Name: Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 head Cauliflower; 1/3 cup Olive oil; 3 cloves Garlic ((crushed)); 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan cheese ((divided)); 1 tsp Dried basil; 1 tsp Dried parsley; 1 tsp Dried thyme; 1/2 tsp Sea salt ((or more to taste)); 1/4 tsp Black pepper

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Ready to learn how to roast a whole cauliflower head?! This whole roasted cauliflower recipe is a show-stopper, whether you’re a meat eater and having it as a side dish, or it’s the main course of a vegetarian meal. My whole roasted cauliflower with parmesan is flavorful, cooked perfectly, and tastes delicious! Whole baked cauliflower is drizzled with a garlic parmesan sauce, perfectly cooked, and sliced into circles or wedges for serving. It’s similar in flavor to my garlic parmesan oven roasted green beans, but with a more show-stopping presentation.

It sounds fancy, but I promise it’s easy! Garlic parmesan roasted cauliflower takes just 10 minutes of active time and the rest of the cooking time is done in the oven – no work needed. It’s really the best roasted cauliflower head and I can’t wait for you to try it out!

How To Roast A Whole Cauliflower Head

This oven roasted whole cauliflower recipe takes just 10 minutes to prep, and the rest is hands-off!

Here are the 6 easy steps for how to roast a whole cauliflower head:

Prep the cauliflower. Rinse and pat dry. Remove the outer leaves and cut off the bottom so that it’s flat.

TIP: Cut off the woody center of the bottom stalk, but be careful to not cut too much off, as cooking whole cauliflower requires the head to stay in tact. It should look like this on the bottom:

Make the garlic Parmesan sauce. Stir together olive oil, garlic, Parmesan, basil, parsley, thyme, sea salt, and black pepper.

Season the cauliflower. Start with the cauliflower head upside down (core side up) in a dutch oven – this one is the perfect size dutch oven for whole roasted cauliflower. Drizzle 1/2 the sauce over the top of it and let it drip down the core.

Season the top. Flip cauliflower over and drizzle with remaining sauce. Use a basting brush to spread it all over.

Bake cauliflower in the oven whole. Cover the dutch oven with lid and bake until the cauliflower is tender and pierces easily with a knife.
Broil whole roasted cauliflower with parmesan. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and broil until the cheese is browned. If you like, sprinkle with fresh parsley for garnish, and/or even additional parmesan.

How Long To Roast Cauliflower

For a whole roasted cauliflower recipe, roast it 35 to 45 minutes covered, followed by a few minutes under the broiler.

If you want to know how to make roasted cauliflower in the form of florets instead of roasting a whole cauliflower head, try a roasted cauliflower florets recipe instead. This will require much less time in the oven, but a bit more prep time.

How To Serve Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan

The hardest part of this garlic parmesan roasted cauliflower? Serving it! But don’t worry, I’m here to help. 😉

Here is how to serve whole roasted cauliflower:

Carefully lift the full roasted cauliflower out of the dutch oven and onto a cutting board. I usually use two large forks and lift from underneath.
Using a fork to hold the whole baked cauliflower with one hand, carefully cut the cauliflower. You can slice the cauliflower into “steaks” (large circles) or cut it into thin wedges, kind of like a pie. I prefer wedges, but it’s up to you!

Can You Make This Whole Roasted Cauliflower Recipe Ahead?

This recipe for oven roasted whole cauliflower is best fresh, but you can prep parts of it.

Wash and prep the head of cauliflower and mix up the garlic parmesan sauce. When you’re ready to cook the whole roast cauliflower, simply drizzle and brush with sauce, then bake.

Alternatively, you can also bake the whole roasted cauliflower with parmesan and reheat when you’re ready to eat it.

How To Freeze Whole Baked Cauliflower

This whole roasted cauliflower recipe can be frozen after baking. Simply cut it into slices or pieces, let it cool completely, and store in an airtight container.

Reheat until hot in the oven or microwave. (You might want to add some fresh parmesan and parsley on top!)

