What would you like to cook?

THANKSGIVING GROCERY LIST RECIPE BOX SUBSCRIBE

Roasted Brussels Roasted Garlic Tahini

Sprouts With Cauliflower Sauce
Garlic Amanda Hesser The New York Times
Mark Bittman

45 minutes 30 minutes 10 minutes

Email Share onShare

Pinterest
onShare
Face

Whole Roasted Cauliflower With

Pistachio Pesto
By Susan Spungen

YIELD 4 to 6 servings
Save to Recipe Box
TIME 1 hour

Whole roasted cauliflower is a sight to

behold and never fails to delight, especially
when it’s topped with a verdant blend of
herbs and pistachios. This version delivers a
browned cauliflower that ends up soft
enough — custardy almost — to serve with a
spoon. And it all comes together in one pan,
with water added right to the skillet to steam
and soften the cauliflower while it roasts over
caramelized onions. Sprinkling some
Parmesan on top is a nice way to finish this
dish.

Featured in: 5 Fresh Seder Dishes You’ll

Want To Make All The Time.

Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Susan Spungen.

Vegetables, Cauliflower, Cilantro, Parsley, Pesto, Pistachio, Dinner, Main Course, Mark as Cooked 1,485 ratings
Side Dish, Dairy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, Passover

ADVERTISEMENT

INGREDIENTS PREPARATION

FOR THE CAULIFLOWER: Step 1

1 head cauliflower, preferably
orange (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 small yellow onions, sliced 1/4
inch thick lengthwise
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Make the cauliflower: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven
to 400 degrees. Trim the cauliflower, making sure the stem is cut flush with
the head so it sits flat. Heat a 10-inch cast-iron or other heavy ovenproof
skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, the onions and
1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until translucent and turning golden on
the edges, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup water and remove from the heat.

Pinch of black pepper

Step 2

FOR THE PESTO:

Rub the cauliflower with the remaining tablespoon oil then with the pepper
and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Clear the center of the skillet and place the
Zest of 1 lemon cauliflower in it. Cover the pan tightly with foil and place in the center of the
½ cup lightly packed cilantro and oven. Bake until a paring knife meets no resistance when inserted into the
flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more cauliflower, 20 to 30 minutes.
for garnish

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil Step 3

¼ cup raw shelled pistachios Meanwhile, make the pesto: Reserve a bit of lemon zest for garnish. Place the
1 garlic clove, sliced rest in a food processor, along with the herbs, oil, pistachios, garlic, salt and
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
pepper. Pulse until well combined.

Pinch of black pepper

Step 4
Turn oven to 450 degrees on the regular setting or, if you have a convection
Add to Your Grocery List option, 425 degrees. Uncover the cauliflower and baste with some of the pan
juices. Cook, basting occasionally and adding 1/4 cup of water to the pan if it
Ingredient Substitution Guide threatens to dry out, until nicely browned, 20 to 30 minutes more. Spoon the
pesto over top, sprinkle with reserved lemon zest and more herbs, and serve.

Have you cooked this? Mark as Cooked

COOKING NOTES

Share your notes with other cooks or leave a private note.

All 131 Most Helpful 20 Private 0

Cheryl H 8 months ago

Any suggestions to replace pistachios? Pine nuts? Almonds? Allergies to
pistachios
92 This is helpful

Rsp 8 months ago

If you're trying to cut down on your use of foil, the initial cauliflower cooking
can be done in a Dutch oven. Works beautifully.
84 This is helpful

TiffRaff 8 months ago

Loved this recipe. Made two adjustments:
1. I used dry white wine to deglaze the pan on the first go, instead of the 3/4
cup water (but I did add in a bit of water during roasting to keep things
balanced). Onions turned out super jammy at the center and had crispy
caramelized edges. So flipping good.
2. 10 min before finish, I sprinkled finely grated parm on the cauliflower. It
made a golden crust and dialed up the flavor. Both have that nutty base and it
was just ::chef’s kiss::
62 This is helpful

dimmerswitch 8 months ago

Mona M, you ask what to substitute for the cilantro in the pesto. You could
use basil as you suggest. But I think it might work well for this recipe, in
particular if being served as part of the Seder menu using the other dishes in
the set here, to use a combination of parsley and fresh mint. They play well
with the others of pistachios and lemon peel.
55 This is helpful

Show More Notes

Like this recipe?

Email Share onShare

Pinterest
onShare
Facebook
on Twitter
Save to Recipe Box

MORE FROM VEGETARIAN CHRISTMAS RECIPES

Vegetarian Lasagna Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie Creamed Spinach Vegetarian Mushroom

Bolognese Samantha Seneviratne Kay Chun Wellington
Alexa Weibel Alexa Weibel

1 hour 1 3/4 hours 25 minutes 3 hours

TRENDING ON COOKING
EA SY

Red Velvet Cake Vegetarian Skillet Chili Cranberry Sauce Slow-Roasted Turkey With
Kim Severson, Adams Extract… Melissa Clark Sam Sifton Apple Gravy
Company Genevieve Ko, Padma Lakshmi

1 hour 30 minutes 10 minutes, plus chilling About 6 hours, plus 2 da…

YOUR RECENTLY VIEWED

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie Vegan Mapo Tofu Saag Paneer Glazed Tofu With Chile and
Samantha Seneviratne David Tanis Kay Chun Star Anise
Yewande Komolafe

1 3/4 hours 30 minutes 35 minutes 30 minutes

BRUSH UP ON THE BASICS WITH OUR COOKING GUIDES

COOKING GUIDE COOKING GUIDE COOKING GUIDE COOKING GUIDE

How to Make Pancakes How to Make Cranberry How to Frost a Cake How to Grill
By Alison Roman Sauce By Melissa Clark By Sam Sifton
By Melissa Clark

Get Our Newsletter FOLLOW US

Get recipes, tips and NYT special offers delivered straight to your inbox.
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Add Your Email Sign Up

ABOUT US LEARN MORE RECIPES

NYT Cooking is a subscription service of The New York Times. It is a Our Cooks What to Cook This Week

digital cookbook and cooking guide alike, available on all platforms, that See Our Features Weeknight

helps home cooks of every level discover, save and organize the world’s FAQ Pasta
Tools for Saving Dinner
best recipes, while also helping them become better, more competent
NYTimes.com/food Healthy
cooks. Subscribe now for full access.
Vegetarian
SHOP Vegan
Dessert
Gift Subscription
Thanksgiving
Merchandise
Christmas

Send Us Feedback

Save
© 2021 The New York Times Company Terms of Service Privacy Policy