Roasted cauliflower is amazing and one of the only ways I prepare it. Add to that a fantastic roasted red pepper sauce - called romesco - and you've got a vegetable flavor bomb for your next appetizer or side dish. So let me show you how to make this delicious roasted cauliflower with romesco sauce.
What is Romesco Sauce?
I actually have another entire blog post called Romesco Sauce (and all the ways you can use it) if you need more ideas for romesco sauce. Romesco is a roasted red pepper sauce that is extremely versatile and flavorful. It's got a little fried garlic and bread cubes, red wine vinegar, marcona almonds, salt, pepper and olive oil. My recipe yields a little over 2 cups so you'll have extra. And you needn't worry about wasting it because you can freeze it in small containers for future use.
Here's the video with the step-by-step on how to make the romesco sauce:
Romesco is Easy: Throw all this in a blender:
- Roasted red peppers
- Olive oil
- Slightly brown garlic cloves
- Almonds (I used marcona)
- Bread cubes fried in olive oil
- Red vinegar
- Paprika
- Salt & pepper
Roasted Cauliflower with Romesco Sauce: snack, appetizer, side Dish
What I love about this dish is that it can be a lot of things. Enjoy this as a healthy snack, a side dish at your next dinner party or serve it before dinner as an appetizer. It works all ways! This is also an extremely easy recipe and allows for make-ahead romesco if you want to prepare this a day or two before serving.
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Don't Forget Cauliflower in your Dinner Rotation
You know, asparagus, broccoli, and zucchini really get all the glory when it comes to vegetable sides. So please don't forget about cauliflower! I know it can be a little pricey at times, but as I've mentioned in previous posts: sometimes you've got to shop the sales. Cauliflower is a delicious, healthy vegetable that's low in calories and a good source of Vitamin C and Vitamin K.
Can You Freeze Romesco Sauce?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze romesco sauce. And you should because there's a lot you can do with it after you've made a batch! You can slather it on a grilled chicken sandwich, drizzle it onto grilled zucchini & summer squash, I've got a fantastic garlic shrimp crostini, and a french bread pizza with eggplant and romesco. And don't forget, you can throw it on top of a piece a grilled chicken OR some kind of thick white fish too (halibut works great). There are more uses that you must be thinking of too, so go forth and cook!
Easy steps for Making Roasted Cauliflower aND Romesco Sauce
Roasted Cauliflower with Romesco Sauce
Description
Easy and delicious roasted cauliflower with romesco sauce will win you over. If you're into roasted red peppers, you’ll love this sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 heads of cauliflower, cut in florets
- 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1-1 ½ cups romesco sauce
- fresh chopped parsley garnish, optional
For the romesco sauce:
- 2 12-ounce jars of roasted red peppers
- 3 cloves of garlic, browned
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 cup cubed bread (French bread is best)
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¾ cup almonds (I used Marcona)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ red wine vinegar
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Instructions
- Make the romesco sauce. You can make it the same day or a day ahead. For this recipe, I like making it same day since roasting the cauliflower is pretty low-maintenance. The sauce will taste best room temperature.
- Heat the olive oil in a small pan and add the garlic gloves. On low-medium heat let the garlic cloves get browned. Should take a couple of minutes. Remove the garlic from the olive oil, but use the same oil to fry the French bread cubes. Let them get golden brown and crunchy, then remove from heat. In a mini food processor or blender, add the roasted red peppers, fried garlic, almonds, red wine vinegar, salt, paprika, and then the olive oil and bread cubes on top. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and if you think it needs more salt or vinegar, add a bit more.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. You know how long your oven takes so do this at the appropriate time.
- Wash and cut two heads of cauliflower into florets. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add olive oil (I usually do a quick toss with the oil to coat), then add the salt and pepper and toss everything again.
- Spread out cauliflower on a sheet pan and then roast at 425 for about 25-30 minutes turning once during the cooking process. I like my cauliflower cooked through and tender, but cook to your preference.
- Add 1 cup or so of the romesco sauce to a serving plate and spread across the bottom (my video shows this well). Place the roasted cauliflower on top of the romesco sauce. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley if you want. Serve immediately. You can also serve the cauliflower separately than the romesco and people can dip it into the romesco.
- TIPS: You can freeze any extra romesco sauce in small containers. I have more recipes using the romesco sauce if you need ideas: grilled chicken sandwich with romesco, shrimp crostini with romesco, grilled zucchini and summer squash with romesco sauce, French bread pizza with eggplant & romesco. You can also just slather it on top of a piece of grilled chicken or fish! It’s so versatile.
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