Fall

Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin and Cilantro

by:
October 30, 2014
3.6
5 Ratings
Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin and Cilantro
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

Roasting the cauliflower brings out its natural sweetness while the cilantro, cumin, and lemon give this dish an interesting twist. —Emily | Truefood

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Emily is the author of the blog Truefood, which features eco-friendly recipes that use sustainable ingredients.
WHAT: A bright and slightly spicy cauliflower dish.
HOW: Roast cauliflower as you know how, but add lemon juice and cumin towards the end of roasting for an extra burst of flavor.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Sometimes it's the simplest dishes that pack the most flavor. Here, the ingredients work in symphony to create a complex balance of nutty, sweet, and citrusy flavors. Serve it alongside a lemon roasted chicken, or over farro for a light lunch. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, to serve
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 425˚ F. Chop the cauliflower into equally-sized florets for even cooking -- I like to cut them so that each has a flat side to lay facedown on the pan so it browns nicely.
  2. Toss the florets in the olive oil. Place them on baking sheet, flat side down. Season with a few good pinches of salt and black pepper to taste. Place in the preheated oven and allow to roast for about 30 minutes, or until lightly browned, turning the pan and tossing the florets after 10 and 20 minutes for even cooking.
  3. After about 30 minutes, the florets should be slightly caramelized. Remove them from the oven, and top with lemon juice and cumin. Return them to the oven for about 10 minutes, until just tender. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and serve warm.
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  • Vivienne
    Vivienne
  • delicia.sampson.7
    delicia.sampson.7
  • Dip&Scoop
    Dip&Scoop
  • hardlikearmour
    hardlikearmour
  • Swetha Chellappa
    Swetha Chellappa

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9 Reviews

Vivienne
Vivienne October 30, 2016
My recent variation on this involves some chopped fresh rosemary, garlic, smoked paprika, and some ranch mix powder in addition to the olive oil, salt and pepper. Yum.
 
delicia.sampson.7
delicia.sampson.7 February 23, 2016
Very tasty and simple.
 
Renee
Renee March 15, 2015
Made this recipe for dinner tonight. It was out of this world good! My boyfriend told me three times what a good dinner it was! YUM! Try it folks!
 
Dip&Scoop
Dip&Scoop March 12, 2015
Roasting veggies is our new addiction! If you are not a fan of cumin, replace it with Culinary Argan Oil for an added lawyer of flavor. Find it in the F52 shop :)
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour March 12, 2015
Congratulations. Roasted cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetable dishes. Can't wait to try your version.
 
Swetha C.
Swetha C. March 11, 2015
I love roasted cauliflower! I usually make this and top it with Tahini sauce and caramalized Onion.I make the Tahini Sauce by cooking some Tahini with pine nuts,minced garlic ,salt and chili powder and squeezing some lime juice on top.It's amazing!
 
Angela
Angela March 11, 2015
This sounds great! I'll try it this week. Can you also tell us how to make roasted cauliflower taste like bbq potato chips (in the best possible way), like they serve it at Republic, a resto in Takoma Park, MD? It's amazing! :)
 
Chris H.
Chris H. March 12, 2015
Angela--
There's definitely smoked paprika in Republic's cauliflower. Hot or sweet, I'm not sure. Some parmesan and lemon, too. Been a minute since I've had it, but I think there was a slightly sweet element as well, maybe a little brown sugar?
 
Lauren
Lauren October 27, 2015
Angela, Ate at Republic in Takoma Park. Smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, maybe a little cayene. Topped with Parmesan and a little lemon rind. The sweet element was likely a touch of honey or brown sugar.