Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

Image of a plate of Roasted Cauliflower SteaksSteak Your Veggies
My relationship with cauliflower is difficult. I have only just recently started to eat it because my daughter can’t stand broccoli and cauliflower is a fairly easy substitute. My difficulties started when I was a kid when my mom would make cauliflower with a cheese sauce. And, for a long time, I was okay with it. I’m not sure exactly what went wrong. But, after having it one night I got sick. No one else got sick. Just me. From that day forward, in much the same way that college tequila shots have ruined margaritas for many people, I never wanted to eat cauliflower again.

It has taken 40 years but I have tried cauliflower—just a little bit now and then. Cauliflower has that great attribute of not having a strong flavor and therefore will soak up the flavor of anything it’s in. This is why I can handle cauliflower in Indian food, for example. But, large amounts of cauliflower on its own is a hurdle I haven’t cleared…yet.

I am intrigued by cauliflower steaks. There is something about this concept that appeals to me. The idea makes so much sense. A beautifully roasted or sautéed caramelized steak with a flavor-filled sauce of choice sounds so good in my head. So, I have been researching recipes so that I can take the leap…

While this version by Gordon Ramsay with salsa verde seems like it would be right up my alley, I have begun with something more basic as I dip my toe into these waters.

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks Recipe
Adapted from All Recipes
Yields 4 servings

Try these oven-roasted cauliflower steaks seasoned with a simple lemon-garlic sauce. Serve them with Chimichurri or topped with roasted tomatoes, olives, and feta.

Ingredients
1 large head of cauliflower, sliced lengthwise through the core into 4 half-inch thick steaks
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 ºF. And, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lay the cauliflower steaks on the prepared baking sheet.

Make the marinade
Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper in a bowl.

Prep the cauliflower steaks
Use half of the olive oil mixture to brush the tops of each cauliflower steak.

Roast the cauliflower steaks
Then roast the cauliflower steaks in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Flip the steaks over and brush the tops with the remaining half of the olive oil mixture.

Continue roasting until the steaks are tender and golden (about 15 to 20 minutes more).

To serve
You can garnish the steaks with fresh chopped parsley, and serve with any sauce of your choosing.

Comments are closed.