Roasted Purple Cauliflower

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This delicious roasted purple cauliflower recipe is an excellent side dish! You can also add the roasted cauliflower to a salad or grain bowl.

This recipe is as tasty as it is pretty! Purple cauliflower, which grows naturally, tastes the same as regular cauliflower but it's higher in antioxidants.

You're going to love this easy side dish with its vibrant colors and rich flavors.

Purple cauliflower, like white and orange cauliflower, has a mild grassy flavor with some slight nuttiness. But I think it's one of the prettiest veggies found in mother nature!

It roasts easily and develops some lovely crunchy ends and deeper flavors.

Purple cauliflower is technically available year-round but I usually only find it at the grocery store (usually at Whole Foods) or farmer’s market in the fall and winter.

This easy recipe will be your favorite way to make cauliflower!

If you want to make the roasted cauliflower into a soup, you can blend it in a food processor with a few cups of vegetable stock for a creamy, hearty cauliflower soup.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• More Great Veggie Sides
• Substitutions & Variations
• What to Serve with Cauliflower
• Storage
• Tips for Making this Recipe
• Roasted Purple Cauliflower

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this roasted cauliflower recipe!

• Purple Cauliflower 
• Olive Oil (does not need to be extra virgin olive oil)
• Salt
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Dried Rosemary
• Paprika 
• optional toppings - chopped parsley, chives, fresh lemon juice, or lemon zest

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 

Line a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. 

Cut the head of cauliflower into bite-size pieces with a sharp knife.

Place the cauliflower florets onto the sheet pan.

Drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil. Then sprinkle on the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, rosemary, and paprika. Toss to coat the cauliflower. 

Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping the cauliflower halfway through, so both sides get browned.

Remove the cauliflower from the oven and serve immediately. Top with optional chopped fresh herbs.

More Great Veggie Sides

If you love making fresh, seasonal vegetable side dishes, I've got some great options for you!

• Honey Roasted Baby Carrots
• Easy Roasted Kohlrabi
• Roasted Red Cabbage
• Roasted Patty Pan Squash with Parmesan
• Roasted Delicata Squash

Substitutions & Variations

If you need or want to make some substitutions for this recipe, here are other options that will work.

• Oil - you can swap the olive oil for avocado oil, vegetable oil, or another high smoke point oil.
• Spices - if you don't like spicy flavors, leave out the crushed red pepper flakes. If you want to add a bit more heat, add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne.
• Herbs - feel free to add other dried herbs to the seasoning blend. Dried thyme, oregano, and fennel all pair well with cauliflower. Or top the roasted cauliflower with your favorite fresh herbs.

What to Serve with Cauliflower

Cauliflower pairs well with many main courses - here are some of my favorite pairings.

• Baked Parmesan Panko Cod Recipe - a delicious, tender fish recipe with a crispy topping. Pair it with the roasted cauliflower and some chopped cucumbers and tomatoes for a healthy dinner.
• Grilled Flank Steak - juicy, marinated steak grilled to perfection. Pair it with the cauliflower, a green salad, and red wine for a delicious meal.
• Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs - zesty and flavorful chicken thighs. Serve it with a sparkling white wine for a date night meal.

Storage

If you don't eat the whole cauliflower immediately, you can save it for up to 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Tips for Making this Recipe

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Cooking Tips - If the cauliflower is crowded on your baking sheet, consider using two sheet pans. The cauliflower should be in a single layer and have a little space in between each piece. This helps the florets get crispy.

Recommended Tools - I like using parchment paper that's the same size as my sheet pans - this is the ready-to-use parchment paper I like and here are the sheet pans I use.

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