Remember ten years ago or so when cauliflower suddenly got super popular and everyone was using it in place of every carb imaginable? And then the supply and demand got all out of whack and cauliflower was suddenly more than $5 per head??
Well, I’m glad that the supply has finally caught up with the demand and I can buy cauliflower for a reasonable price again. 😅 Because it really is a super versatile vegetable and you can use it in place of so many different things, but I love just roasting it up, as simple as can be, with a little garlic and Parmesan. This Garlic Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower makes a great side dish to go with dinner, or even a snack with a little Comeback Sauce for dipping. Any way you eat it, it’s gooooood.
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Is The Cauliflower Crispy?
I know texture can sometimes not come across well in photos, so I wanted to make sure no one mistakes this cauliflower for being crispy. Cauliflower gets softer went roasted. You do get nice caramelization on the edges that provide a lot of flavor, but it doesn’t actually get crispy.
Can I Use Fresh Garlic?
Yes, absolutely! I used garlic powder in this recipe because I find it more evenly coats the cauliflower than little pieces of fresh garlic, but you can absolutely use fresh garlic in place of, or in addition to the garlic powder for an extra garlic punch. Two to four cloves (minced) should do well in this recipe.
What to Serve with Garlic Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
As I mentioned above, this roasted cauliflower makes a great all-purpose side dish. The garlic-Parmesan flavor combo is so universal. This would go great next to some roasted meat like Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin, a classic comfort food like Salisbury Steak, or something like Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms. But today, when I made a batch to take the photos, I ate damn near the entire batch just dipping it into some Comeback Sauce (a good ranch dressing would also be good). :)
Garlic Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower ($2.39)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.44)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.24)
- 1 Tbsp chopped parsley (optional garnish) ($0.05)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Rinse the cauliflower well, then cut into bite-sized florets.
- In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Place the cauliflower florets in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over top, followed by the prepared garlic Parmesan seasoning. Toss the florets until they are completely coated in oil and seasoning, and no seasoning remains on the bottom of the bowl.
- Spread the seasoned cauliflower out over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure the florets are in a single layer with some space around each piece. Transfer the baking sheet to the preheated oven.
- Roast the cauliflower for about 30 minutes, stirring half-way through, or until the florets reach your desired level of caramelization. Season with extra salt and pepper and sprinkle chopped parsley over top just before serving, if desired.
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Equipment
- Chef’s Knife
- White Cutting Boards
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Garlic Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Chop the head of cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Honestly, sometimes I just pull the head apart with my hands because the little florets snap off fairly easily at the base! But I use my knife to cut larger florets into smaller pieces.
Combine ¼ cup grated Parmesan, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper in a small bowl.
Place the cauliflower florets in a bowl and drizzle 2 Tbsp olive oil over top, then sprinkle the garlic Parmesan seasoning on top. Toss the cauliflower florets until they are well coated in oil and seasoning. Make sure you keep tossing (I use my hands) until all of that flavoring is stuck on and in the crevices of the cauliflower. You don’t want any left in the bowl.
Spread the seasoned cauliflower out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, in a single layer, with as much room around each piece as possible. Giving the cauliflower space helps the cauliflower roast in a dry environment and produce that nice caramelization, rather than sitting in trapped steam and essentially stewing as it bakes.
Roast the cauliflower in the fully preheated 400ºF oven for about 30 minutes, stirring half way through, or until the cauliflower has reached your desired level of caramelization. Season with extra salt and pepper, if needed, and top with chopped parsley before serving, if desired.
Delicious!
Hi Beth this looks good – one question though – you show a dip being served with the cauliflower in every picture but no recipe or mention of what sauce it is??????
Hi, Tom! That is called Comeback Sauce, and you can find a link to the recipe in this blog post under the header, “What to Serve with Garlic Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower.” ~Marion :)
My Italian mom used to make this dish with the identical seasonings, but she fried the florettes in butter…I can tell you that EVERYTHING tastes better with butter, but, you know, too much butter is not a good thing.
So I made this recipe just as written, but in my air fryer. Took much less time, and it was amazing!!!
This is the best Cauliflower Recipe! My kids love it. We put it on pizza, make tacos out of it with the Comeback sauce and make Cheesy cauliflower quesadillas with it. It is my go to healthy snack!
This is by far the best cauliflower recipe! I did add a little bit of onion powder, as we love the combination of salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder. Kids loved it too.