What To Serve With Garlic Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

Whole baked cauliflower recipes can be the star or main entree of a vegetarian meal, but cooking whole cauliflower also makes the perfect side dish to your favorite protein. Try out some of these main entrees:

Sirloin Steak In The Oven – The best way to cook steak, this sirloin steak has a delicious balsamic steak marinade and is delicious with easy roasted cauliflower head.
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore – You’ll love this flavorful chicken recipe, made easy in the slow cooker.
Keto Low Carb Pot Roast – Traditionally served with potatoes, whole baked cauliflower is the perfect low carb side.
Crock Pot Tuscan Garlic Chicken – All this tasty chicken recipe needs is a baked cauliflower head on the side.

Tools To Make Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.

Paring Knife – Wondering how to roast a whole cauliflower head? Start with the prep – a paring knife makes it easier to cut the woody stalk while keeping the head intact.
6 Quart Enameled Dutch Oven – Cook the roasted garlic parmesan cauliflower recipe in a dutch oven for the ultimate tender-crisp texture. This one is the perfect size to hold a head of cauliflower.
Porcelain Serving Platter – Put your cauliflower whole roasted recipe on display on a white porcelain serving platter.

How To Roast A Whole Cauliflower Head

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Ingredients

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1 head Cauliflower ▢
1/3 cup Olive oil ▢
3 cloves Garlic (crushed) ▢
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan cheese (divided) ▢
1 tsp Dried basil ▢
1 tsp Dried parsley ▢
1 tsp Dried thyme ▢
1/2 tsp Sea salt (or more to taste) ▢
1/4 tsp Black pepper ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).
Rinse the cauliflower head and pat dry. Remove the outer leaves. Carefully cut off the bottom so that it's flat and most of the woody stem is removed, being careful not to cut off so much that it falls apart. Be sure the head stays intact.
In a small bowl, make the garlic Parmesan sauce. Stir together the olive oil, minced garlic, 2 tablespoons (28.3 grams) grated Parmesan (half of the total amount), basil, parsley, thyme, sea salt, and black pepper.
Place the trimmed cauliflower head upside down (core side up) onto a 6-quart (5.6 liters) dutch oven. Drizzle 1/2 of the sauce over the cauliflower, tilting it to let it drip down the core and all around. Flip over and drizzle the remaining sauce over the top. Use a pastry brush to brush on any that had dripped down to the pan or didn't spread well.
Cover the dutch oven with a lid and bake for 35-45 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and pierces easily with a skewer, knife or fork.
Remove the lid. Sprinkle the top of the cauliflower with the remaining 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese. Place the cauliflower under the broiler and broil for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is browned.

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1/4 head of cauliflower

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 227

Fat 20g

Protein 5g

Total Carbs 8g

Net Carbs 5g

Fiber 3g

Sugar 2g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keywords: roasted cauliflower head, whole baked cauliflower, whole cauliflower recipes, whole roasted cauliflower, whole roasted cauliflower recipe

Calories: 227 kcal

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68 Comments

Deborah Love-Hawke
0 September 27, 2022Reply

This is the best whole cauliflower recipe we’ve found. Agree with other reviewers that you need to make more sauce, but overall delicious. After a recent heart event, we are trying more veg meals for the whole family. This one’s a keeper!
Cherie
0 September 16, 2022Reply

I have made this many times! It’s our go to for cauliflower! It’s easy and SO tasty! I have leftovers, and it’s easy to reheat!
Maryanne V.
0 August 1, 2022Reply

This was delicious. Followed the recipe except I added an extra tablespoon of parmesan by accident. Thank you for a great recipe I’ll be making weekly.
Christine
0 July 26, 2022Reply

I can’t believe I got this recipe right the first time! Just love it. Cauliflower had perfect texture and the parmesan was extra nice.. I did reduce the amount of herbs to about one tablespoon. I added extra 1/4 cup olive oil. I cooked it 5 minutes longer— a high altitude–and broiled it for 3 minutes instead of 5.. Really nice presentation.