This slow roasted cauliflower is a beautiful dish to serve for a holiday dinner. It’s an easy side dish to make and also budget-friendly! The garlic aioli adds the right amount of flavor to bring this dish together.
blanch the cauliflower first:
Blanching a vegetable means cooking it in boiling water for a few minutes. Usually this is followed by placing it in cold water or roasting it in the oven.
In this recipe, after we blanch the cauliflower we placed it in the oven to roast. Those few minutes of cooking it in hot water makes the cauliflower softer as it roasts.
slow roasted cauliflower ingredient list:
- Cauliflower
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Olive Oil
Garlic aioli ingredients list:
- Garlic
- Mayonnaise
- Lemon Juice
- Olive Oil
- Water
- Dill
the steps:
Blanch the cauliflower.
Roast the cauliflower.
Roast the garlic.
Mix the roasted garlic with the aioli ingredients.
Pour the garlic mixture over the roasted cauliflower and serve.
what to bake it on:
You can slow roast this cauliflower on a baking sheet or in a baking dish. As long as it’s oven-safe, any of those will work. We used a baking sheet in this recipe and lined it with parchment paper.
You can also use a disposable aluminum cookie sheet or pan.
variations for slow roasted cauliflower:
We chose to keep this recipe simple and just use olive oil, salt, and pepper. However, cauliflower tastes good with so many different spices and flavors. So feel free to do a variation if you’d like. Some ideas are:
Spicy slow roasted cauliflower:
Add hot spices to your oil mixture before pouring it over the cauliflower. Spices like cayenne pepper, spicy chili powder, and smoked paprika are all good choices.
Sweet slow roasted cauliflower:
If you like a sweet kick you can add a little bit of honey or brown sugar to the oil mixture.
The garlic aioli:
Dipping the cauliflower into a delicious garlic aioli adds a real burst of flavor. As the garlic roasts, it becomes infused with the olive oil and softens in texture. Then it’s mixed with a few more ingredients and becomes a very flavorful dip.
Choose any herbs:
The herbs in this garlic aioli are mostly used to add color to the dish. We used dill, but feel free to use your favorite herbs.
what to serve slow roasted cauliflower with:
This is a great side dish and can be paired with some of our favorites:
Slow Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic Aioli
Ingredients
For the cauliflower:
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
For the garlic aioli:
- 1 garlic bulb, cloves peeled
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon dill
Instructions
For the slow roasted cauliflower:
- Bring a big pot of water to a boil and add the cauliflower to it.
- Cook for around seven minutes.
- Drain the water, remove the cauliflower with a pair of tongs, and place it on a lined baking sheet.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Mix the olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and pour over the cauliflower.
- Roast for around 30 minutes or until the top is charred.
- Cover with foil and roast for another 30 minutes.
For the roasted garlic aioli:
- Place the garlic cloves in a baking dish and pour the oil over them.
- Add to the oven when the cauliflower is in there and roast for 25 minutes.
- Once the garlic cloves cooled off a bit, add them to a bowl with the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Mash the garlic cloves and mix well with the other ingredients.
- Add water to adjust the consistency.
- Once the cauliflower is finished roasting, pour the aioli over the cauliflower or dip pieces of cauliflower into it.