parmesan-crusted cauliflower with white bean purée.
Crunchy, salty, garlicky, this simple parmesan-crusted cauliflower can be served as a hearty side or a healthy main.
Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes jump to recipe.
I recently hosted dinner for my family here in Cleveland. The menu was packed, largely because I wanted to make sure everyone had enough to eat despite the many food restrictions. My sisters are pescatarians — and here’s the kicker — my dad’s allergic to fish. So having only fish was certainly not an option, nor was having only meat.
One thing you can count on in these situations: Vegetables. Have some good meat or fish entrées and some banging vegetable sides. I made this cauliflower that night and was surprised to hear so many compliments on it. And I’m not bragging here, people genuinely seemed to like it. Cauliflower being the common denominator? Hell yeah.
If your guests detest veggies, I’m guessing your situation doesn’t involve pescatarians or vegetarians in the first place. Even if you only have one veggie-dominant guest, the veg will get eaten.
the many ways to serve parmesan-crusted cauliflower
Throughout this recipe you’ll notice the cauliflower is shown as florets and as steaks. I originally designed this recipe to be an entrée. I wanted something elegant and vegetarian, and I had a whole idea in my head how this should look.
But then I hosted that dinner party and I adjusted the recipe slightly. After cutting the steaks, I broke them into florets and I continued with the recipe that way instead. There was just no great way to serve 12 people cauliflower steaks as a side dish.
After the party I tested this recipe again, for good measure and for photos, and I went ahead and made it both ways. The recipe didn’t differ at all. It’s yours to choose.
I recommend serving as steaks if this is a main dish for 2-4 people, and as flat florets for a side dish for (apparently) up to 12 people.
how to make it
For steaks, start with a smaller cauliflower. For florets, go for medium to large. Cut all the green parts away.
Sit the cauliflower on its base and slice it. Some parts will fall away, crumbling to the touch. That’s okay.
Slice about 1-inch slices and carefully set them down. If you’re having trouble getting full steaks, cut wider. You may only get 2-3 good ones per cauliflower, it just depends. I find the center stays together better than the ends, and smaller heads have a wider “center”, so I get more steak shapes out of smaller heads.
If doing florets, pull or slice the tops. The florets should be flat on at least one side.
Keep the smaller bits that break away — plenty of people like the smaller pieces.
For florets, toss with oil in a bowl. For steaks, drizzle then brush with oil.
If you’re making this like a normal person (and not a frenzied host of 12) I recommend mixing the breadcrumbs and parmesan in a bowl, then dredging the pieces before putting on a baking sheet.
If you are low on time and need to go fast: Oil everything in a bowl, then spread the parmesan-breadcrumb mixture across a baking sheet. Dump the cauliflower onto the parm mixture and press down. That’s it. Only one side really needs it, and this way you’re not messing with a dredge. If you have a few spare seconds, sprinkle some of the excess on the sheet over the cauliflower.
The rest is easy: roast the cauli, blend the beans.
Serve over purée. For steaks, serve each steak on a plate over a swish of purée. For florets, serve on a platter, piled up over the purée.
To make ahead of time, blend the purée up to 5 days in advance. Break down the cauliflower up to 3 days in advance. Oil and dredge fresh before roasting.
Drizzle with oil, then brush the oil across the surface to disperse. The oil will soak through to the other side.
parmesan-crusted cauliflower ingredients
cauliflower: You can make this with any sized cauliflower. I used a tiny one for my first test, an enormous one for my second, and a medium-ish one for my last test. You’re cutting them the same width every time, so the size of the cauliflower will simply affect the yield (and thus the amount of parm/breadcrumb). Cook time will remain the same.
olive oil: A generous few glugs, so make sure you have plenty of oil on hand. You don’t need olive oil necessarily, but it’ll taste better for it.
parmesan: You can always buy the pre-grated parmesan, but I highly recommend grating your own from a brick of parm because it will melt into the cauliflower and form a nice crust.
breadcrumbs: I did test this using panko. I do not recommend it. It’s too big, too crunchy, and too hard to adhere. Use regular breadcrumb here for the best results.
thyme: I like the freshness of fresh herbs, but you can use dried here if needed. You just need a tablespoon (or half that for dried), so if you have some sprigs on hand, use them. You can also get creative here, swapping for cajun seasonings or italian seasonings.
salt and pepper: Just a pinch or so, so your cauli isn’t totally bland. You’ll need a generous pinch for the purée, too.
cannellini beans: I know the beans seem like an afterthought, but I promise they are a great part of this dish. Not mandatory, but if you have beans and a blender, you should make them. They just add a lot of flavor to the cauliflower and go well with the parmesan. Use any white bean, like cannellini, great northern, or navy.
garlic: Garlic is what makes the bean purée so darned good. Use a bunch of cloves for awesome flavor. It’ll punch you in the face a bit. For milder flavor, roast the garlic along with the cauliflower before blending.
onion: Shallot for a milder flavor, yellow or sweet onions for something punchier. Again, roast the onion first if you want a mild purée. I never roasted them, and loved how sharp and “in your face” the purée turned out. It really punches up the cauliflower.
lemon: Don’t forget the lemon. This will lift your purée from the depths of richness and make it something awesome.
How the cauliflower should look after roasting: golden & crispy.
Not mandatory, but I like serving mine with parsley and pepper flakes for extra color.
parmesan-crusted cauliflower pairing options
Being that this can be either a side dish or a main, there are plenty of pairing options. Here are some ideas for using this cauliflower, bean purée or not:
grain bowls with pearl couscous and kale
on top of cream soups, like potato leek
with hasselback potatoes
alongside butternut squash chopped salad
with simple roasted carrot
paired with pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
one way to serve: florets with bean puree, beluga lentils, and kale
another way to serve: as a whole steak over bean purée