Roasted Cauliflower with Olives

Seasoned with a flavorful blend of finely chopped parsley, lemon zest and garlic this roasted cauliflower with olives and herbs is an easy addition to weeknight dinners.

As much as I love cauliflower, I understand that it’s just not something that a lot of people get excited about. So how then do you transform it into something worth getting excited about? 

No you don’t have to drown it in a mound of cheese sauce (although I have to admit it’s quite delicious that way as well) - you roast it.

Why roast cauliflower?

Roasting cauliflower brings out its inherent sweetness and unearths a subtle nuttiness.  It’s a simple process and the results are so flavorful, that it might just become your new go-to method. 

The blast of heat from the hot oven turns those florets from tough to tender with lots of appealing toasty bits around the edges. It’s a basic method that yields big results for the little amount of effort that’s required.  And while roasting cauliflower with just a bit of olive oil and salt will undoubtedly produce a delicious outcome, I like to up the flavor by adding lots of garlic, parsley, lemon zest and olives for a Mediterranean inspired side.

How to make roasted cauliflower with olives:

1. You start by first breaking your cauliflower into florets then cutting those in halves or fourths depending on how big they are.
2. Those are then tossed on a sheet pan with a bit of olive oil and seasoned with some salt and pepper before heading off to the oven. 
3. While those roast you chop up some fresh parsley and add in some fresh garlic and lemon zest to create a gremolata that will be tossed with the cooked cauliflower.
4. Once tender and caramelized the still hot florets are tossed directly on the sheet pan with the gremolata and a handful of olives before serving.

Tips:

• Make sure your florets are cut into similar sizes to ensure they all cook evenly.
• Don’t crowd the pan.  Give your florets room to roast, an overcrowded pan will result in your cauliflower steaming instead.
• Don’t take them out too soon.  Make sure the florets are tender throughout by testing a piece with the tip of knife.  They should be tender and browned around the edges.

Enjoy!

More cauliflower recipes:

• Cauliflower Poppers
• Cauliflower Couscous Salad
• Mashed Cauliflower

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Yield: Serves 4

Roasted Cauliflower with Olives

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Seasoned with a flavorful blend of finely chopped parsley, lemon zest and garlic this roasted cauliflower with olives and herbs is an easy addition to weeknight dinners.

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Ingredients

• 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• ¼ cup/ 60ml extra virgin olive oil (divided use)
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (divided use)
• ⅛th teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ½ bunch fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 small garlic clove
• The zest of ½ a lemon
• ½ cup/90g mixed olives
• Lemon wedges for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
   
2. Cut cauliflower florets in half or in quarters depending on size.
   
3. Toss cauliflower with 2 Tablespoons of oil and season with half the salt and all the pepper. Arrange in single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
   
4. Roast for 20 minutes.
   
5. Meanwhile finely chop parsley, garlic and lemon zest together.  Place in a small bowl, add remaining
   salt and oil and set aside.
   
6. After 20 minutes, remove sheet pan from oven, add olives and toss to combine. Return to oven for another 10-15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and lightly browned in spots.
   
7. Remove pan from oven and spoon parsley mixture over the warm roasted cauliflower and olives, tossing gently to combine.
   
8. Serve warm with lemon wedges on the side if desired.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 137Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 309mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 3g

Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.

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Sylvie

Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.