Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan and minced garlic is a delicious keto-friendly recipe that goes with just about any meal as a simple side dish.
Fresh Garlic Parmesan Roasted cauliflower is made like most basic roasted recipes – cauliflower, oil, seasoning, and Parmesan cheese, but packs a delicious punch making it the perfect side dish recipe.
Incredibly easy to alter, with or without breadcrumbs, do not discount this recipe as a party snack as well.
Why you will love Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
No Guilt: There is no doubt that everyone is looking for a fresh start in the new year.
We spend all winter long snacking on dips chocolate treats, but everyone gets a little more health-conscious once January hits. Cauliflower is very healthy, fat-free, full of fiber, and has plenty of Vitamin C.
Easy: This easy vegetable side dish recipe with oven-roasted seasoned cauliflower flavored with minced garlic and Parmesan cheese helps you stick to healthier sides AND enjoy every last mouthful!
Ingredients
- Fresh cauliflower – It’s OK to purchase a cauliflower head and break it into florets, but I find it’s easier to buy a bag of cauliflower pieces.
- Olive oil – Extra Virgin Olive Oil is my favorite for this cauliflower recipe, but below there are some additional suggestions on the best oil for this delicious side dish.
- Minced garlic – Minced garlic provides more flavor than garlic salt or garlic powder in this dish. However, if you love lots of cloves garlic, try whole roasted garlic.
- Kosher salt and black pepper – Other than traditional and necessary salt and pepper, it’s OK to try other simple ingredients like Italian seasoning for tons of flavor.
- Grated Parmesan cheese – While I adore shredded Parmesan cheese, this dish works best with grated Parmesan cheese.
- Chopped fresh parsley – Optional, but fresh green herbs bring a little extra flavor and a splash of color.
- Like it spicy? Consider adding additional seasonings like a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes to the bag!
How to Oven Roast Garlic Cauliflower
- Preheat oven to 400. If using stoneware, grease the baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. If using a traditional metal rimmed baking sheet, cover with foil, spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray (for easy clean up), and set aside the prepared baking sheet.
- Place olive oil and minced garlic in a resealable Ziploc gallon bag (be careful not to have too many larger florets as they take longer to cook).
- Cut cauliflower into bite sized floret pieces.
- Add pieces of cauliflower into a ziplock bag with oil.
- Seal the bag and shake to coat the cauliflower evenly.
- Spread cauliflower onto a prepared pan, and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping oven-roasted cauliflower once halfway through the cooking for even distribution.
- When roasted cauliflower florets are fork-tender, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and return to the oven for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from the hot oven, add a bit of fresh parsley extra salt, and serve as a side dish at the dinner table.
Expert Cooking Tips and Tricks
As with most vegetable side dishes, you will know the cauliflower is cooked when you can easily cut into the vegetable with a butter knife and a fork. The best way to enjoy this sheet pan roasted dish is when it’s “crisp-tender.” This means it retains shape but is also soft.
Because roasted veggies are mainly about the vegetable itself, almost any protein goes well with this side dish. I enjoy eating cauliflower with chicken breast dishes. Additionally, garlic roasted veggies like these go well with seafood and lamb.
If you like roast marks on the entire cauliflower, you will need to turn it halfway through cooking. The bit that touches the sheet pan will inherit the marks.
Cauliflower is Keto and is a must veggie for a low carb or keto diet. You can find about five net carbs in one cup of cauliflower.
One of the reasons people love roasted side dishes is that they are one of the most healthy ways to eat! Cauliflower is no exception and is a highly healthy vegetable. You could quickly eat an entire head of cauliflower and only ingest 29 carbs!
What is the best oil to roast vegetables with?
Oils have different smoke points, so “best” depends on how hot the oven is for the dish. What is a smoke point? That is basically when the oil burns off, stops cooking, and starts burning – literally smoke.
- Low Heat – If you use lower heat, you can safely use coconut oils (350) or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), which has a smoke point of 325.
- Medium Heat – Medium heat recipes are typically oils like Vegetable oil and canola oil with a smoke point of 400.
- High Heat – High heat (over 400) is Olive Oil, which can be used up to 450.
Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower
It’s also super easy to turn roasted, baked cauliflower into a heated-up version if you like more spice!
Like barbecue sauce, creamy or spicy buffalo sauce can be insanely personal. With so many flavors like Moore’s Creamy Buffalo Ranch (my favorite) to spicy and hot wing sauce, it’s as simple as picking the one your tongue loves the most!
Here are a few popular wing sauces you can look for at the store that go well with cauliflower.
To make this spicy recipe alteration, here is what you need:
- 1/2 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce
- Two tablespoons EVOO
- One tablespoon butter
- 12 oz bag pre-cut Cauliflower Florets
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Add your wing sauce, EVOO, and butter into a bowl and meltdown for approx. 30 seconds, stir.
- Add cauliflower in a bag and coat with sauce. Make sure all sides of cauliflower are covered.
- Add buffalo-coated raw cauliflower to the baking sheet and place it in the oven. Oven bake for 25 minutes until cauliflower is soft and tender.
- Optional: Broil for a few minutes to get crispy; watch so you do not burn the veggie tops.
Try it with Cheese Sauce.
While garlic parmesan cauliflower is in the oven, whip up this recipe for cheese sauce. It works perfectly for both broccoli and cauliflower!
Related Roasted Vegetable Sides
Roasted vegetables are so popular because they are easy to make and are a delicious staple to most meals. You can pile on roasted vegetables of all kinds next to chicken, beef or just eat as a vegetarian dinner.
Other veggies that are super delicious pan-roasted and oven-baked are:
- Oven Roasted Large Melting Potatoes
- Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
- Oven Roasted Parmesan Carrots
- Oven Roasted Asparagus
Related Cauliflower Recipes
A simple baked Cauliflower Au Grain casserole recipe is a great choice.
If you want to skip the rice, this is a great way to enjoy a low-carb chicken “rice” recipe.
I’ve never been on the bandwagon that you can substitute mashed potatoes for cauliflower, and no one would know. However, Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes is still a wonderful guilt-free keto recipe that a family will love.
Hands down my favorite cauliflower side dish; this Loaded Cauliflower Casserole recipe is just so creamy and cheesy.
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Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower (No Breadcrumbs)
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower - broken into bite sized florets
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. If using stoneware, grease the baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. If using a traditional metal baking sheet, cover with foil and spray the foil with nonstick coking spray (for easy clean up) and set aside.
- Place olive oil and minced garlic in a resealable Ziploc gallon bag.
- Cut cauliflower into smaller bite sized floret pieces.
- Add pieces of cauliflower into a Ziploc bag with oil.
- Seal the bag and shake to evenly coat the cauliflower.
- Spread cauliflower onto prepared pan, and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake and roast cauliflower for 20-25 minutes, flipping once halfway through the cooking for even distribution.
- When cauliflower is fork-tender, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and return to the oven for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove roasted cauliflower from the oven, add a bit of fresh parsley and serve as a side.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Low Heat – If you use lower heat, you can safely use coconut oils (350) or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), which has a smoke point of 325.
- Medium Heat – Medium heat recipes are typically oils like Vegetable oil and canola oil with a smoke point of 400.
- High Heat – High heat (over 400) is Olive Oil, which can be used up to 450.
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