Parmesan Cauliflower Steaks

Of all the cauliflower recipes out there, you got to try my Parmesan Cauliflower Steaks! 

Dear Cauliflower, you’re doing wayyy too much! and I love you for it!

This dish can be modified for any diet. It’s low carb, gluten free, and vegetarian. This recipe can be made keto by serving it as is or serving it on top of zoodles instead of regular pasta.

Parmesan Cauliflower Steaks ? Wait, what?

Lets start by talking about the power of cauliflower and how healthy and delicious it is. When I first tried a cauliflower steak in a restaurant, I was impressed! It was seasoned well, roasted and very filling. 

What makes it a “steak” per se is that instead of serving it in florets, you will take a whole head of cauliflower and you will cut it vertically into 3 or 4 pieces, leaving the bottom intact to make like a slab of steak. 

What ingredients do I need to make this

You will need these simple ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower

• olive oil

• salt – I use kosher, it’s just preference for me but you can use any salt you like.

• freshly ground black pepper

• Italian seasoning- remember I’m the spice snob and I realllllly love Flavor God Italian seasoning, which has paprika in it. If you are using regular Italian seasoning, add some paprika as well!

• heirloom tomato sauce- I know, I know you’re thinking wait now you are getting fancy! But trust me on this one, you haven’t had tomato sauce until 1. you have it homemade or 2. you’ve had heirloom tomato sauce. Heirlooms are the best and they are even better in a tomato sauce. You can totally sub out and use regular tomato sauce as well.

• mozzarella or freshly grated parmesan cheese- I like to use a blend from Trader Joe’s but any kind of parmesan or mozzarella will work.

You can add additional seasonings if you like, or add fresh garlic. 

How is this prepared

This will be a roasted cauliflower, prepared on a baking sheet. You will start by rinsing and cleaning one head cauliflower and patting it dry. Cut the head vertically down.

If you do end up with some florets, that’s ok. You can still roast those as well.  (though they might cook a little faster, they will still taste good)

Take the cauliflower slices and drizzle some olive oil and season them up. They will be placed in the oven to let them cook on one side for a few minutes. 

Then you will take the cauliflower out and flip it over. Return it to the oven where it will finish baking. 

After it’s done, remove it and add the sauce and the cheese and then you will place it back in the oven once more, this time under the broiler to melt the cheese. 

If you would like a more crispy parmesan cauliflower steak, you can place this in the airfryer instead.

How can I serve this dish

Roasted cauliflower steaks are delicious on of top penne pasta or any pasta shape. You can enjoy them as is or serve it as an appetizer or side dish. 

Why cauliflower parmesan is so good

Cauliflower has such a mild flavor. I think it absorbs all these flavors really well and this is such an easy preparation. 

Can I cook this as meal prep

You can! I will warn you though- when I eat this the next day, it does lose a little of the texture. However it is still very tasty!

Why I created Parmesan Cauliflower Steaks

I love Chicken Parmesan and wanted to create a vegetarian version. We don’t always have chicken on hand and I’ve been on mission to eat more vegetables for 2023, so it made perfect sense to create Parmesan Cauliflower!

I chose cauliflower because I really like it versatility.

Let’s get cooking!

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Need more vegetarian recipe ideas? Be sure to check out my 5 Ingredient Penne Pasta and also my Meatless Lasagna Soup!