Cauliflower Doesn't Have To Bore You: How To Triple The Flavor With Just 2 Ingredients

Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that gets a bad rap because almost no one cooks it right. Just like cabbage and sprouts, it's the butt of jokes and a food that kids love to hate. But with just a couple of ingredients and a fresh preparation technique, you can transform pale florets into crispy smashed cauliflower (inspired by the best smashed potatoes). All you need is parmesan, olive oil, seasonings, and a hot oven.

While the go-to culinary wisdom warns against boiling cauliflower, the real issue is usually over-cooking or boiling it and doing nothing more. For this recipe, you need to boil or steam your cauliflower until it's just about tender. Next, put it on a lined baking sheet with a healthy amount of shredded parmesan and add seasonings like garlic and onion powder before drizzling olive over everything. Before you pop the tray in a hot oven (425 degrees Fahrenheit), use a heavy glass or a strong spatula to crush each of your cauliflower florets. Just like in the smashed potato recipes that inspired this one, the increased surface area of each floret will allow it to crisp up beautifully. 

After 25 to 30 minutes in the oven, the dish should be a golden-brown delight. Once roasted, the cauliflower will be crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside, rich from both the olive oil and the cheese. And speaking of the cheese; that shaved parm turns into a huge cheese crisp, leaving every floret with a crunchy skirt when they're broken apart.

This recipe can be adjusted to almost any tastes. The hero ingredient is the parmesan, with its salty umami depth and magical crisping powers, but don't let that keep you in an Italian flavor jail. Lean into the smashed cauliflower's similarity to crispy potatoes by drizzling ranch dressing over your roasted florets, or add paprika and cayenne to your oil and parmesan if you like smoke and spice.

Cauliflower (or gobi in Hindi) is a popular ingredient in Indian cooking. You can pay homage to that cuisine with spices like cumin, coriander seeds, or a premixed masala or curry powder. These flavors won't fight with the rich olive oil and umami cheese — they'll just add a bright, spicy high note to the dish.

And if you do want to keep things classic and continental, chuck some minced garlic into your sheet pan a few minutes before you take it out of the oven and finish the florets with herbs like parsley or basil. You could also drizzle over pesto for the same tried and tested flavor combo as this two-ingredient pea dish.

No matter what seasonings and garnishes you use, it's possible to pump up the flavor further by swapping plain olive oil for infused. Infused oils are easy to make at home and have a ton of culinary uses. If you add an infused oil before cooking, its flavors will get deep into the soft, rich centers of the cauliflower florets, while drizzling it just before serving will create something more like a dressing.