Set a whole roasted stuffed cauliflower on the table, and it is going to be a taste bud tantalizing showstopper, especially when you cut it open to reveal the colorful stuffing. Do not be intimidated by this recipe; it's easier than it looks and just a few extra steps to elevate the simple whole roasted cauliflower. Plus, it's so yummy, it's worth trying at least once, I promise. I think it makes a great meal any night of the week and cauliflower can be pre-cooked and pre-stuffed. Just come home and bake it before serving.
This was inspired by my other cauliflower recipe on this site, and pairs well with this amazing chicken recipe, or serve a big slice of this golden brown whole head of cauliflower with a salad for a nice vegetarian main dish.
This was inspired by my Cabbage Au Gratin recipe on this site, and pairs well with this amazing roast chicken recipe.
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Ingredients
- Large fresh head of cauliflower
- Salted water
- Stuffing:
- Olive Oil
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- Egg
- Mayonnaise
- Stone Ground Mustard
- Dried Dill
- Dried Parsley
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Lemon Zest
- Lemon Juice
- Panko or bread crumbs
- Topping:
- Mayonnaise
- Paprika, preferably sweet paprika or a mix of sweet and hot if you want spice
- Garlic Dill Butter:
- Butter
- Garlic Powder or Granules
- Dried Dill
- Salt
- Red Pepper Flakes
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here is the place where I am supposed to put a bunch of pictures of the steps, but ya know, I don't have those for this recipe, so kindly read these ingredients if you would like, or just understand that this is here for SEO purposes and move on to the actual recipe. 🤪
- Pick off the tough outer leaves and small inner leaves
- Turn the cauliflower upside down on a cutting board (cauliflower stem-side up).
- Using a paring knife, carefully cut out about two inches of the stalk and core (carefully tilt the cauliflower right-side to left-side to cut stalk out).
- Pre-cook your cauliflower in large pan of salted water
- While the cauliflower cools, make the stuffing.
- Cook the carrots, celery, onion and, garlic over medium heat
- To a small bowl add egg, mayonnaise, and mustard with spices, herbs and lemon
- Add cooked veggies and panko
- Pipe veggie mixture into crevices of whole cauliflower with a large piping bag or place stuffing in a 1-gallon freezer bag (ziploc) and snip an inch off a bottom corner to fit into the nooks of the cauliflower.
- Get as much filling as you can into the head of cauliflower
- Carefully place whole cauliflower with bottom of the head of cauliflower down on the pan.
- Add mayonnaise and paprika mix coating the entire head of cauliflower
- Bake in oven preheated to 375˚ for 30 minutes
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving
Substitutions
- Cauliflower - you can use any color of cauliflower head for this recipe, but I prefer the white because it look gorgeous when it's cooked to a golden brown
- Vegan - flax egg with work as a sub to regular egg and vegan mayonnaise and butter can also be substituted.
- Gluten Free - I love using the kikoman gluten-free bread crumbs in this recipe.
Variations
- Spicy - add hot paprika to the topping mixture or a fresno chili into the carrot, celery, onion and garlic mixture
- Deluxe - add a perfectly fried egg to the top of a fat slice of the cauliflower. Top with micro greens tossed in a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Cheesy - add a cup parmesan cheese to the recipe. ½ cup in the stuffing and ¼ cup to the topping. You could also add 2 teaspoons to the butter mixture to give it even more cheesiness.
Equipment
- Frying pan
- Small mixing bowl
- Heavily salted pot of water
- Preheated oven
- Prepared baking sheet or baking dish
Storage
Store whole head or slices in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Top tip
You don't need a fancy piping bag to stuff the cauliflower. You can use the ziplock trick or if you are trying to be more earth friendly, make a cone out of parchment paper and a little tape, add the stuffing and snip the bottom of the cone large enough to pipe the stuffing into the nooks and crannies of the cauliflower.
FAQ
It's undercooked. This means you probably missed the first part of the recipe where I parboil/steam the head of cauliflower prior to stuffing and baking the cauliflower.
If the recipe is that good, you can definitely eat the entire thing. Just grab the gas x, if cruciferous vegetables make you bloat.
Yes, wash the cauliflower, but wait until you are ready to cook it before cleaning it.
In most cases, yes it is still edible, but I simply remove these spots with a pairing knife. If the cauliflower is soggy, it's time to throw it in the compost. Make sure it's still firm.
A whole roasted cauliflower can become mushy if it is over cooked. Be aware of cooking time be parboiling/steaming cauliflower head. When roasting make sure that the cauliflower head isn't crowded by other items in the oven or by the pan you bake it in. You want the outside to have plenty of room to release moisture, so that it doesn't steam again.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
Whole Roasted Stuffed Cauliflower
Equipment
- 1 Stovetop, oven
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized head of cauliflower
- 1 tablespoon salt
Stuffing:
- 2 tablespoon olive oil 1.5 + .5 tablespoons
- 1 large carrot shredded
- 1 celery stalk shredded or finely diced
- ½ medium onion finely diced about ½ cup
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Zest from one lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup panko I use gluten-free
Topping:
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon sweet or hot paprika
Garlic Dill Butter:
- 2 tablespoon melted butter
- ½ teaspoon garlic granules or powder
- ½ teaspoon dill
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flake
Instructions
- Pick off the large cauliflower leaves. Turn the cauliflower upside down on a cutting board. Using a paring knife, carefully cut out about two inches of the stalk and core. Your cauliflower should have a cavity for the stuffing without breaking apart the florets. You should be left a hole for the stuffing without breaking apart the florets.
- Pre-cook your cauliflower by bringing about two inches of water to a boil (with the lid on), add the salt and stir. Carefully add the head of cauliflower to the water, bring water to a simmer, place the lid over the pot and steam the cauliflower for 6 minutes, until just fork-tender. Very carefully lift the cauliflower out of the pot and set it aside to cool. While the cauliflower cools, make the stuffing.
- To a saute pan, add the olive oil, carrot, celery, and onion, and cook until the onion softens and begins to become translucent.
- Add a half tablespoon of olive oil, then add the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix into the carrot mixture, remove from heat and set aside.
- To a medium-sized bowl, add the egg, mayonnaise, and mustard. Whisk until combined and clump-free.
- Add the spices, herbs, lemon zest, and juice to the bowl and whisk until combined. Slowly add carrot mixture to egg mixture, whisking in between to temper the egg mixture. Add the bread crumbs, and mix thoroughly.
- Add filling to the cauliflower by gently placing the cauliflower head down. Using a piping bag add mixture to the crevaces of the cauliflower until fully stuffed or gently use a spoon and your hands to fill the cauliflower. Once the stuffing has been placed inside the cauliflower, carefully turn it over, and place into a cast iron skillet, shallow baking pan or baking sheet. Spread the mayonnaise mixture over the top and sprinkle with paprika.
- Bake at 375 in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Cool for 5 minutes, then slice the cauliflower into steaks or quarter pieces.
- While cauliflower is cooling make the garlic dill butter and top pieces with butter prior to serving.
Video
Food safety
- Cauliflower can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days.
- Handle cauliflower with care to prevent damage to curd.
- Do not wash the raw cauliflower before storing.
- Good quality cauliflower should have a creamy white or purple curd with bright green, fresh-looking leaves.
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