Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

In this recipe, vegan chef Robin Robertson shows how to create homemade vegan foods from everyday ingredients. This vegan roasted cauliflower piccata is bursting with flavor and is a great choice for making your weeknight dinner feel a little extra special. This recipe comes courtesy of her new book, Veganize It, where delicious and easy is the name of the game.

Roasted Cauliflower Piccata

Author: Robin Robertson

5 from 7 votes

When you cut a head of cauliflower like you would a loaf of bread, the resulting slabs can be roasted and served as delicious cauliflower steaks. My favorite way to season them is with a luscious lemony piccata sauce and mushrooms atop a serving of creamy mashers.

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Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower, cored
• olive oil, for cooking
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup of sliced mushrooms
• 2 scallions, minced
• ⅓ cup of dry white wine or vegetable broth, store-bought or homemade
• 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1½ tablespoons of capers, drained
• ¼ cup of fresh parsley, minced 
• 2 teaspoons of vegan butter, store-bought or homemade, chilled
• mashed potatoes with sour cream and chives, for serving

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly oil two large rimmed baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
• Place the cauliflower on a cutting board, cored-side down, and use a long serrated knife to cut it into ½-inch-thick slices, as if you were cutting a loaf of bread. Arrange the cauliflower slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets and brush with a little olive oil or spray with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast the cauliflower until tender and nicely browned, 25 to 30 minutes, turning once with a large metal spatula about halfway through.
• While the cauliflower is roasting, make the sauce. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and scallions and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Add the wine, lemon juice, and capers and cook, stirring, until the liquid reduces slightly. Just before serving, add the parsley, then stir in the butter to melt it into the sauce.
• To serve, spoon a serving of the mashed potatoes onto each plate and top with a cauliflower steak. Spoon the sauce on top.

Course dinner

Cuisine Italian

Keyword cauliflower, gluten free, Italian, meat-free, vegan, vegan dinner, vegetarian

Cauliflower Power

Calling all cauliflower lovers! This cruciferous vegetable is a true superstar—amazing for making vegan Alfredo, chopping into a salad, and of course roasting! Cauliflower is part of the cabbage family, along with kale, bok choy, and broccoli but offers a creamier flavor than the aforementioned. Additionally, cauliflower offers a heap of nutritional benefits that make this food a true rockstar.

• Choline, Choline – (Meant to be read in the tune of Dolly Parton’s Jolene but I digress.) Choline is an essential nutrient that many people are deficient in but thanks to cauliflower, you now have a delicious way to get your daily dose! Choline not only synthesizes DNA and supports a healthy metabolism but also aids in the production of neurotransmitters that are essential for a healthy nervous system.
• Awesome Antioxidants – Cauliflower contains an awesome antioxidant called sulforaphane which is known to inhibit cancer growth. Research also shows that sulforaphane could also help reduce high blood pressure which helps to prevent heart disease.
• Full of Fiber – Looking for a delicious way to get in some fiber? Look no further than the mighty cauliflower! For every cup of cauliflower, you get a whopping 3 grams of fiber which is 10% of your daily need.

How to Serve Up Your Roasted Cauliflower Piccata

This recipe goes wonderfully with a variety of other foods! If mashed potatoes aren’t calling you, here are some other suggestions on how to enjoy your roasted cauliflower piccata:

• Get Your Greens – Sauté some spinach with garlic or get spicy with our Spicy Sesame Sautéed Kale. If you’re feeling a little more raw, throw together a simple salad.
• Pasta Party – Pasta is the perfect pairing for this roasted cauliflower piccata—you can’t go wrong with our Vegan One-Pot Pasta or Vegan Pesto Pasta. 
• Roast More Veggies – If you’re on a roasting spree, why not roast up some other dishes such as Vegan Pesto Gnocchi & Roasted Veggies or Ratatouille? Go wild and enjoy!

Storing Your Cauliflower Piccata

Keep your roasted cauliflower piccata in an airtight container and it should last up to three days in the fridge. Freezing is not recommended since the consistency of the sauce may make the cauliflower a little mushy.

Get your copy of Veganize It! here:

More Delicious Roasted Vegan Recipes to Try:

• Savory Roasted Chickpeas
• Roasted Root Vegetables
• Roasted Beets with Basil & Orange Macadamia Ricotta

Text excerpted from VEGANIZE IT! © 2017 by Robin Robertson. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved. Photo by William and Susan Brinson. Article written by Michelle Cehn and edited by Amanda Meth. Please note that this article may contain affiliate links which supports our work at World of Vegan.