Easy Roasted Cauliflower

I was watching tv last week and saw a show extolling the virtues of cauliflower. It’s an anti-inflammatory, it’s high in anti-oxidants, it increases blood flow. All that is well and good. I am a huge proponent of eating healthily, and I am certain that vegetables are good for me, but honestly, I eat cauliflower because it’s freakin’ delicious.

Okay, I’ll admit that there are plenty of not-so-appetizing versions of cauliflower on dishes out there. From boring to just plain bad, cauliflower gets a nasty reputation because a lot of people just don’t know what to do with it, so they steam/boil it and either drown it in a sauce, or force it down because it’s “good-for-you.” I find that steaming and boiling don’t make the most exciting preparations for cauliflower and can lead to mushy, waterlogged, bites that are not appealing. Luckily,  cauliflower is an extremely versatile vegetable, from gratins to curries and purees it can be prepared in several super tasty ways, but if you are new to the cauliflower game, your first baby step should be simple roasting.

This is another non-recipe. All you need is a head of cauliflower, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Break the head into florets. I like to cut straight down the center, cut out the core, then break off floret chunks. Pop this onto a sheet pan, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and put it in the hot oven.

You want the cauliflower to cook through, but most importantly, you want those brown, roasted edges. This takes about 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the pieces and your oven. The sweet cauliflower against the almost crunchy, nutty, browned bits is delicious and my husband and I can easily can eat a whole roasted head just between the two of us.

Want to get a little fancy? When it is hot out of the oven, give it a good squirt of lemon and a grating of parmesan cheese (my personal favorite). Try adding curry powder or a spice blend. You’ll enjoy eating it so much, you’ll stop thinking of it as health food and start craving it cause it just tastes good.

Do you have a favorite way to enjoy cauliflower? Any seasonings, toppings your favorite?