Spicy Roasted Cauliflower Recipe
Roasted cauliflower is a fast and easy recipe that turns this unassuming and healthy vegetable into a star. Your family will soon be asking for this delicious side dish all the time!
After the huge success of my Garlic Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower recipe, I decided to create another one because I know you all love cauliflower as much as I do! 😉 This time, I added lots of spices that make this Spicy Roasted Cauliflower recipe so delicious.
Roasted cauliflower – healthy side dish
You may have noticed that cauliflower has become a very popular vegetable, especially as a substitute ingredient in recipes. It now appears as pizza crust, cauliflower wings and even cauliflower rice.
One of the reasons for cauliflower’s new found fame is because:
- It’s healthy and nutritious – it’s naturally high in fiber and B-vitamins
- It has a unique texture that’s easy to incorporate into recipes
- Its almost non-existent flavor allows it to absorb other flavors extremely well
Washing instructions
Like all fruits and vegetables, you need to make sure that the cauliflower is nice and clean before cooking it. You can get it cleaner by cutting it into florets first (see instructions below) before washing it.
- Cut cauliflower into florets (see instructions below)
- Fill a large bowl or tub (or your sink) with cold water.
- Place the cauliflower florets into the water and let them soak for several minutes.
- After soaking, place the florets into a colander and rinse under a stream of cold water.
- Shake off any excess water.
- Pat dry the florets.
Ingredients
This recipe is absolutely tasty and very easy to make. I think the best part of this Roasted Cauliflower Recipe is that you can use any spice you like. It doesn’t take much to make this dish explode with flavor! All you need is the following short list of ingredients:
- smoked paprika
- turmeric
- garlic powder
- freshly ground black pepper
- fine sea salt
- cauliflower
- extra virgin olive oil
I love hot spices. But if they are too strong for you, replace them for the ones you are used to. Either way, this healthy side dish will be the star of your table.
Cutting instructions
To cut the cauliflower into florets:
1. Pull all the leaves off the base of the cauliflower and cut off any excess stem.
2. Cut the head of the cauliflower in half from top to bottom.
3. Cut each half piece in half through the core so that you end up with four quarters of the cauliflower.
4. Remove the core of each quarter by running your knife between the florets and the core piece. After you have removed the core, all the florets should naturally fall apart. If you find some of the florets are still quite large, break them up into smaller pieces with your knife (or hands).
Cooking instructions
Making this vegetable side dish could not be any easier. Once you realize how simple it is (and how delicious!), you’ll want to make this as often as possible!
- Mix together smoked paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Set spice mixture aside.
- Cut the cauliflower into florets.
- Place the florets on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and pour olive oil on top of them. Toss the florets until they are all evenly coated with oil. Then sprinkle the spice mixture over the florets, and mix well to combine.
- Roast the cauliflower until it is tender and golden brown.
You can prepare it ahead of time by cutting the cauliflower into florets and adding all the spices. Then when it’s about 30 minutes before dinnertime, place the cauliflower in the oven, and bake it for about 25 minutes.
Ready for more?
Now that you know how great roasted cauliflower is, are you ready to try some more recipes? I mentioned before how easy it is to incorporate cauliflower into other dishes, so now is your chance to try it for yourself. Check out this Easy Cauliflower Fried Rice, Italian Sausage Cauliflower Rice Skillet, Mushroom Cauliflower Rice Skillet Recipe, Spicy Chicken with Cauliflower Rice, Mediterranean Cauliflower Salad or Cauliflower Muffins and for pizza night, how about a Pepperoni Cauliflower Pizza Crust?
What to serve with roasted cauliflower:
I think cauliflower is always the best side dish because it basically goes with any protein, such as salmon, chicken breast, baked chicken, seared steak, pork chops, garlic butter shrimp, and even frittata. I love to serve it with salmon and a salad. Hm… So good!!
Also, this Roasted Cauliflower Recipe is a great option to serve for holiday parties because it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like cauliflower, right?
This is also a great side dish if you are on a low-carb, vegan/vegetarian, paleo, or gluten-free diet. I really hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy it!
Spicy Roasted Cauliflower Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 head cauliflower — cut into florets
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
-
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, and preheat oven to 425°F.
-
In a small bowl, add smoked paprika, turmeric, garlic powder salt and black pepper. Mix everything very well.
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Place the cauliflower florets on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Pour olive oil on top of the cauliflower florets and toss until everything is evenly coated.
-
Sprinkle the spice mixture over the cauliflower, and mix well to combine.
-
Roast for about 25-30 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and golden brown. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Amount per serving (1/4) — Calories: 111, Fat: 10.6g, Saturated Fat: 1.5g, Sodium: 254mg, Carbohydrates: 4.4g, Fiber: 1.9g, Sugar: 1.8g, Protein: 1.5gIf you make this recipe, follow @primaverakitchen on Instagram, snap a photo and hashtag it #primaverakitchen. I'd love to see what you're making!
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Serving size is 1/4 what?
This recipe serves 4 people. Thanks!
I cut a head of cauliflower in half, then cut up each half into flowerettes and put into separate bowls. I then mixed up the spices for this recipe and mixed everything together. The other half, I made a parmesan & garlic combo and mixed that all together. I used separate sheet pans and baked it till almost done, then turned the oven on broil and kept an eye on it for about 2 to 3 min. Soooo much YUM on BOTH !!! Thank you ! 😊
Awesome!
This was very easy to make and tasted great. I accidentally
added 1/2t of cayenne (everything else was 1/2t) and it still
tasted great.
happy to hear that!
Why did you change the recipe? It was great before.
Yes we did. We fixed few things about the recipe to be better! It was great before, now it’s perfect 😉
We make something similar but less spicy so the kids can also eat this. It’s super popular, especially with my daughter, who will eat it by the bowlful! I don’t put my cauliflower in a bowl of water before baking but might try that next time. Thanks for sharing!
You’re very welcome!
I’ve been looking for a cauliflower recipe for a long time and this is it! I mixed the cauliflower, oil, and spices in a bowl before putting it on a tray and I used a dark baking sheet and these came out soo good. I know this will be my go to cauliflower recipe for now on. Thank you so much!
That’s amazing. So happy to hear that!!