Garlic Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower is full of so much flavor and is also the perfect side dish to accompany a healthy meal.
Let me start out by saying that here at Biscuits & Burlap, we pride ourselves on Southern food. We love it all, from Tex Mex to the Low County and everything in between. That said, we are also pretty healthy eaters at home and, let’s be honest, Southern food is not the healthiest.
In the South where we consider mac and cheese and baked potatoes “vegetables,” we still know that we need “real” vegetables to make a meal well-balanced. That’s where cauliflower comes in!
Cauliflower is so good for you
Cauliflower is low in carbs and calories, while being high in fiber, antioxidants, and… get this… it has more Vitamin C than oranges! Seriously, no joke. Best of all, it soaks up the flavors of whatever you put on it, so if your roasted cauliflower is covered in herbs, lemon zest, garlic, and parmesan cheese… what could go wrong?
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How to buy, store and prepare cauliflower
If you’ve never bought fresh cauliflower before, don’t worry. The most important thing is that you don’t see any dark spots on the flowers. From there, just make sure you take it out of the plastic it’s wrapped in at the grocery store when you get home because the moisture trapped inside the plastic will encourage rotting in the flowers.
When you cut your florets for roasting, try to cut them in uniformly sized pieces so everything gets cooked evenly. I know this isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do, so don’t stress about it, but just try your best to make sure that all the pieces are relatively similar in size.
When you roast cauliflower, you’re going to want to cook it on a high heat and either directly on a baking sheet or on aluminum foil. This will ensure it gets those nice crispy, caramelized edges. I don’t recommend cooking it on parchment paper because it won’t crisp up properly.
How to Make Garlic Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
After you cut the cauliflower into florets, you’re going to toss it in the olive oil and herbs, spread it out on the baking pan (making sure there is a little space between each piece!) and put it on the oven.
About 5 minutes before it’s done, take it out and grate the lemon zest and fresh parmesan over the top. Put it back in the oven for just long enough to melt the cheese and your delicious roasted cauliflower is ready to serve!
Garlic Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 3 T olive oil
- 2 t Italian seasoning
- ½ t salt
- ½ t garlic powder
- ¼ t black pepper
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup parmesan freshly grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Cut cauliflower into uniformly sized florets.
- Toss cauliflower with olive oil and all seasonings except for lemon zest and parmesan.
- Arrange florets on baking pan (with aluminum foil for easy clean up) with a little space between each.
- Cook 25-30 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.
- Add lemon zest and parmesan. Cook another 5-10 minutes until edges are slightly charred.
If you make this or any of our recipes we’d love for you to snap a photo and tag us when you post it to Facebook or Instagram.
Looking for other tasty side dishes?
Melon and Prosciutto Salad 
Baked Beans with Bacon 
Roasted Asparagus 
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Dried Cherries & Carrots 
Ambrosia Salad 
Sweet Potato Cornbread 
Potato Gratin with Aged Gouda Cheese 
Watermelon Salad 
Old Fashioned Creamed Corn
Other recipe sources we recommend:
Weekend Potluck
Meal Plan Monday
I just love cauliflower and this looks and sounds so yummy! A must try!
Hope you enjoy, Beth!
I love roasted cauliflower. I love the idea of the lemon zest in there, totally adding that next time.
You’re going to love it!
This was incredible!! Definitely adding this cauliflower recipe to the weekly rotation!
Awesome! We bet you’ll love it!
Those crispy edges look SO good! I’m sure this is really tasty – can’t wait to try it.
You’re going to love it, Helen. Thanks!
This was really amazing!! Everyone at my house loved it!
So happy to hear that!
I’m so tired of the repetitive steamed vegetable and bags of salad during this pandemic. This is going on the to do list and is already sparking other ideas in the ol noggin.
That’s what we like to hear… putting ideas in your noggin’!