Cauliflower

Lemony Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic & Oregano

June  8, 2013
4.5
2 Ratings
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

Cauliflower is a favorite in my home. I adore browning and caramelizing it in the oven. Spritzing it with lots of lemon juice balances the warm, toasty flavors. Garlic and oregano give this humble vegetable a Mediterranean spin. Fresh mint finishes everything off with hints of summertime and sunshine. Flaky sea salt enhances all the contrasting flavors. If you've got some fleur de sel hanging around your kitchen, here's a good place to use it.
Jilly Inspired

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced on a microplane or in a garlic press
  • 1 large lemon, zested
  • Handful of fresh herbs of your choice. I used parsley and mint, chopped
  • Good pinch or two of dried oregano
  • Sea salt or kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
  • Olive oil for cooking. I used unfiltered, extra virgin
  • Fleur de sel or another kind of flaky sea salt for serving (optional)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 In a baking pan, toss the cauliflower in the olive oil, lemon zest and oregano with some salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and toss the cauliflower. Place it back in the oven for 15 minutes or until it's soft and fully cooked. Take it out again and stir in the minced garlic. Cook for 3-5 more minutes to warm the garlic. Before serving, sprinkle with lemon juice, chopped fresh herbs and fleur de sel or other flaky sea salt. Enjoy!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Transcendancing
    Transcendancing
  • AntoniaJames
    AntoniaJames
  • Jilly Inspired
    Jilly Inspired

12 Reviews

Transcendancing August 23, 2015
My goodness this was delicious! So much love for this dish, one whole head of cauliflower was devoured prepared like this!
 
AntoniaJames June 17, 2013
Made yet another batch of this over the weekend, especially because I wanted a fair bit on hand for lunches, etc. over the next few days. For my husband, I stuffed phulka roti with grilled chicken thighs, grilled eggplant slices and this, along with some lettuce lightly dressed in a lemon vinaigrette. He really liked them! I had leftover quinoa and leftover edamame, so I mixed this cauliflower in with those along with some cherry tomatoes, halved, and half a Persian cucumber, cubed, and served on a bed of arugula. This stuff is so versatile and so darn tasty! Just love it. Going to play around a bit with the next batch. Stay tuned . . . . ;o)
 
Jilly I. June 17, 2013
Hi Antonia, it all sounds so yummy! I love roti! I laughed when I read this because I played around with it this weekend too. I roasted it and then threw in a few cloves of minced garlic, cherry tomatoes and pine nuts. Tossed everything with pasta and sprinkled freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Took the leftovers for dinner tonight at work. I'm sure you'll come up with new and different ways to use it. :)
 
Jilly I. June 14, 2013
Antonia, would I be able to use your comment on my blog? I think my readers would love to hear that you used herbs from your garden. If you'd like, I'll also link back to your recipe pages on Food52. Thanks so much! ;)
 
AntoniaJames June 14, 2013
Please feel free! I was just going to post here that I enjoyed the leftovers of this with some cooked/cooled edamame I had on hand, dressed with the tasty dregs of some vinaigrette that's been staring at me in the fridge, for a simply perfect 2-minute weekday lunch! Great, great recipe. I just love the hits of lemon zest roasted into the tiny nooks and crannies of the cauliflower.
Seriously, I plan to have this on hand all summer. I bake bread at least once a week - living a stone's throw from San Francisco Bay, it's cool enough to bake year round -- and always try to use the oven for other roasting/baking projects at the same time, so as not to waste energy. This has instantly made it to my go-to list for that. Thanks again for this outstanding recipe! ;o)
 
Jilly I. June 14, 2013
Thanks Antonia! I just shared everything you wrote. I bet the edamame was delish with it. I love edamame! I also love San Fran. It's favorite city on Earth! You're a lucky girl living there. I provided the link to your recipes in case any of my readers would like to pop here and see what you're cooking. Thanks again!
 
AntoniaJames June 13, 2013
Made this last night. Excellent! I like the method of roasting the cauliflower with the lemon zest and dried oregano, then adding the garlic toward the end of the cooking time, and then tossing with the fresh herbs and lemon juice. I used a fist full of parsley leaves, a couple of large basil leaves, and some ginger mint (only mint available in my herb garden these days). We really enjoyed this, so I plan to make it again. And again. ;o)
 
Jilly I. June 13, 2013
Antonia, I'm so glad you liked it. I'm a big fan of adding garlic later in the cooking process because this way it stays flavorful and doesn't burn. I bet it was great with your garden herbs. Thanks so much for leaving a comment. I love your recipes too!
 
AntoniaJames June 11, 2013
Can't wait to try this! Thanks for posting it. ;o)
 
Jilly I. June 11, 2013
Thanks Antonia! It's pretty simple, but lots of flavor. I'm half Lebanese. We often add mint to our dishes. It gives this dish lots of perky freshness. Enjoy!
 
AntoniaJames June 11, 2013
Love the fresh herbs, especially the mint, + lemon + the roasted cauliflower and garlic. I am making this tomorrow! And I'm so looking forward to it. ;o)
 
Jilly I. June 11, 2013
Oh thanks so much! I hope you like it. Put your own spin on it. My cauliflower was on the small side. It was plenty for me and my husband. Happy Cooking! :)