Baked Whole Roasted Cauliflower

This Baked Whole Roasted Cauliflower is marinated in flavorful herbs and spices and baked to perfection to make a fabulous Holiday table option. Vegan Glutenfree Nutfree. Can be soyfree. Jump to Recipe 

You all have loved making and serving my Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Makhani Sauce (Indian Butter Sauce) many times!. It will forever be a favorite of mine too. The luscious sauce makes a thick coating on the cauliflower and adds a ton of flavor which is perfect for the Holiday season. 

This roasted cauliflower uses a marinade with holiday herbs such as sage, thyme, oregano. I add some spices that add a meaty flavor profile inspired from my Baharat blend. Together the flavors come together amazingly in this delicious marinade. Use the marinade over a whole cauliflower, or toss cauliflower florets and bake, or marinate some tofu or other veggies. You have to try it! There’s so much amazing flavor, you might want to make another batch of the marinade, simmer with some broth as serve as gravy. Perfect for Thanksgiving or any Holiday. See Recipe notes for make ahead. 

More Holiday Mains

• Lentil Quinoa Loaf can be SF,NF and  GF 
• Mushroom Lentil Shepherd’s Pie. NF, GF, SF option
• Mushroom Bourguignon GF NF
• Marinated Portobello Mushrooms with Garlic Sauce. GF , NF option
• Vegan Lentil Mushroom Walnut Wellington.

Serve this with a side of my gravy, cornbread stuffing, Chickpea Loaf or lasagna bake. 

You can roast the cauliflower without the potatoes on the side and serve some mashed potatoes instead with extra gravy. I baked the pictured cauliflower a few mins longer to get a nice sear on the outside. There is a lot of marinade inside for all the flavor. How do you plan to serve it!  

Tips to Roast a Cauliflower Head

• Choose a small to medium head of cauliflower. Larger heads tend to not marinate as well and hence can tend to be bland in the middle. 
• Make cuts if possible at the bottom and top of the cauliflower using a knife. 
• Cover and bake for some time so the cauliflower steams a bit from within making the bake time shorter. 
• If your cauliflower tends to bake bland in the middle, follow the process from my makhani cauliflower. ie. Blanch the cauliflower for 3 mins in boiling water+ 1/4 of the marinade. Drain, then baste with the marinade(keep the marinade thick by using 1 tbsp of water). then bake for 30 to 40 mins. 

Baked Whole Roasted Cauliflower

5 from 12 votes

By: Vegan Richa

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 50 minutes mins

Marinating time: 1 hour hr

Total: 1 hour hr

Servings: 6

Course: Main

Cuisine: fusion, Gluten-free, Vegan

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Whole Roasted Cauliflower. This Baked Whole Roasted Cauliflower is marinated in flavorful of herbs and spices and baked to perfection to make a fabulous Holiday table option. Vegan Glutenfree Nutfree. Can be soyfree

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Ingredients  

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• ▢ 1 small to medium cauliflower

Marinade:

• ▢ 1 tbsp oil
• ▢ 1 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ 1 tsp onion powder
• ▢ 1 tsp thyme
• ▢ 1.5 tsp oregano
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground sage
• ▢ 2.5 tbsp soy sauce, divided, (use tamari if gluten-free), or coconut aminos
• ▢ 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ▢ 1.5 tsp coriander, (or a mix of coriander and cumin)
• ▢ 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• ▢ 3/4 tsp cardamom
• ▢ additional optional flavor add ins: 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp celery seed, 1/4 tsp rosemary,  

sides, optional

• ▢ 6 to 8 small potatoes, (sliced into halves)
• ▢ 18 to 10 small carrots
• ▢ 1/3 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/3 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1 tsp oil

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Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 C).
• Mix 2 tbsp soy sauce and the rest of the marinade ingredients together. Add 2-3 tbsp of water or chikn flavored broth and mix to combine the garlic and salt well.  
• Using a thin knife, make some small cuts on the top and the bottom of the cauliflower. Pour half of the marinade inside the overturned cauliflower and move it around to coat the inside well. Brush the cauliflower lightly and let it sit upside down to marinate for at least an hour (marination time is optional, but helps add more flavor)..
• Once the cauliflower has marinated for an hour, and brush more marinade on the cauliflower and place in a greased baking dish or cast iron skillet. 
  
• Mix the potatoes, carrots, salt, pepper and oil in a bowl and place on either side of the cauliflower. (You can bake these separately and add later to the serving dish with the cauliflower before serving)
• Cover with foil or another baking dish to cover just about the cauliflower dish. It is not necessary to seal the dish completely. Roast at 425 degrees F for 30 -35 minutes(longer for larger head). Add 1-2 tbsp water and the 1/2 tbsp soy sauce to the remaining marinade. Uncover and baste liberally again. 
• There should be some moisture that leaks from the veggies and marinade into the pan because of covering and baking. If not, then drizzle a few tbsp water or broth around the cauliflower so the side veggies/marinade dont get scorched. Continue to bake uncovered for 20 to 30 mins. Use a knife to check if the cauliflower is cooked all the way through. 
  
• Remove when done and baste with any remaining marinade. Garnish with fresh herbs. Slice and Serve with my mushroom free gravy or other of choice.

Video

Notes

Make ahead: You can make the marinade ahead of time as well as keep the cauliflower marinated for upto a day. The cauliflower can also be roasted half way. Once roasted for 30 mins, cool and store covered with foil. Baste well and bake uncovered for 30 or so mins before serving. 

The cooking time varies depending on the size of the cauliflower, oven, pan etc.

Alternate Spice: If you are not keen on cinnamon and cardamom, just omit those and use black pepper, paprika and add more of the italian herbs. 

 

Make gravy of the marinade:Mix another batch of the marinade in a saucepan. Add a tbsp of flour or cornstarch and 1.5 cup of broth and simmer for a few mins to thicken. Use as gravy. 

 

Florets/tofu: You can also use the marinade with cauliflower florets or pressed cubed tofu. Omit the water from the marinade. Toss florets/tofu to coat. Spread on parchment lined baking dish and bake at 400 deg F for 30 mins. 

 

Nutrition is for 1 of 6 serves, includes potatoes + carrots

Nutrition

Calories: 124kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 3g, Sodium: 606mg, Potassium: 600mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 5295IU, Vitamin C: 15.3mg, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 4.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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