Roasted Purple Cauliflower with Cilantro Pesto

Roasted purple cauliflower on a plate drizzled with cilantro pesto.

No ratings yet

Roasted Purple Cauliflower with Cilantro Pesto

If you’re a cauliflower person, then you have to try this incredible vegetable in every color including this roasted purple cauliflower. I make cilantro pesto with peanuts, lime and chilies, and then use that as an herby sauce for it.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Side Dishes

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings:

Author: Paige Adams

Ingredients

For cauliflower

1 large head purple cauliflower (about 2 pounds), leaves removed, bottom stem trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For cilantro pesto

2 garlic cloves
1 fresno chili, quartered and deseeded
1 cup packed cilantro leaves
1/3 cup roasted peanuts
1 lime
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut the cauliflower lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
On a sheet pan, toss the cauliflower with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread into a single layer. Roast the cauliflower until it is browned at the edges and darker purple, flipping halfway through cooking, about 20-25 minutes.
While the cauliflower roasts, make the cilantro pesto. In a food processor or blender, mince the garlic and chilies.
Add the cilantro leaves, peanuts, lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and olive oil. Pulse the mixture until it is roughly chopped. It should turn out more chunky than traditional pesto.
Spoon the pesto over the roasted cauliflower as you arrange it on a serving plate.

Notes

If you don’t like cilantro, you can use parsley. Then go with walnuts instead of peanuts, a lemon instead of a lime, and use a pinch of red pepper flakes instead of the chili.

You can make the pesto up to 2 days in advance. Store it in a mason jar in the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before using it.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Keep the pesto in a separate container. You can warm the cauliflower in a 350-degree F oven. Let the pesto sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before using it, so it’s not as cold.

Leftovers can be stirred into cooked pasta, quinoa, farro or barley. You can also enjoy them cold with kale, spinach or chopped romaine as a salad. Add a little vinaigrette and more oil to the pesto to turn it into a dressing.

Nutrition