Smoky Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower (2024)

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You know you’re on to something good when you’re cooking vegetables, but it smells like there’s a pizza in the oven. And for some reason, this Smoky Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower smelledexactlylike pizza.

I guess it was something about the garlic, oregano, and Parmesan that made this Smoky Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower smell so much like pizza, but it doesn’t matter. After smelling that for 30+ minutes I was ready to devour the cauliflower as soon as it came out of the oven. Did it taste like pizza? No, not really, but it had its own killer flavor. The smoky paprika, nutty Parmesan, and hints of oregano and garlic were to die for.

What to Serve with Roasted Cauliflower

You can serve this Smoky Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower as a side dish (it would go great with a pasta dish like Garden Vegetable Lasagna Roll Ups), or it can be served as an appetizer with some dipping sauces, like ranch dressing, chimichurri, 5-Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce, or pizza sauce.

Can I Substitute the Smoked Paprika?

If you’re just not into smoky flavors, this recipe is actually still really delicious (just a different flavor) if you leave the smoked paprika out. The combination of garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and Parmesan is still amazing with cauliflower. If you want to add some sweet paprika for color, you can do so.

Can I Use Frozen Cauliflower?

If you’ve been around Budget Bytes for a while, you probably know that I love to roast frozen broccoli florets. While you can use the same technique with this recipe using frozen cauliflower, it does create a softer, wetter end result. I like how the Parmesan crisps up really well when you use fresh cauliflower in this recipe.

Are you ready to make some pizza-smelling, mouth-watering cauliflower??

Try These Other Roasted Cauliflower Recipes:

• Curry Roasted Cauliflower
• Roasted Cauliflower and Quinoa Salad
• Spicy Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce
• Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
• Roasted Cauliflower Taco Bowls

How to Make Roasted Cauliflower – Step by Step Photos

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bow, mix together 1 Tbsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp salt, some freshly cracked pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill), and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan.

Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower, then cut it into small florets. I’m not sure how best to describe the size, just keep in mind that they will shrink a bit as they roast so you don’t want them TOO small, but larger florets will take longer to roast.

Place the florets in a large bowl and drizzle 1.5 Tbsp olive oil over top. Toss the florets until they’re evenly coated in oil. Add almost all of the Parmesan spice mixture and toss again. Save about 1/4 of the Parmesan spice mixture to sprinkle over top just before baking.

Spread the seasoned florets over a baking sheet covered in foil and lightly misted with non-stick spray. Sprinkle any Parmesan mixture from the bottom of the bowl, as well as the reserved portion, over top of the cauliflower. That kind of creates a crust on top.

Roast the cauliflower in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until they’re browned on the edges and the Parmesan has become a little crispy. Usually I stir vegetables at least once or twice while roasting, but this time I let it be so that the parmesan gets nice and crispy-brown on the bottom of the florets. It was SO GOOD.

Feed this to any self-proclaimed vegetable hater and then see what they say.

Also good dipped in a variety of sauces. NOM.