Roasted Cauliflower with Gremolata Bread Crumbs
Cauliflower, parsley, lemon, garlic, olive oil, and panko.
Cutting the cauliflower into florets.
Merrill showed us her trick -- she quarters the cauliflower, then cuts out the "spine," making it easy to break into florets.
Adding oil to the cauliflower -- there's just enough to barely coat it and this makes for nicely roasted cauliflower that's not weighed down by too much oil.
Spreading the cauliflower on a parchment-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up, but also because Amanda's baking sheet is a mess).
Toasting the panko in olive oil with salt.
Toasted! Time to add the chopped garlic and lemon zest.
Parsley waits on the sidelines -- it went in after the breadcrumbs cooled.
The cauliflower, roasted.
Time to top the perfectly-roasted cauliflower with the gremolata.
Ta-da!
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Author Notes: Roasting the cauliflower brings out its natural sweetness, and the bits that turn dark brown are irresistible. Topped with crispy panko swirled with fresh parsley, garlic, and lemon zest, this cauliflower is a lovely side dish—even for people who think they don't like the knobby white veggie. - TheThinChef - TheThinChef
Food52 Review: Before TheThinChef came along, roasted cauliflower and gremolata happily co-existed, never feeling any need to mingle. But now that we've tasted them together, they're going to be seeing a lot more of each other in our kitchens. The lemon and garlic scented panko add snap and complexity to the sweet, caramelized cauliflower -- and together you have a side dish that you could easily double or triple for a large party, and even make ahead. In fact, we like this best at room temperature, which has an added benefit: if you wait until the cauliflower is cool to sprinkle the bread crumbs on top, they'll stay good and crisp! - A&M - A&M
Serves 6
- 2 large heads cauliflower
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Trim tough stem and core from cauliflower and discard. Using a paring knife, cut cauliflower into smaller spears. Place in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; toss to combine.
- Spread cauliflower out on 2 large, rimmed baking sheets. Roast until edges start to brown, about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add panko and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir to coat in oil. Cook, stirring constantly, until bread crumbs are golden. Add lemon zest and garlic and toss until mixture is very fragrant and bread crumbs are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Place in a medium bowl and add parsley, stirring to combine. Set aside.
- Remove cauliflower from oven and place on serving platter. Top with bread crumbs and serve immediately.
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about 1 month ago LiliCoopr
Just finished eating this, so easy and so good! I used normal breadrumbs and more parsley, yum yum.
3 months ago _lotus
I don't go in big for cauliflower, but this was good! Paired it with the cardamom chicken tonight.
4 months ago Nomnomnom
Just made this again last night. This one is a winner in our home!
4 months ago darksideofthespoon
I make something like this all the time, only instead of lemon zest, I use preserved lemon rind. Amazing.
4 months ago darksideofthespoon
Oh, and an egg yolk broiled softly on top of the breadcrumbs!
4 months ago mdm
delicious, thank you!
5 months ago student epicure
yum! my mom got the second food52 cookbook for christmas, so we made this as part of christmas dinner. a huge hit! the cauliflower needed more olive oil and i increased the garlic (we like a lot of garlic in our family!). such a nice change from plain roasted cauliflower!
7 months ago ECMotherwell
I also did a cauliflower/broccoli mix -- yum!!! I cannot wait to make and eat this again. :)
10 months ago Cakes
I made this last night and it was a huge hit. I added broccoli. I usually just roast my cauliflower and broccoli with olive oil, maldon and lemon juice. The gremolata bread crumbs were a great addition and my kids loved it! Thanks!
11 months ago SJR
I made this last evening. It was very good, but nothing spectacular - it's just a basic way to roast cauliflower....
about 1 year ago betty888
I made this for a tapas party this weekend. It was super easy to make and very tasty. The only thing I wish I had done differently was to serve it in a wide, shallow bowl. I used a deeper bowl and there wasn't as much surface area for the breadcrumb topping-- so didn't use all of the gremolata. It would have been better with a bit more on the top. That said, delicious.
almost 2 years ago flossy
perfect! made it for a party and was so easy to make earlier in the day and then wait to combine the cauliflower and bread crumbs. lots of raves, too.
about 2 years ago Hummusit
Sorry, that was supposed to be - "you really CAN'T skimp on the oil"....
about 2 years ago Hummusit
hmmm... one one hand, my daughter actually ate cauliflower!!! on the other hand you really can skimp on the oil, making this a calorie-rich(er) recipe.
over 2 years ago Vstarr71
Soooo good and sooooo easy! How can something so simple be so satisfying?
over 2 years ago seasonista
I made this for Thanksgiving dinner. Delicious! Stood up to that heavy, decadent meal, and stood out for being lighter than the average side. Thank you!
over 2 years ago KOKelley
This was the first recipe I tried off Food52 (I just found it!!) and it was delicious. The panko+zest+garlic mixture was so deliciously fragrant when cooking I almost fell over. Thanks for sharing!
over 2 years ago Jill Center
I made this last month, and it's been on my mind at various times. Today was rainy and cold in San Francisco. A quick stop at the grocery for fresh cauliflower again yielded a scrumptious dinner. This time it was warm, comforting and lovely for a finally-arrived Autumn. Thanks!
over 2 years ago VanessaS
I made this tonight and it was amazing - definetely going to make for Thanksgiving!
over 2 years ago HandRocksLadle
I loved this recipe! I roast vegetables all the time, but never cauliflower. This is definitely going in the regular rotation.
over 2 years ago sue_ann_canvasser
I love the panko combination and would like to use it over or on grilled chicken or shrimp.