Thanks for the recipe Beth! It has been quite some time since I have had any cauliflower. This recipe sounded sooo tasty, so I thought I would try this for my wife and I.
Terry
This is the BEST cauliflower recipe I’ve ever made! We have teenagers and toddlers/babies (as well as our adult selves) under one roof and it was a hit with *almost* all of us (we have one very picky teen but the other helped himself to seconds).
I have yet to meet a Budget Bytes recipe I don’t like – and I’ve been making a LOT of them these past few months for our new meal planning goals (at least two to three a week).
I made the comeback sauce with another recipe a few months back and now I basically just stockpile a large batch of it in my fridge. There are worse problems to have, right? Haha.
This was very good, made the comeback sauce too, thanks for posting!
I can’t stand cauliflower but this is great. I did not make the sauce but I will next time. I have been converted.
Great recipe! Love the comeback sauce.
This was so good even with my modifications. I used cojita instead of parmesan and added three cubed yellow potatoes. I forgot to use parchment paper and really wish I had – the cheese makes cleaning the pan a real pain haha.
This recipe was so easy and we enjoyed the delicious cauliflower! We don’t have much time after work to cook a big meal. But it was so quick and easy! Thank you.
Yum! Something else to dip in your comeback sauce! That was a hit in our household. Looking forward to trying the cauliflower.
Looks delicious! What is the sauce you use for dipping?
That’s comeback sauce. :)
I haven’t roasted cauliflower in ages so this is moving to the top of my “to cook” list. Do you think this would come just as good in an air fryer too?
Unfortunately I’ve never used an air fryer, but from what I understand about how they work I think it will do just fine. :)
This recipe and your Smoky Roasted Cauliflower are the only two ways my husband will willingly eat cauliflower! I make the smoky recipe regularly! So delicious!
Can you use frozen cauliflower?
You can definitely roast frozen cauliflower but I feel like the florets might be too wet to get the Parmesan to actually stick. Also, while you can roast frozen cauliflower and broccoli, it doesn’t get quite as much caramelization as the fresh vegetables do (again because it’s more wet).
We love this recipe and it’s my favorite way to eat cauliflower. We’ve made it many times and this will continue to be our go-to recipe for cauliflower florets! So grateful to have found this!
I don’t think I’ve ever bought cauliflower before because, as you suggested, it’s not one of the cheaper veggies at the store. I got some at the store last week because it was on sale last week for $2.50, ha! I wanted a recipe that was going to be simple but not totally hide the cauliflower so I made this. The only thing I didn’t use was the fresh parsley (forgot to buy it) and the bit of cheese at the end (I forgot to add it). SO YUMMY. Thank you!
Happy to hear it Kristin!
Yum! Was perfect after 30 minutes. Served it with roasted pork and green beans, everyone enjoyed it.
Do you have a farmers market in your area? I got a huge head of cauliflower today for $2!
Made this earlier in the week…my husband had never tried cauliflower before (he is from England, not as common) and he enjoyed this. :) Great recipe!
I have used this recipe several times and it’s a huge hit with the family. At that temperature, though, I find 45 minutes to be way too long. For me, 30 minutes is just about right. Absolutely delicious!!! This is seriously one of the most requested side dishes from my 12 year old son.
Made it, loved it! My 4yo son loved it too.
My husband and I love this! We never eat cauliflower because we hate it, but this makes it delicious. I did a small head of cauliflower and a small crown of broccoli, and the flavors were all great together.
I love this recipe. I make it time and time again. Just started Weight Watchers, and calculated in eTools that it is only 2 PointsPlus per serving!
Great recipe! Next time I will need to make a double batch. My 10 year old taste tester kept stealing them off the cookie sheet before the rest of dinner was finished.
Gonna make this this week, yay!
Delicious! This is the first time I have roasted cauliflower and the only time I’ve even remotely enjoyed eating it. Thanks for a great recipe.
I don’t have the nutrition stats but I think it’s fairly diet friendly. It just depends on how much you’re trying to avoid oil and cheese. There certainly isn’t *a lot* in this recipe, but it’s there. This is much, much healthier than, say, cauliflower au gratin.
Does anyone know nutritional info for this? Ie: is it safe for dieters?
First of all, just wanted to say that I love your blog. It’s given me so many ideas!
