I roast vegetables all the time: cauliflower, broccoli, kale, and so on. With how often I roast vegetables, the oven may very well be my favorite kitchen appliance.

When I’m cooking, I’m all about efficiency. Roasting vegetables takes surprisingly little effort. I preheat the oven and prepare whatever vegetables I have on hand. After tossing them into the oven, I set a timer, wait 25 minutes, and viola! Dinner is served. Tasty, healthy, crispy roasted vegetables.

Lately, I’ve been really enjoying cauliflower (cauliflower rice and cauliflower crust cheese pizza). This week, when I was grocery shopping, I saw purple cauliflower and got excited. Purple was my favorite color as a child. I can only imagine if I had known about purple cauliflower back then!

I cooked the purple cauliflower just like I would regular, white cauliflower. I started by preheating the oven and cutting the florets from the head.

Most people usually stop there, but I like to keep going, preparing and roasting the stem too. I love the taste of cauliflower and broccoli stems and often include them in my cooking.

I placed the pieces on my baking sheet layered with a silicone baking mat. Then, I poured on some olive oil and sprinkled salt and pepper—admittedly, the more professional approach would be to toss it all in a bowl ahead of time (as suggested in my recipe below), but, especially if I’m just cooking for myself, I’m happy to cut corners to save time and avoid washing more dishes.

Sometimes I use other spices and herbs, but this time I wanted to keep it simple—just oil, salt, and pepper.

As I removed the tray from the oven, I enjoyed a pleasant surprise: the cauliflower had turned an even more beautiful, vibrant hue of purple.

I quickly scooped them off the sheet pan and into a bowl, then out of the bowl and into my belly. They tasted as good as they looked, and I’m eager to make them again.

I hope you try roasting some purple cauliflower of your own. Let me know if you do!

Items used in this post:

• Cutting board – this one from IKEA is sturdy and affordable
• Santoku knife – I swear by Japanese style santoku knifes instead of the more common chef’s knife. I love the feel of Calphalon’s Katana series santoku.
• Baking sheet – I reach for these several times a week
• Silicone baking mat – I keep several of these on hand for easy, eco-friendly cleanup
• Serving bowl – this IKEA MYNDIG bowl gets a lot of use at my house during parties
• Handmade linen napkin

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Roasted Purple Cauliflower Florets

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Servings: 2 cups

Author: Nina

Ingredients

• 1 head purple cauliflower (or any cauliflower)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Wash cauliflower.

3. Cut cauliflower into florets and slice up the stem.

4. Toss cauliflower pieces in olive oil, salt, and pepper to coat.

5. Lay florets and stem slices onto a silicone baking mat on a baking sheet.

6. Place baking sheet with cauliflower pieces into the oven for 15 minutes.

7. Stir cauliflower and bake for another 10 minutes until edges are lightly browned.