This Cauliflower Romesco is a side dish that might just outshine everything else at the table! Tender roasted cauliflower is drizzled with an incredibly flavorful romesco sauce and sprinkled with crunchy almonds.
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Sometimes vegetable side dishes can be an afterthought. If you’re ready to move past bland broccoli and underwhelming asparagus, dive into this Cauliflower Romesco!
Roasted cauliflower (fresh OR frozen!) is drizzled with an incredibly delicious Romesco sauce, then sprinkled with crunchy slivered almonds in this fantastically flavorful dish that goes well paired with just about any protein.
Looking for more mouthwatering vegetable side dishes? Try out my Provencal Potato Gratin, Hasselback Potatoes, or Lemon Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts!
This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan.
Ingredients
- Cauliflower. I used frozen, but feel free to use frozen cauliflower as well.
- Roasted red pepper. Jarred, roasted red peppers are great to have on hand for many recipes!
- Roma tomatoes. Any firm, ripe tomatoes will do.
- Garlic.
- Toasted almonds. I’ve also made this using toasted hazelnuts.
- White balsamic vinegar. If you can’t find white balsamic, you can use white wine vinegar or even fresh lemon juice in its place.
- Smoked paprika. Don’t skip this! Smoked paprika is what gives this sauce a deep, smoky flavor. Regular sweet paprika doesn’t taste the same, so its worth hunting down the smoked paprika. You can find it at most grocery stores or even in the food section of stores like HomeGoods & TJ Maxx.
- Cayenne pepper. If you don’t care for spicy foods, you can omit the cayenne, but just a dash adds a nice hint of heat.
- Sea salt
- Olive oil. Good quality olive oil is best in this sauce since it is not cooked and the flavor of the olive oil will be detectable.
Instructions
Start by preheating the oven to 425˚F and preparing a large baking pan by lining with a sheet of foil. (Alternatively, a large ceramic baking dish may be used.) Set it aside.
Cut your cauliflower into bite-sized florets. I like them on the larger side for this dish.
Place cauliflower florets on the baking pan. Drizzle the cauliflower with about a tablespoon of olive oil, tossing to fully coat, then sprinkle with sea salt and roast it for about 20-25 minutes or until it is tender and browned in spots. You may need to toss the cauliflower midway through the roasting time to help things cook evenly.
Meanwhile, make the Romesco sauce: In the bowl of a food processor or in a blender, pulse together roasted red pepper, tomatoes, garlic, almonds, balsamic, smoked paprika, cayenne and sea salt until chunky and combined.
Slowly drizzle in the olive oil through the top of the blender of the food processor feed and continue to blend until a sauce has formed. (You can leave it on the chunky side or smoother depending on your preference.)
Once the cauliflower is cooked, remove it from the oven and place in in a serving bowl. Drizzle the Romesco sauce by the spoonful over the top, then sprinkle with extra slivered almonds and a sprinkle of fresh parsley if desired just before serving.
Roasted Frozen Cauliflower
You can roast frozen cauliflower in almost the exact same way as you would roast fresh cauliflower.
Preheat the oven to 450˚F and place the frozen cauliflower on a large baking pan lined with foil or parchment paper. Make sure to space out the florets so that the heat can circulate around the pieces.
Drizzle or spray the cauliflower with olive oil and season with sea salt. Place the pan in the preheated oven and roast the cauliflower for about 15 minutes.
Remove the pan and give the pieces a toss to expose the other sides of the pieces and help get nice, golden bits; roast for another 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and browned.
Video
FAQ’s
Romesco sauce is a Spanish, tomato-based sauce that originated in Catalonia. It typically contains tomatoes (sometimes roasted), nuts (usually almonds or hazelnuts), garlic, oil and vinegar. Stale bread is sometimes used as a thickener. It’s delicious over just about anything!
Yes. I recommend roasting the cauliflower just before serving, but the Romesco sauce can be made 3-4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yes. Place the sauce in an airtight, freezer-safe container (or spoon into ice cube trays) and freeze for up to 3 months.
Variations & Substitutions
Looking for a few other ways to enjoy roasted cauliflower? Try these variations:
- Try roasting or grilling the tomatoes before blending them into the sauce to intensify the flavor.
- Experiment with different types of nuts such as hazelnuts & walnuts.
- Thicken up the sauce by blending in a few pieces of stale bread.
- Sprinkle a bit of Manchego cheese over the top for some decadence!
Diet-Specific Substitutions
This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan, so it makes a great dish to serve to a crowd with a variety of dietary needs!
To make it allergy-friendly for those with nut allergies, you could try using roasted sunflower seeds. (It will change the flavor a bit, but will give a similar texture.
Roasted Cauliflower with Romesco Sauce