I would just like to point out that I tried this recipe and my cooking experience differed greatly from yours. I also had a whole chicken in the oven at 375 for an hour, so I figured the cauliflower would finish around the same time as the chicken with the lowered temperature. My cauliflower was starting to burn after only 20 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees… =(
This is one of the best things I have ever eaten! It barely makes it from the roasting pan to the serving dish. LOVE IT!!!
I have made this 3 times since you posted the recipe. I’ve easily put it in rotation. My whole family loves it. I can’t walk by a head of cauliflower in the produce section without thinking of your recipe! :)
Love roasted cauliflower SO MUCH.
I’ve done this with frozen cauliflower and it worked pretty well. I let the cauliflower thaw out for a bit before roasting and patted it dry, and couldn’t tell the difference. I also really like to add a very roughly chopped onion to the pan, they get all soft and caramelized, and complement the roasted cauliflower taste perfectly.
Another good flavor combination is Indian: add to your oil minced garlic and ginger, ground cumin, ground coriander, and cayenne.
Making this tonight with you honey mustard chicken strips – delicious smells coming out of my oven! Thanks for the great ideas!
This was so great, my fiance was raving about it! We will definitely be making this again, thank you!
K.A. – the texture is softer after reheating but the taste is every bit as delicious!
Out of curiosity, how does this reheat as leftovers?
I made this last night and it turned out great! Only difference was that mine seemed done/crispy after 30 minutes (stirring once in between) insted of 45 minutes. Thank you!
This looked delicious, so I decided to give it a try last night. Despite my proven ability to burn anything I put in the oven, it turned out fabulous. Thank you!
Cauliflower was on sale crazy cheap today at the Farmer’s Market so I grabbed some and gave this recipe a try! It was SO good, thank you!!
I saw it on sale this week too, and grabbed 2 heads, I love it like you do, but refuse to sell my right arm for it. Roasted like this is my favorite way also. Are we related? I love dipping it in warm marinara. Pretty sure Im making this for dinner, I’m salivating.
Caitlin – I don’t think frozen would work quite the same because of the amount of moisture that comes off of it as it thaws. I’m not sure if it would just need more time in the oven to crisp up on the edges or if it will just be different no matter what. I’ve never tried to roast frozen :P
Have any of you tried this with frozen cauliflower? Anything need to change for frozen or could I do this the same way? I’ve got a bag of frozen cauliflower in my freezer waiting to be eaten. :)
The cost of heating the oven varies on quite a few factors including: gas or electric, how well your oven is insulated, and the ambient temperature of your kitchen. It seems like it could cost quite a bit but then I just ran some numbers in my head roughly and was kind of surprised. My last electric/gas bill was $66 dollars so that’s about $2/day for EVERYTHING. Granted, I didn’t run the AC a lot that month but that $2 per day included lights, refrigerator, washer/dryer, electronics… and a whole lotta cookin! Oh, and I have a gas oven so I’m sure that helps. I wish there was a way to monitor real time costs of electricity and gas!
i love this recipe! it is sooooooo good!
Just out of curiosity, I wonder how much it costs to run a 400 degree oven for an hour.
Vaalbara – yeah, it will work great with most vegetables! It’s really fantastic with potatoes especially :)
love your blog! do you think this will work with broccoli or other vegetables?
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I love roasted cauliflower! It’s also really great mixed in with pasta: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/farfalle-with-cauliflower-turkey-sausage-10000001860104/
Awesome! I’ve been waiting for cauliflower to come down in price and I just finally got some today :D I love roasting it, but I haven’t put any Parmesan on it before. I’ll have to try that :D
Ok, I am a self professed lover of this site <3 My mom still loves the 'Beth' Book of your recipe I gave to her after she saw how much we were saving cooking and following your recipes.
There, thats out of the way, on to the food lol. This is fantastic Beth. Eerily I ended up making your roasted broccoli yesterday and had to cheat and buy a chopped bag that was a mix of broccoli and cauliflower. I roasted it all together, thinking myself quite clever… and it was outstanding! Tomorrow I will try this again, but just cauliflower. I joined a CSA (so many fresh veggies and herbs on my way) and I agree whole heartedly with you on the roasted vegetables and the wonderful flavour. They end up tasting too good sometimes and I end up eating a whole bunch/head of it!
Now to remember to grab some Parmesan :-)
I HAVE to try this! I’ve roasted cauliflower with kalamata olives before and it was great. This sounds even better!