How to Prepare Cauliflower and Recipes to Get You Started

Sharing is caring!

Caulflower s one of my absolute favorte vegetables (I can honestly eat a whole head by myself n one sttng), but t wasn’t always ths way. Growng up, we ddn’t each much caulflower but when we dd t was steamed and borng…untl you put the cheese sauce on top.

Whle I contnue to love caulflower wth cheese sauce (I mean, what s there not to love?), I have come to realze that really what you are tastng s the cheese and not the amazng vegetable underneath.

So, n the hopes of helpng you to dscover the wonderful joy to be found n ths lovely vegetable, I wanted to share tps on how to prepare caulflower and recpes to get you started.

Nutrtonal Benefts of Caulflower

Caulflower s a crucferous vegetable, whch means t s n the same famly as broccol, cabbage, kale, bok choy, and Brussels sprouts, all nutrent-dense, fantastc addtons to our dets.

In partcular, caulflower s hgh n antoxdants such as Vtamn C, K, and manganese whch help your body to have a strong mmune system, as well as prevent such llnesses as cancer, heart dsease, and arthrts.

In addton, t’s packed wth fber, whch helps to keep thngs regular and happy n your dgestve system, and also helps you to feel full for longer.

How to Prepare a Caulflower

Whle you can buy caulflower already turned nto florets or rced (whch s a great tme saver!), here are some tps to make preparng caulflower easy.

How to Cut a Caulflower nto Florets

Here s what I have found to be the most effcent way to chop caulflower florets:

Step 1: Remove the outer leaves.

Step 2: Use a chef’s knfe to cut off the stem so that you get a more or less flat bottom.

Step 3: Cut the caulflower n half.

Step 4: Cut each half n half agan to form quarters.

Step 5: Cut off the rest of the stem (I lke to save ths to dce and add to my florets)

Step 6: Use your fngers to break off florets n the sze you want.

Step 7: If necessary, cut larger florets nto smaller ones.

How to Make Caulflower Rce

Makng caulflower rce couldn’t be smpler. There are two ways to make t: n the food processor or wth a box grater.

How to Make Caulflower Rce n the Food Processor

Makng caulflower rce n the food processor s super easy! It only takes 3 steps:

Step 1: Roughly cut up the caulflower n any way that s easy for you—t doesn’t need to be even or pretty.

Step 2:  Set up your food processor wth the gratng blade.

Step 3: Turn on your food processor and feed the caulflower peces through the tube.

How to Make Caulflower Rce Wthout a Food Processor

If you don’t have a food processor or are nervous about usng one, you can also easly make caulflower rce wth a box grater. All you do s put your box grater down on ts sde, take the head of caulflower, and rub t back and forth over the box grater to shred the caulflower.

How to Cook Caulflower

Caulflower can be roasted, sautéed, steamed, and mashed all to great effect. And even better, none of them are hard to do!

How to Roast Caulflower

To roast caulflower, preheat the oven to 450 degrees

Lne a bakng sheet wth parchment paper (ths step s optonal but makes clean up easer)

Toss the caulflower n ol (I lke usng olve or coconut ol), salt, pepper, and any other spces you lke (chl powder and garam masala are two of my favortes)

Place t onto the bakng sheet and make sure that t s n a sngle layer (f you need to use two bakng sheets, go for t and just rotate them once, half-way through roastng)

Roast for 15 – 20 mnutes, or untl they the florets are startng to brown

How to Sauté Caulflower

Sautéeng caulflower s quck and easy, just heat some olve ol n a large skllet, toss n the caulflower and sauté t, strrng occasonally untl t s fork-tender, about 4 – 5 mnutes. If you want to make t more nterestng, you can add herbs and/or spces such as thyme, basl, chl powder, garam masala, za’atar, or paprka.

How to Steam Caulflower

Steamed caulflower s low n fat and smple to do. Put about 1 nch of water n the bottom of a pot and brng the water to a bol. Place the caulflower nto a steamer basket, sprnkle wth salt, place the steamer basket over the bolng water, and cover. Allow to steam for 4 – 8 mnutes (the tme wll depend on the sze of your florets), or untl tender. Remove from the heat, move to a bowl, and season to taste.

How to Mash Caulflower

To mash caulflower, follow the steps descrbed above for steamng caulflower (you can also add some chopped garlc, f desred), but allow t to steam untl the florets are very soft, about 8 – 10 mnutes.

Remove the florets to a large bowl, f you are usng an mmerson blender, or nto a blender. Add some sour cream or buttermlk, salt, and pepper, and puree untl smooth.

Caulflower Recpes to Get You Started

Here are some great, easy caulflower recpes to get you started ncludng our massvely popular Vegge Caulflower Fred Rce (see recpe below)!

Indan Caulflower Tossed wth Chckpeas and Cashews

Vegge Caulflower Fred Rce

Creamy Caulflower Soup wth Pomegranates and Peanuts

[ultmate-recpe d="33685" template="default"]

Want more deas? Check out my post on how to make caulflower rce and caulflower couscous for more tps and recpes!