herbaceous, zippy flavor – it would pair so nicely with the tender, lightly charred bits of cauliflower.
Really and truly, roasted cauliflower with a herbed salsa verde is a match-made in heaven!
For my roasted cauliflower, I added:
- olive oil
- oregano
- black pepper
- salt
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- paprika
For my herbed salsa verde, I added:
- fresh parsley, dill & cilantro
- red onion
- olive oil
- garlic
- salt
- black pepper
- apple cidar vinegar
- dijon mustard
- fresh lime juice
How To Make Salsa Verde
Let me introduce you to the easiest salsa verde recipe there is! All you have to do is take all your chopped and minced fresh herbs, garlic, onion, and other seasonings and add it to a bowl with a good amount of good quality olive oil.
Mix all ingredients together until combined and season to taste. If you have other components of your meal to make, place your salsa verde in a sealed container in the fridge to allow the flavors to meld together even more.
How To Roast Cauliflower in the Oven
To make your roasted cauliflower for this recipe, remove the toughest outer leaves from your cauliflower (you can keep on the tender leaves if you prefer) & break off your cauliflower florets into medium bite-sized pieces. Alternatively, you can chop your florets into bite-sized pieces as well.
If you get florets that break off and are small, no worries here because the small bits – in my opinion! – are the best when they get nice and charred – they are so delicious!
Once you have your cauliflower pieces cut, add them to a medium-sized bowl and add your olive oil, oregano, salt, black pepper, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika & give it a good rub all over. Make sure every nook and cranny of your cauliflower gets nicely coated.
Once coated, transfer your cauliflower to a parchment-lined sheet pan & roast for 30 minutes until cooked and nicely charred.
A Few Notes
- Is salsa verde spicy? ]This recipe does not have any spice to it, but you can always make your salsa verde to your liking and add 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red chili flakes.
- Can you make this recipe into cauliflower steaks? For sure you can! To make cauliflower steaks, trim the tough stem of your cauliflower carefully to create a flat base. Once the base is trimmed, rest your cauliflower on its stem & cut your cauliflower in half from top to bottom, creating two halfs of the cauliflower with the stem attached. Trim the outer rounded edge of each half piece of your cauliflower to create two 1½”-thick “steaks”.
- Can roasted cauliflower be frozen? Roasted cauliflower can be frozen but I probably wouldn’t recommend it. Once thawed out, you would lose the crispy, crunchy texture of your roasted cauliflower & it would be soft and not so appealing to eat.
- What can I serve with the roasted cauliflower? You can serve roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes or rice. You can serve the roasted cauliflower with herbed salsa verde on top of a green salad, or turn this recipe into a sandwich and pair it with some fries!
- Can I make this in the air fryer? If you love your air fryer as much as I do, go ahead and give this a try! You would need to watch your cauliflower a bit closer to make sure it doesn’t burn during the cooking. Also, your time cooked would be significantly less than an oven – about 10 – 15 minutes, depending on how many cauliflower florets you put in your basket & the size of the cauliflower itself.
- I don’t have apple cidar vinegar on hand. What other vinegars can I use? If you don’t have apple cidar vinegar stocked at home, you can always try using rice wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, white distilled vinegar or for a completely different taste & flavor, you try adding in balsamic vinegar. All options are amazing & would add a very unique acid taste to the salsa verde.
- Can this be prepped for the week as meal-prep? You can definetely add this to your meal-prep routine – I would recommend at least a day in advance if you are prepping your cauliflower and salsa verde seperately. If you cook the cauliflower, this will keep well in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to two days & the herbed salsa verde can keep in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
So here’s your recipe on how to make Roasted Cauliflower and Herbed Salsa Verde!
Roasted Cauliflower and Herbed Salsa Verde!
Ingredients
CAULIFLOWER FLORETS
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
SALSA VERDE
- 2 cups total of fresh leafy green herbs finely chopped such as parsley, dill, and cilantro
- 1/4 cup of really good extra virgin olive oil I use this one
- 1/4 cup of red onion finely minced
- 1 large clove of garlic grated on a microplane or finely minced
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- juice of half a lime
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Combine all your dry seasonings for the cauliflower steaks in a small bowl and also set them aside. Wash, pat dry your cauliflower on both sides and cut your cauliflower into thick 1-inch steaks, and place on your lined baking tray.
- Rub your cauliflower with your olive oil, making sure to get both sides, and sprinkle the dry seasonings you set aside, all over. Pay attention to getting the seasonings into all the nooks and crannies of your cauliflower for maximum flavor.
- Place your seasoned cauliflower on your prepared baking tray and move it to the oven - roast until tender, about 20-30 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, add all our finely chop your parsley, cilantro, and dill until to a medium bowl, alongside adding in your lime juice, garlic, apple cider vinegar, mustard, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir together until everything is combined, taste and adjust your seasonings if needed & set your salsa verde aside.
- Once your cauliflower steaks have roasted and are tender, remove them from the oven. Plate your cauliflower and spoon your salsa verde on top.
