This crispy roasted cauliflower with parmesan is gluten-free, no breadcrumbs, no breading! The crispiness comes from roasting alone. It's one of my favorite easy weeknight go-tos, and uses just five ingredients!
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This roasted cauliflower is one of those recipes that are in my regular weeknight rotation. And why wouldn't it be? Crispy cauliflower loaded with cheese and garlic would make anyone's weeknight better. It's blissfully easy and endlessly flavorful.
It has a wonderful mix of textures–the little bits and edges of the cauliflower get so crispy and browned, and the larger pieces get soft and sweeten as they roast.
We are making this cauliflower crispy AND gluten free! NO breading! How do we do it? It's all in the way you slice up the cauliflower. We'll get lots of little tiny florets that fall away from the slices, and they crisp up better than any breadcrumb ever could.
Ingredients
- Head of cauliflower: Look for cauliflower that is nice and white and free of black spots. I like to get the largest head of cauliflower I can find. Especially if I am paying by the piece, not by the pound. It will cook down considerably. Don't be afraid to dig around in that produce bin until you find a bigger one!
- Parmesan cheese: Use real parmigiano reggiano for the best salty flavor and grate it yourself. See tips below.
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
How to make it
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place racks in the middle and upper thirds of the oven.
Remove the leaves and cut the cauliflower into quarters. Cut out the hard, bottom part of the stem, leaving as much of the florets connected to the remaining stem as possible.
Starting at the wide end, take each quarter and use a good chef's knife to cut it into thin slices.
You'll end up with some nice big fan-like slices of cauliflower, and work your way down to crumbly, tiny florets toward the end. This is good. This is where we get the crispies!
Divide the cauliflower between two sheet pans and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt, and toss to coat.
Roast the cauliflower for 20-25 minutes, until it is beginning to get brown and crispy on the bottom. Remove from oven, flip the cauliflower over, then rotate the pan that was on top to the middle and vice versa.
Continue roasting for another 10-20 minutes until cauliflower is browned and crispy.
While the cauliflower roasts, grate the parmesan on the small side of a box grater and set aside. Chop the garlic finely. In a small saucepan, heat ¼ cup of olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook until the garlic is softened and fragrant, but not brown.
Put the crispy roasted cauliflower into a large bowl, add the garlic-olive oil mixture and most of the parmesan, and stir to combine. Transfer to a serving plate (or don't...) and top with remaining cheese.
Tips
- Roasting time for the cauliflower is approximate. How big it is, the amount of water in it, how thin you slice it, how much is on the pan, these will all affect the total time. It should start to brown around 20 minutes. Just keep an eye on it from there on out.
- I prefer to grate my own parmesan cheese from the block with a box grater, and grate into thin strands, instead of grating into a powder. This rewards you with well-placed, salty, cheesy surprises in each bite, instead of something that just coats everything with no rhyme or reason.
- I like a LOT of garlic and a decent amount of crushed red pepper, but you can adjust and use more or less as your taste dictates. And that is a wonderful thing.
- This crispy cauliflower tastes great at room temperature. So if you're short on oven space, make it first, just wait to add the garlic-olive oil mixture until just before serving.
What to serve alongside
You can serve crispy cauliflower alongside so many different dishes! It can be a great side dish for meat, or part of a vegetarian feast! You can even add this to a hearty salad. Try it with these:
- Cast Iron Skillet Steak tastes just like the expensive steakhouse version at a fraction of the price!
- Oven Roasted Salmon with Citrus Herb Salsa Verde is roasted low and slow and has a super simple preparation.
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs with Garlic, Capers, and Lemon is perfect for anyone who loves all the salty, briny things!
- Boneless Leg of Lamb is elegant but easy to make.
Related Recipes
Who said roasted vegetables had to be boring? No one.
- Serve Charred Broccoli with Calabrian Chile Paste, Feta, and Lemon Yogurt Sauce when you want a unique and spicy side dish.
- Adding the beets to the dressing while they're still warm means these Oven Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese, Orange Vinaigrette, and Mint soak up all of that citrus flavor.
- These Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios, Dates, and Lime are roasted whole until they are absolutely meltingly delicious.
Recipe
Crispy Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan, Garlic, and Crushed Red Pepper
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- ¼ cup olive oil plus 2 tbsp
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ tablespoon chopped garlic
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place racks in the middle and upper thirds of the oven.
- Remove the leaves and cut the cauliflower into quarters. Cut out the hard, bottom part of the stem, leaving as much of the florets connected to the remaining stem as possible.
- Starting at the wide end, take each quarter and cut it into thin slices. You'll end up with some nice big fan-like slices of cauliflower, and work your way down to crumbly, tiny florets toward the end. This is good. This is where we get the crispies!
- Roast the cauliflower for 20-25 minutes, until it is beginning to get brown and crispy on the bottom. Remove from oven, flip the cauliflower over, then rotate the pan that was on top to the middle and vice versa. Continue roasting for another 10-20 minutes until cauliflower is browned and crispy.
Notes
- I like to get the largest head of cauliflower I can find. Especially if I am paying by the piece, not by the pound. Don't be afraid to dig around in that produce bin until you find a bigger one!
- Roasting time for the cauliflower is approximate. How big it is, the amount of water in it, how thin you slice it, how much is on the pan, these will all affect the total time. It should start to brown around 20 minutes. Just keep an eye on it from there on out.
- I prefer to grate my own parmesan cheese from the block with a box grater, and grate into thin strands, instead of grating into a powder. Pre-grated tends to get a bit dried out. Grating it yourself will give you better flavor over all and will also save you a bit of money.
- This crispy cauliflower tastes great at room temperature. So if you're short on oven space, make it first, just wait to add the garlic-olive oil mixture until just before serving.
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