Healthy and Delicious Whole Roasted Cauliflower is a simple and easy dinner recipe. Whole Roasted Cauliflower with butter and herbs is topped with a special sweet and sticky Maple Tahini sauce topped with fresh Parsley and a generous squirt of Lemon juice, which makes this even juicier and delicious in every bite.
Looking for the perfect Vegan alternative to Roasted Turkey or Chicken for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner?
Whole Roasted Cauliflower is the answer to your problem.
This Whole Roasted Cauliflower is not only an easy and yummy Main Course but is Vegan, Plant-Based and a Healthy main course Dinner recipe that is perfect for a big crowd.
This Whole Roasted Cauliflower recipe features Whole Cauliflower coated with a flavorful and fragrant marinade made using Butter, Olive Oil, Thyme, Italian seasoning, Allspice, Garlic Powder, and Smoked Paprika.
This is applied over the Cauliflower and the Cauliflower is roasted for about 30 minutes in the oven.
Finally a sweet and sticky sauce made using Tahini, Soy sauce and Maple syrup is drizzled over the Roasted Cauliflower.
This is garnished with freshly chopped Parsley and a generous squirt of Lemon Juice and served.
This Whole Roasted Cauliflower looks nothing short of a fancy & wonderful dinner. Of Course this is equally healthy, vegan and plant-based.
This amazing recipe of whole roasted cauliflower literally blows my mind off. This is so so so delicious and so full of flavors. It's so easy to make. All you're doing is just roasting the cauliflower with a very simple marinade and the end result is beyond delicious!
I am not a vegan person. However I try to include vegan and plant-based recipes in my diet as much as possible.
This Thanksgiving I am making this Whole Roasted Cauliflower for my Vegan friends. I'm sure everyone is going to love it. My non-vegan husband and children literally loved loved loved this Whole Roasted Cauliflower recipe.
Do you know what the best highlight of this recipe was?? That Tahini Maple sauce! That's my special addition to this Whole Roasted Cauliflower. Don't miss it!
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Ingredients needed to make Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Cauliflower
- Olive Oil
- Melted Unsalted Butter
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Smoked Paprika
- Allspice
- Dried Thyme
- Italian Seasoning
- Garlic Powder
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Chopped Parsley
- Lemon Juice
- Tahini
- Soy Sauce
- Maple Syrup
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions on making Whole Roasted Cauliflower
STEP 1: CUT THE CAULIFLOWER
- Remove the leaves of the Cauliflower
- Cut the stock and only keep the base of the Cauliflower
- Poke holes on the Cauliflower head using a sharp knife. This will help the marinade to seep right into the Cauliflower making them extra juicy and delicious.
STEP 2: MAKE THE MARINADE
- Combine Olive Oil with Melted Butter, Kosher Salt, Ground Black Pepper, Smoked Paprika, Dried Thyme, Italian Seasoning, Allspice, and Garlic Powder. Mix until combined
- Baste this mixture over the Cauliflower (both sides)
STEP 3: BAKE
- Place the Whole Cauliflower, stem side down in a greased baking dish or sheet pan
- Cover with a foil
- Bake @350F for 20 minutes
- Baste in between after 10 minutes with the leftover marinade.
- After 20 minutes, get it out of the oven, remove the foil, baste again and place it back in the oven.
STEP 4: MAKE THE SAUCE
- Combine Tahini with Maple Syrup and Soy Sauce
- Whisk until combined
STEP 5: GARNISH AND SERVE
- After the Cauliflower gets roasted baste again with the leftover marinade
- Drizzle the sauce over the Cauliflower
- Garnish with freshly chopped Parsley, Red Pepper Flakes and a generous squirt of Lemon juice
- Decorate with Lemon rinds and chopped Parsley and serve!
Remember that the cooking time greatly depends on the size of the Cauliflower. If you're using a Cauliflower which weighs about 1 pound then it should take about the same time as mine.
Also, fresh Cauliflower tends to cook faster as compared to old ones.
