This roasted cauliflower combines Italian ingredients and delicious browned veggie goodness for an amazing and easy side dish!
This roasted cauliflower is a perfect side dish for a dinner with delicious Italian flavors. With tomato paste, Parmesan cheese, plus garlic and herbs, this roasted cauliflower may just become your new favorite.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Video: How To Make Italian Roasted Cauliflower:
Why Roast Your Vegetables?
I’m in love with oven roasted vegetables. They brown at the edges and get so sweet and delicious. Way tastier than steaming or sautéing them, definitely. What I love even more than their flavor though is how much easier they are to make than any other preparation. When you steam or sauté vegetables the timing is really specific. Even a minute too long can result in overcooked mush. You have to stand over them, watching and stirring to make sure that they don’t overcook.
With roasted vegetables, you can walk away. I set a timer so I don’t forget about them though! Roasted veggies are simply more forgiving than other types. A few extra minutes can even make them better since more time means more browning.
Roasted Cauliflower
My favorite roasted vegetable is roasted cauliflower. I never used to be a huge fan of cauliflower at all but roasting it was like a gateway drug. I became addicted to it roasted and then started to love it every other way. And while I now do all kinds of things with cauliflower, I always go back to what got me hooked, sometimes adding some new flavors or methods to keep it interesting.
How To Cook Italian Roasted Cauliflower
To make it you whisk together tomato paste, olive oil, and a bit of Dijon mustard. Note that the oil won’t fully incorporate. That’s ok. It might even be a good thing since I think that’s why some bits of tomato paste stay separate on the cauliflower and end up browning more.
Then, add Parmesan cheese and seasonings before combining the mixture with cauliflower florets. Bake until it’s slightly darkened in spots and has the desired tenderness. For me, I like it not quite fork-tender, about 20-25 minutes at 425°F. If you like it softer, you might want to roast it for longer at a slightly lower temperature so that it doesn’t get too dark before it gets soft enough.
More Italian Recipes
Looking for more Italian side dishes? Try my ultimate Caprese Salad, Zucchini Parmesan, or the best Garlic Bread. I also have over 100 delicious side dish recipes for you to browse through over here, all tested and perfected by me (not Italian, I know, but I really love this creamy farro recipe, and this lemon broccoli mmmm).
In terms of Italian recipes beyond side dishes, I’m going to go ahead and link to some of my favorites right here for you now:
- One-Dish Italian Chicken and Cauliflower Dinner
- Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta Dinner
- Asiago Tortelloni Alfredo With Grilled Chicken
- Chicken Pasta Bake With Creamy Alfredo
- Italian Cauliflower and Quinoa Bake
- The Amazing No-Boil Pasta Bake
- Italian Chicken Breasts
- The Best Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe
Podcast Episode On Making Italian Cauliflower
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this cauliflower side dish, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Print
Italian Roasted Cauliflower Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
DESCRIPTION
This roasted cauliflower combines Italian ingredients and delicious browned veggie goodness for an amazing and easy side dish!
If you like your cauliflower more tender, roast at a lower temperature for longer (e.g., 375°F for 35 minutes).
Ingredients
- 5 tsp. tomato paste
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. coarse black pepper
- 1 medium head cauliflower
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, olive oil, and Dijon mustard. Note that the olive oil will not fully incorporate. That’s ok. Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Break the head of cauliflower into florets and add them to the tomato paste mixture. Stir using a spatula to make sure the sauce is getting onto the cauliflower, which should end up stained red. Use the spatula to transfer all the cauliflower and sauce to a large baking sheet.
- Roast until darkened in spots and is tender-crisp when stuck with a fork, 20-25 minutes. Stir gently with a metal spatula and, if desired, sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese to serve.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
This post originally appeared in October 2014 and was revised and republished in August 2022. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Christine Pittman says
Thanks for the feedback, Joe. Is there anything you’d change to make it better?
Christine says
This looks very good and. Please send me the website thank you
Lynda says
This was so delicious. Whole family loved it and so easy to prepare ahead and throw in the oven at dinner time.
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
That’s wonderful, Lynda! So happy the whole family enjoyed.
David says
Fabulous! Works really well. And is just as good with a selection of vegetables. Thank you.
Christine Pittman says
You’re welcome, David! Glad you enjoyed.
Bryan Hammaker says
Wht are the nutrient numbers for Italian cauliflower, like mainly carbs
Christine Pittman says
We’re in the process of adding nutritional info to this site. For now, I can tell you that this recipe is 157 calories per serving with 9.7 grams of carbs.