Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese

Sometimes in life, the simple things are best, right? This whole roasted cauliflower with cheese recipe is super easy and a great way to enjoy this delicious vegetable without a lot of fancy ingredients.

Whole roasted cauliflower with cheese on red plate.

This makes a delicious side dish and requires little prep time.

For this easy recipe, you’ll need a large pot roasting pan or Dutch oven with a lid, a whole head of cauliflower, a little extra virgin olive oil, some fresh garlic cloves (or garlic powder), fresh lemon juice, finely grated Parmesan cheese and shredded cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Typically, a whole baked cauliflower makes four nice size servings, but you can certainly cut it into 8ths if you want to serve smaller portions.

This is one of those great side dishes that is easy enough to make for weeknight dinners or serve at a holiday meal. 

  • In a small mixing bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper; set aside
  • In a second mixing bowl, finely grate the Parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese; combine and set aside
  • To prep cauliflower, trim the green outer leaves off the head of cauliflower and cut the stalk on the bottom of the cauliflower so that it is short and flat (you’ll need a sharp knife for the stalk)
  • Turn the entire head of cauliflower upside down, drizzle half of the olive oil mixture into the crevices of the cauliflower head
  • Turn it back over and, using a pastry brush, brush a little of the lemon/olive oil mixture onto the top of the cauliflower
  • Place whole cauliflower in a deep roasting pan or a Dutch oven with the stalk side down (add a little water to the stockpot – about 1/2″ inch)
  • ​Bake covered at 400°F for 40 minutes or so, until the florets are fork-tender
  • Remove baking dish from oven, use a pastry brush and  any remaining olive oil and lemon juice over the top, and sprinkle the top with shredded cheese
  • Return the baking dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the cheese has melted
  • To serve, use tongs to remove the whole cauliflower from the hot baking sheet or Dutch oven and transfer to serving plate and cut into quarters; garnish with fresh parsley, (or fresh herbs of your choice), lemon zest and red chili flakes (optional)
  • If you want a crispy, golden brown head of roasted cauliflower, pop it under the broiler for a few minutes while the cheese is melting
  • After you’ve sliced the whole head into quarters, if you want to add more cheese, sprinkle more cheese over the dish and reheat it in the microwave just until the cheese melts
  • If you’re serving this on a buffet, place quartered cauliflower on a serving platter and give it a drizzle of oil oil 

If you have any leftover baked cauliflower, double wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The sulphuric properties of the humble cauliflower will smell up your refrigerator if you don’t double wrap it:) To reheat, you can pop it in the microwave or reheat it on a baking sheet in the oven at 300°F.

Whole roasted cauliflower with cheese cut into quarters on red plate.

This whole roasted cauliflower recipe doesn’t take a long time to make and is a simple, yet delicious way to get nutrients and vitamins into your diet. 

Whole roasted cauliflower on red plate.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese

Oven roasted whole head of cauliflower lightly seasoned with lemon juice, Parmesan and Cheddar cheese
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Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 37 minutes
Total Time: 42 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Author: Anecia Hero

Equipment

  • Roasting pan, large stockpot or Dutch oven with lid
  • Sharp knife
  • tongs (to remove head of cauliflower from stockpot)

Ingredients 

  • 1 medium whole cauliflower head
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
  • cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
  • cup finely grated Cheddar cheese
  • lemon zest for garnish
  • fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
  • red chili flakes for garnish (optional)

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F
    Zest lemon and then cut lemon in half; juice lemon and reserve the zest for later
    Shred cheese and combine in a mixing bowl; set aside
    ⅓ cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese, ⅓ cup finely grated Cheddar cheese
  • In a small mixing bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt and pepper; set aside
    ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
  • Using a sharp knife, remove the green outer leaves from the cauliflower; cut the stalk so it is short and flat (this will help the cauliflower stand up in the baking dish)
    1 medium whole cauliflower head
  • Place cauliflower head in a large mixing bowl upside down; drizzle half of the lemon/olive oil mixture into the crevices of the cauliflower
  • Flip the cauliflower back over right side up, use a pastry brush and baste the top of the veggie with a little more of the oil/lemon mixture; place in a Dutch oven or roasting pan. Add ½" inch of tap water to the baking pan.
  • Cover and roast for 30-40 minutes, until the cauliflower florets are fork tender
  • Drizzle any remaining oil/lemon mixture over the top of the cauliflower, then sprinkle a little cheese on top; return to oven and bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted (about 5-8 minutes)
    ⅓ cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese, ⅓ cup finely grated Cheddar cheese
  • Use tongs to remove the hot head of cauliflower from the baking dish; Plate as whole, or cut into quarters. Garnish with lemon zest, chopped parsley and red chili flakes (optional)
    lemon zest for garnish, fresh parsley for garnish (optional), red chili flakes for garnish (optional)

Notes

If you want more cheese on your cauliflower after you cut it into quarters, sprinkle some more cheese on the quarters and pop it in the microwave for a few seconds.

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 1servingCalories: 234kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 8gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 542mgPotassium: 468mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 167IUVitamin C: 73mgCalcium: 177mgIron: 1mg
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