Whole Roasted Cauliflower is an unusual presentation that might make someone say “wow”. Not many vegetable dishes can do that. In this recipe the cauliflower is seasoned with an East Indian spiced-yogurt that gives it a nice colour and a bit of a crust.

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Cauliflower seems to be the in vegetable these days. You don’t need to look too far to see some creative uses for it like faux Buffalo chicken wings, cauliflower rice and even pizza crust. I have not tried any of those preparations but I do include cauliflower among my winter rotation of side dishes. Roasted is my preferred method.

When my husband requested this whole roasted cauliflower it reminded me of a food fad when I was a kid. At that time my mom sometimes steamed a whole head of cauliflower and served it with cheese sauce on top. It seems funny that I would even remember that but it just goes to show you that presentation does matter.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with East Indian spices — Whole Roasted Cauliflower -photo credit Jim Little

Organize For Success - Whole Roasted Cauliflower

A whole head of cauliflower keeps well, can be steamed or roasted, and lends itself to many different seasonings. Roasting a whole cauliflower isn’t a huge stretch and only takes a few minutes longer than roasting cut up cauliflower.

Try this recipe when you are making an oven-baked dish like Tandoori Chicken. Put the cauliflower in the oven so both dishes are finished cooking at the same time. I would most often serve steamed white rice with a dinner like this. On a night I was feeling ambitious I would take the extra ten minutes to make my Fruited Rice Pilaf and that would be a delicious meal.

Kids in the Kitchen

If you have young kids who are crazy about cheese try this cooking method without the spice mixture. Simply season a cauliflower with salt and pepper and a few dabs of butter. Make cheese sauce on the stove and when the cauliflower comes out of the oven pour the cheese sauce on top and serve. Get them involved in making that cheese sauce because making mac 'n cheese is a useful life skill.

Let me know in the comments below if you tried this Whole Roasted Cauliflower and how it turned out.

Thanks to Pure Wow for the inspiration for this recipe, we loved it.

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Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Cinde Little

Whole Roasted Cauliflower is an unusual presentation that might make someone say “wow”. Not every vegetable dish can do that.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine East Indian

Ingredients

1 whole cauliflower
1½ cups yogurt
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoon chile powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F and lightly grease a baking sheet.
Remove leaves and cut away the stem at the base of the cauliflower leaving it whole.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl about the size of the cauliflower.
Dip the cauliflower into the bowl swirling it to cover the entire head with the mixture.
Place cauliflower on baking sheet and brush with additional sauce if desired. Roast in preheated oven until it is browned on the outside and cooked through, 35-40 minutes. This may vary depending on the size of your cauliflower.
Place on a platter and take it to the table whole. Cut in wedges to serve.
Store leftover sauce in the fridge. Use on chicken, or cut up vegetables and roast accordingly.