From my Italian great-grandmother, a straightforward and delectable dish.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 45 mins |
| Total Time: | 55 mins |
| Servings: | 2 |
Ingredients
- 1 small head cauliflower
- 1 ½ teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Trim large leaves off cauliflower. Trim stalk so cauliflower can sit flat in a Dutch oven.
- Grind fennel seeds with a mortar and pestle. Mix in smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk in olive oil to form a paste. Rub the paste all over the cauliflower. Drizzle lemon juice all over.
- Bake in the preheated oven, covered, until tender, about 30 minutes. Uncover and baste with any juices that have pooled at the base. Continue baking, uncovered, until top is browned and center feels completely tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 15 minutes.
- You can use this technique with all sorts of seasoning variations. Try it with your favorite spice blend.
- Please note the differences in yield, ingredient amounts, and cook time, as well as the addition of carrots and beets when using the magazine version of this recipe.
Reviews
I used seasonings that sounded good to me and I sprayed the head with olive oil before and after sprinkling on the seasonings. I also added a cup of chicken broth to the pot. I cooked it for an hour because of some reviews but 45 minutes would have been enough- even with the large head I had. It was delicious and can be changed to whatever seasonings suit you. So easy too.
It took way longer than an hour to roast until soft. I didn’t have fennel, so used other spices as suggested. Will not make again.
This is delicious. I used the smoked paprika and a garlic and herb seasoning instead of the fennel, etc for convenience. Will make again!
I liked it. No one else did.
If I could have given this no stars, I would have. Awful taste, dry, and a waste of a good head of cauliflower. We love cauliflower….so after reading the reviews I thought I’d try it. It took two days for me to get the terrible smell out of our house! Warning…….don’t waste your time on this recipe.
I made the recipe and while I didn’t have the fennel, it still tasted really good.
Love this recipe. Something different to do with califlower. Make it all the time now.
The first time I made this I followed the instructions. It was good but I did not like how all of the seasonings stayed on the outside of the head of cauliflower. Next time I made it I cut up the head into florets, then put the florets and seasonings into a gallon baggie and shook it up. Perfect! Seasonings distributed more evenly. I also made more sauce and then started experimenting with other flavors. We now alternate between this recipe and an Asian inspired seasoning mix. We have this once a week as the entire meal!
I thought this was a wonderful, quick, easy recipe! Next time I will probably shift the “spice pallet” to my own tastes, but this is a great recipe
This is an excellent recipe! I tweaked the seasonings slightly just to fit my tastes. I also started at 400°. It turned out so delicious. I’ll definitely make this again.
I used 5 spice and cooked it for 40 min covered and 15 uncovered. Yum!
There is NO way you can cook a whole head of cauliflower in 45 minutes at 375 degrees. After following the instructions, it wasn’t cooked so I had to return it to the oven for another 30 minutes. I don’t know why cooks and chefs believe dishes can be cooked in such ridiculous short amount of time.
Seasoning was good. Definitely make sure your head of cauliflower isn’t too big.
Kind of a disaster… The time was wrong so the cauliflower was way too hard and the spices don’t work at all. Deleted!
Made this recipe and it was terrible. Did not get done in the time prescribed and the fennel taste was so strong it was not edible.
I didnt make changes. I will most definitely make it again. Absolutely amazing !!!
I’ve made it twice now. My only change was not grinding the fennel seeds (can’t find my pestle) but I loved it. Really delicious and easy way to prepare cauliflower. Plus it looks beautiful when it is done. I will be adding this to my regular line up.
Followed recipe exactly! Was so tender and delicious.
not what I expected at all…
We ended up almost doubling the ingredients to cover the head of cauliflower. We cooked it 15 minutes longer so maybe 400 degrees instead. Absolutely wonderful, this will be added to our favorites for sure.
My wife and I made this last night and put it with a garden salad. It was bursting with flavors. She said we will be having this more often.