Cooking Variations
- You can use any other seasoning seasoning mix of your choice for example you can use Taco seasoning, fajita seasoning, Cajun seasoning, Blackened seasoning, Jerk Seasoning, Old Bay seasoning or Italian seasoning to make your favorite version of Whole Roasted Cauliflower.
- You can boil the Cauliflower first for 5 minutes, pat it dry and then roast it
- You can add the Maple Tahini sauce and then roast the Cauliflower
- You can Stuff the crevices of the Cauliflower with Chimichurri sauce or Cranberry Sauce, and then top with the Marinade for an amazing burst of flavor.
Storage
You can store leftover Whole Roasted Cauliflower in the refrigerator in an airtight container for upto 3 days. Reheat in the oven before serving
I would not recommend freezing this as this doesn't stand well upon freezing!
Serve this with some Steamed Broccoli or Green Beans and it's such a healthy and amazing meal for any day.
Top tips on making the Best Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Always use fresh and clean Cauliflower.
- You can partially blanch the Cauliflower before use. For that just trim of the stalks of the Cauliflower and boil it in hot water for about five minutes and pat dry before use..
- You can use any other seasoning seasoning mix of your choice for example you can use Taco seasoning, fajita seasoning, Cajun seasoning, Blackened seasoning, Jerk Seasoning, Old Bay seasoning or Italian seasoning to make your favorite version of Whole Roasted Cauliflower.
- When you first Roast the Cauliflower then remember to cover the baking dish with the foil so that the marinade does not burn.
- Always use Extra-Virgin Olive oil along with Vegan Butter to make the marinade. Extra Virgin Olive Oil naturally flavors the Roasted Cauliflower amazingly.
- The trick to get a perfectly roasted Cauliflower which is perfectly caramelized on the top and juicy on the inside is to baste!
- Baste, Baste, Baste! I cannot stress this fact enough that a perfectly juicy Cauliflower with a Crispy & Caramelized coating on top will only result if you baste your Cauliflower every often.
- First baste both sides before placing it in the oven. Second of all baste after 10 minutes of baking. After that, after 10 minutes baste again and bake without the foil. After the Cauliflower get roasted that is the time when you add the all over remaining marinade and baste it generously. Let it stand for 20 minutes before you serve it's the marinade which gives amazing flavor to this Whole Roasted Cauliflower.
- Making the Tahini Maple sauce is absolutely optional. You do not have to make this if you do not have the ingredients or do not like the flavor of Tahini.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 large Cauliflower of about 1 pound weight (leaves and stalks removed)
FOR THE MARINADE
- 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 stick Vegan Butter unsalted , melted
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Allspice
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning *see notes 1 for recipe
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ cup Parsley Freshly Chopped
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice about 1/2 Lemon, juiced
FOR THE SAUCE
- 2 tablespoon Tahini *see notes 2 for recipe
- 1½ teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
- 3 tablespoon Maple Syrup
Instructions
- Remove the leaves of the Cauliflower. Cut the stock and only keep the base of the Cauliflower. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a baking dish (9x9") with oil.
- Combine Olive Oil with Melted Butter, Kosher Salt, Ground Black Pepper, Smoked Paprika, Dried Thyme, Italian Seasoning, Allspice, and Garlic Powder. Mix until combined. Baste this mixture over the Cauliflower (both sides)
- Place the Whole Cauliflower, stem side down in a greased baking dish or sheet pan. Cover with a foil. Bake @350F for 20 minutes. Baste in between after 10 minutes with the leftover marinade. After 20 minutes, get it out of the oven, remove the foil, baste again and place it back in the oven for 10 more minutes to get roasted
- Combine Tahini with Maple Syrup and Soy Sauce. Whisk until combined
- After the Cauliflower gets roasted baste again with the leftover marinade. Drizzle the sauce over the Cauliflower. Garnish with freshly chopped Parsley, Red Pepper Flakes and a generous squirt of Lemon juice. Decorate with Lemon rinds, freshly Chopped Parsley and serve!
Notes
- Recipe for Italian Seasoning
- Recipe for Tahini
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