Spiced Roasted Cauliflower With Feta and Garlic

By Alison Roman

Published November 13, 2018

  • Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
5(5,092)
Comments
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Cauliflower undergoes a few stages of cooking in this recipe, and, for a deep brown and ridiculous flavor, it’s important to see it through all of them. It will be cooked through about halfway through roasting, but to transform it from pale and tender to crisp and golden brown, it must continue roasting at very high heat. Make sure to keep the smaller bits that fall away as you prepare and slice the cauliflower. They'll get the most golden and crunchy, almost like little cauliflower bread crumbs.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 small head cauliflower

  • 6 garlic cloves, smashed

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving

  • 2 teaspoons fennel or cumin seed

  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

  • Pinch of red-pepper flakes

  • Kosher salt and ground pepper

  • 1 ounce feta cheese, sliced or crumbled

  • ¼ cup parsley, tender leaves and stems, coarsely chopped

  • ¼ cup cilantro, mint or dill, tender leaves and stems, coarsely chopped

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

6 grams carbs; 6 milligrams cholesterol; 140 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 12 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 220 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 450 degrees. Slice cauliflower lengthwise into ½-inch thick slices, including the core and leaves. (Some of the first slices will crumble and fall apart. This is O.K., and will be useful when you want those crispier bits.)

  2. Step 2

    Place cauliflower (slices and crumbles) and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with fennel seed, turmeric and red-pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Roast, without disturbing, until cauliflower has turned a deep golden brown and crisped up in spots, 25 to 30 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the larger steaks and stir the smaller bits around and continue to roast until completely and evenly browned, another 8 to 10 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Remove from heat and transfer to a large serving platter. Top with feta, herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.

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5 out of 5
5,092 user ratings
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Comments

Andrea G

If you chop the garlic before roasting, the little pieces will likely burn in the high heat of the oven. Keeping the garlic cloves in large pieces allows them to roast nicely alongside the bigger cauliflower pieces. The whole, smashed cloves transform into golden crispy nuggets that provide a great contrasting texture for the soft cheese and cauliflower. I'd add a whole head next time...

Heather B

After reading several notes, I found this method to be perfect: Place cauliflower slices on sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with ground cumin, turmeric, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper (no need to measure the spices, just eyeball). Flip the slices, drizzle a touch more oil, and sprinkle the spices again. Roast for 25 minutes, flip, roast another 10 minutes. Finish with lemon juice. My husband won't shut up about this cauliflower!

Faith

Made this last night - it was delicious. Tried it first as written and it was very good. Then added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice as mentioned in an earlier note and that took it to the next level. I used parsley and mint.

Leesara

Made this last night. We have a lot of good cauliflower recipes. I doubt this will go into our rotation. It needed a LOT more seasoning. Using someone's suggestion, I swapped turmeric for sumac. I also smashed the garlic and left them whole, but still ended up with too many burnt cloves. Yes, the crispy little bits are delicious. And lemon juice is an absolute must.

Jackie

This was my first time making and it came out great. I had a shallot I sliced to add in. The fresh parsley on top and feta elevates this a lot, as well as those fennel seeds. YUM.

Ariel

On the make-again rotation - we finished the whole head. I used whipped feta instead of crumbles - no chasing those nuggets around a plate.

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