Humble cauliflower gets a major upgrade when it’s cut into thick slabs, deeply browned, and served with a pungent, vibrant chimichurri. This is the perfect dish for anyone looking for a break from meat. The cauliflower is hearty, flavorful, and satisfying. For perfectly cooked cauliflower steaks, we opted for two cooking methods—steaming and roasting in a scorching oven.
Steaming the cauliflower briefly under foil followed by uncovered roasting under high heat produced well-caramelized steaks with tender interiors, ready for a generous slathering of sauce. Look for a fresh, firm, bright white head of cauliflower that feels heavy for its size and is free of blemishes or soft spots; florets are more likely to separate from older heads of cauliflower. We also enjoy using Salsa Verde (this page) or Chermoula (this page) on the cauliflower steaks in place of the chimichurri.
Jump to RecipeInstructions :
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Discard outer leaves of cauliflower and trim stem flush with bottom florets. Halve cauliflower lengthwise through core. Cut one 1½-inchthick slab lengthwise from each half, trimming any florets not connected to core. (You should have two 10-ounce steaks; reserve remaining cauliflower for another use.)
- Place steaks on rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and rub to distribute. Flip steaks and repeat.
- Cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 5 minutes. Remove foil and continue to roast until bottoms of steaks are well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Gently flip and continue to roast until tender and second sides are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve with chimichurri.
Cauliflower Steaks With Chimichurri
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower 2 pounds
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 6 tablespoons Chimichurri
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Discard outer leaves of cauliflower and trim stem flush with bottom florets. Halve cauliflower lengthwise through core. Cut one 1½-inchthick slab lengthwise from each half, trimming any florets not connected to core. (You should have two 10-ounce steaks; reserve remaining cauliflower for another use.)
- Place steaks on rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and rub to distribute. Flip steaks and repeat.
- Cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 5 minutes. Remove foil and continue to roast until bottoms of steaks are well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Gently flip and continue to roast until tender and second sides are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve with chimichurri.