Roasted Cauliflower
From The Kitchen · a prep-ahead staple
🗓 A Set-the-Week staple — make once, eat all week.
Roasting is what turns cauliflower from bland to crave-able — a hot oven caramelizes the edges into something sweet, nutty and crisp. It could not be simpler: florets, a little oil, salt, and heat. I make a big tray and it never lasts.
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower, broken into florets
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil (a light coat)
- Sea salt & black pepper
- Optional: a squeeze of lemon or grated Parmesan, to finish
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F.
- Break the cauliflower into even, bite-sized florets and pile them into a bowl.
- Toss with just enough olive oil to lightly coat, and season with salt and pepper.
- Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan — don't crowd them, or they'll steam instead of brown.
- Roast 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once halfway, until deeply golden and crisp at the edges.
- Finish with a squeeze of lemon or a little Parmesan, if you like.
Storage: Keeps 3 days in the refrigerator; crisp it up again in a hot oven.
Gina's tip
Two rules for the best roasted cauliflower: don't crowd the pan (space is what lets them brown instead of steam), and let them go further than you think — that deep golden color is where all the sweet, nutty flavor lives.
Roast the whole head at once and use it all week — in bowls, tossed with pasta, folded into a salad, or eaten off the pan while it's hot.
I hope this recipe finds a place in your kitchen as it has in mine. Enjoy!
— Gina