Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Cheesy Pesto

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Cheesy Pesto: I made a reel of this recipe a couple of posts back, but I wanted to take a pic of my cauliflower this time and also I made some slight modifications to the sauce- both are equally tasty tho😬

I tried various methods for cooking a whole cauliflower head & this one seems to be the winner. It’s a low and slow roast, giving a caramelized outside with an oh so tender inside.

Thanks @nytcooking And let’s not forget the oh so ooey gooey cheese pesto sauce – of course it all dairy free and of course it’s all VEGAN 💚

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Cheesy Pesto

I tried various methods for cooking a whole cauliflower head & this one seems to be the winner. It’s a low and slow roast, giving a caramelized outside with an oh so tender inside.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian-Inspired

Keyword Plant-Based, Vegan

Total Time 2

Servings cauliflower

Author Sara

Ingredients

1 small head cauliflower 1 1/2 lbs-2 lbs
1-2 tbls neutral oil
kosher salt and pepper
1 cup shredded vegan cheese I used vegan mozzarella
2 tbl pesto
non dairy milk not flavored

Instructions

Prep the oven: place oven safe pan/cast iron pan on rack in the center. Fill a small baking pan with hot water & place on the floor of oven. Preheat to 375 F
Prep Cauli: Turn cauliflower with stem facing up. Break off/ cut off surrounding leaves. Then shorten center stalk with a knife so cauliflower can sit upright when turned over. Trim other visible leaves being careful not to break surrounding florets.
Rinse cauliflower, no need to dry. Massage entire cauliflower with 1 tbl oil, season with plenty of kosher salt & pepper.
Carefully place cauliflower on pan in oven. Basting with oil 2-3 times. Roast 1-2 hrs till tender in center.
Make Cheese Sauce: in a small sauce pan set on low heat, add cheese. Add 1 tbl non dairy milk, stir till cheese melts, adding more milk slowly about 2-3 tbls to reach a smooth & somewhat thick consistency, turn off heat, add pesto, stir to combine.
Pour cheese sauce on roasted cauliflower, using a spatula to help spread on entire head
Broil 3-5 min on top rack till top of cheese on browns a bit. Top with fresh herbs. Enjoy!!! Serve by slicing like a pie. Serve with extra cheesy pesto for dipping.