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Looking for a quick and healthy way to cook cauliflower? I’ve got an easy recipe for roasted cauliflower with a delicious ranch twist!
Prepping cauliflower
If you like ranch dressing on your salad, you’ll love the tangy flavor on roasted cauliflower!
But to be honest, I hate cutting cauliflower as much as I love eating it. So to keep this recipe quick and easy, I cut the cauliflower as soon as I buy it (that’s a good habit to get into with almost all vegetables!). That way it’s ready when I need it.
I use something like this, possibly one of my favorite kitchen gadgets of all time, which cores an entire head of cauliflower in one quick step! There’s also this, which seems like it would work on even more vegetables than my corer.
Storing cauliflower
I’ve been working on this one bag of cut cauliflower for over a week, with not a brown spot in sight. The trick is, after I cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets and rinse them, I let them drain as much as possible. Then I put them into a big zipper bag and stick a folded paper towel in there to absorb moisture. I push as much air out of the bag as I can, and voila, cauliflower ready when I need it!
Homemade or store-bough ranch?
I’ve made this recipe with both homemade ranch powder and packets of ranch powder that I bought. Both work great!
I love making my own ranch dressing. It’s ready in just a few minutes, because I grind the spices into a find powder, so you don’t have to let it sit for the herbs to soften up and release their flavor.
For this recipe, I use the same mix of herbs, but I don’t grind them, I just crush them smaller, which I think works better for clinging to the cauliflower and not clumping.
If you like a really intense ranch flavor, use more ranch powder. If you like a lighter taste, use less. And my husband puts in a little hot sauce, which my daughter loves too. Definitely not for me, but go ahead and experiment!
Roasted Ranch Cauliflower Recipe
Easy and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground pepper
- 1½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 1½teaspoons dried parsley
- 1½ teaspoons dried chives
- 1½ teaspoons dried dill weed
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- Hot sauce, to taste (optional)
- Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
- Put the kosher salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme, dried parsley, dried chives, and dried dill weed into a sandwich- or quart-sized baggie, and crush with a rolling pin (don't crush into a powder, you want some texture!)
- Put the cauliflower, olive oil, breadcrumbs, hot sauce (to taste, if using), and as much ranch mix as you want into a large bowl and stir well, until cauliflower is coated (use half of the ranch mix for a milder ranch flavor, and all 4 tablespoons of the ranch mix for a more intense ranch flavor)
- Spread the coated cauliflower out into a single layer on the prepared baking sheet
- If there's any ranch/breadcrumbs mix left in the bowl, sprinkle it over the cauliflower
- Bake for 20-30 minutes on the middle oven rack, turning the pieces over after 15 minutes
- Enjoy as is, or with a sprinkle of grated parmesan
Notes
If you don't want to make your own ranch mix, just use a packaged version and skip the first 8 ingredients.
Want to make coring your cauliflower easier? You need one of these!
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Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
4 peopleAmount Per Serving Calories 193Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 1mgSodium 619mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 5gSugar 4gProtein 5g
Nutritional information is an estimate only.
Carol
Sunday 26th of June 2016
Another good recipe is combine cauliflower florets with quartered fresh tomatoes, add diced garlic sprinkled throughout. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 350 for approx. an hour or until cauliflower is cooked.
Kathy Lee
Sunday 8th of May 2016
I love cauliflower and I am always looking for new and easy recipes to try. This was extremely good and a hit with my friends who shared dinner with me. I was short on time so I partily steamed the cauliflower before hand and I got the same results. Thank you.
Jill L
Sunday 10th of June 2012
This looks really tasty. I'm always looking to change up my usual steamed cauliflower. Thanks.
Jessica
Saturday 9th of June 2012
Thank you for your advice on storing ready to cook cauliflower! I have two whole heads taking up way too much room in our small refrigerator. I'll have to try roasting it your way soon.
Amy
Saturday 9th of June 2012
@Jessica: Oh yeah, that's the other big benefit! So much smaller to store when cut up.
elissapr
Saturday 9th of June 2012
LOVE roasted cauliflower...it's a big hit in my house. Next time, add grated parm to the breadcrumbs. YUM.