This spicy roasted cauliflower recipe is easy to make and tastes great alone as a side dish or served with hummus for a yummy appetizer.
It seems like cauliflower is everywhere I look. I think it's because many people are using it as a low carb substitute for potatoes. However, we have been eating cauliflower forever.
I remember that it was one of my mother's go-to side dishes growing up. She would steam a whole head and then cover it with a delicious cheese sauce which made all of us kids dig in.
As a grown up I found that I really like the flavor of cauliflower when it's roasted. A while back I made a great hearty and healthy roasted cauliflower and spinach soup. It was a big hit and one of my girlfriends mentioned that it was great for someone following Weight Watchers. I can't remember the number exactly but I think it's low in points.
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This time I decided to bump up the flavor with Moroccan spices and serve it as an appetizer.
When cutting up the cauliflower I tried to make thick slices so that they would work well for dipping.
I'm using the same spice mix as I did in my Moroccan beef stew recipe. However, you can add or subtract from my spice mix or buy something like a traditional Moroccan spice blend known as Ras El Hanout.
The result was fantastic. We ended up eating it with grilled pork chops for dinner so even though my intention was to make an appetizer, it turned out to be a great side dish too. A little extra spice mix on top of traditional hummus made it even better.
In fact, my husband said this was one of the best recipes I've made so far. That made my day.
Spicy Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
- Florets of one large head of cauliflower into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Combine all spices in a small bowl.
- Place cauliflower in a large bowl
- Toss in olive oil
- Toss in spices
- Pour the cauliflower onto a large sheet pan in a single layer that has been sprayed with cooking oil, coated with olive oil, or lined with parchment paper.
- Roast for 30 minutes in the oven turning over after 15 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Christine
I'm one of those folks who wasn't a huge cauliflower fan until I started eating more of it as a substitute for potatoes. Now I absolutely LOVE this veggie. I've made everything from rice to steaks with it! Your roasted version with all the spices sounds divine! I'm pinning this recipe for sure! YUM!
Patti Estep
Thanks Christine. We have been eating more cauliflower too lately. This was one we really loved. I hope you do too.
Carole West
I like this veggie in soups but roasting it sounds fantastic and the minute you mentioned pork chops I was in. Trying this one for sure, I'm thinking about trying to create a menu with all these fun recipes I find and place on Pinterest. Then actually making them because it's possible I may be in a food rut.
Patti Estep
Cauliflower is great in soups too Carole. Also, I love your Pinterest board idea. Would come in so handy.