Almond Crusted Whole Roasted Cauliflower
A beautiful head of Almond Crusted Whole Roasted Cauliflower! It’s slathered with a creamy almond and lemon sauce that’s baked to perfection.
I wish I could explain to you how much I LOVE this Almond Crusted Whole Roasted Cauliflower recipe. I don’t know what it is, I’m just so very much obsessed and can’t stop making it every single week. I’ve come to realize that I have a special place in my heart for vegetables. I really do love them! I think part of my excitement is just having to come up with a new and exciting way to eat them. Not to mention making it easy and beautiful!
For the longest time I was extremely intimidated by roasting a whole head of cauliflower.
- Would I burn the outside?
- How would I make it flavorful?
- Is it really that much more exciting than roasting florets?
Turns out, it’s VERY exciting and much cooler than just roasting up some veggies on a sheet pan (my go-to). A pan of roasted veggies is delicious, but this takes it to a different level!
All you need to do is trim the leaves and stem of the cauliflower so it can stand flat, like the photo above. ⬆️
Then poach the whole thing in heavily salted water, make the INCREDIBLE creamy, crunchy, lemony sauce, slather it on and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.
This is now my favorite thing to serve for company!! I can’t wait for you to try it!
Almond Crusted Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Side dish
Description
A beautiful head of cauliflower, slathered with a creamy almond and lemon sauce that’s baked to perfection.
Ingredients
- 1 small head of cauliflower
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped (feel free to use another nut if you can’t have almonds)
- 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- juice from half a lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Trim the cauliflower on the bottom by removing the leaves and cutting the stem so it sits flat.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Heavily salt it with 2-3 tablespoons of salt. Once boiling, add the cauliflower to the pot. Boil for 8-10 minutes until the stem of cauliflower can easily be pierced with a knife. It should not be falling apart, just tender. Once cooked, remove cauliflower and set aside.
- Meanwhile, make the spread. In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, almonds, parsley, salt and lemon. Set aside.
- Spread the mayonnaise mixture on the bottom and inside as much as possible. Spread the remaining amount on top and all around the cauliflower. Place in a baking dish or cast iron skillet and bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned on top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately!
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This recipe is absolutely delicious- greater than the sum of its parts. Super easy and very flavorful. It tastes like you went to a great deal of trouble and it looks fancy. I will be making this very frequently .
Yes! Fancy but not!
I just made this last night for my book club. Everyone raved about how delicious it was. So quick and easy with so much flavor! TY Laney
Love that so much!!
So easy to make and loved the crust on top! We used pistachios bc of an allergy and it was delish!!
Love the pistachio sub! I gotta try that!
I’ve seriously made this so many times and never get tired of it! So easy and so tasty!
We love this dish but wonder if anyone has steamed their cauliflower using an instant pot? Wondering how long…
Yes! I would try maybe 5 min to start?
Made this for Christmas Eve dinner and it was a showstopper on the dinner table. What an interesting and delicious way to present cauliflower as a side.
I made this and it was delicious! But…I try to avoid using mayonaise. Any substitutes for the mayo? My husband loved it until he new that it was mayo.
Nut free option??
Sunflower seeds!
Are the almonds supposed to be crushed or anything before going in the sauce?
Just chopped!
Yum. Should the almonds be chopped/slivered or whole? Thanks for all your delicious and inspiring food!
Either!!
I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to try this on company! It looks amazing and so original!
It’s the best for company!!