Need a new way to serve Cauliflower? This whole roasted BBQ cauliflower is it! The kids love the novelty of the cauliflower being whole and a sticky BBQ sauce with crispy breadcrumbs finishes this side dish off like a dream. If you've ever had problems getting the kids to eat cauliflower (I hear ya!) then this could be the recipe that changes that... :)

Whole Roasted BBQ Cauliflower

2 of my kids used to have a real problem with cauliflower, like, they'd get all prickly if I was cooking it, they could smell it even before they knew and so the mood was set. And then I made this Broccoli and Cauliflower casserole and things started looking up.

After the initial realisation that they maybe didn't hate all things cauliflower, I decided to start experimenting and this was the next recipe involving cauliflower they ate and even asked for again. That's a big win for me and so if they ask, I'm making!

The thing about this whole roasted BBQ cauliflower is that it's quite sweet from the sticky sauce, and when you put this together with the crispy breadcrumbs, it magically turns into a variation of their favorite foods. It's not breadcrumbed in the same way as a fish-finger or something would be but the crunch is there and that's good enough for them!

I usually make this when there's a little more time available. It's probably not the sort of thing you make when you're knackered from a long day and the kids are starving, but the beauty of this is that you can prep it ahead and get the whole thing ready to go into the oven.....and then just leave it in the fridge until you're ready for it. Letting the oven do the heavy lifting is something I'm well versed in :)

BBQ Cauliflower

If I have a batch in the fridge and ready to use, I'll use my homemade BBQ sauce to make this recipe. If I don't and I'm not planning to make any, there's a few good Clean store bought ones you can use instead. This Organic unsweetened BBQ sauce is a really good one to use if you're buying it.

I've bought this on Amazon before as I've not seen it in any of my local shops, but have a look and see what's available to you. If you have a Whole foods store near you they may offer a good alternative. Just check the labels and see what's hiding in it :)

How To Roast A Whole Cauliflower

There's two things you need to do when you're roasting a cauliflower whole: Cook it slow and cook it low. Crunchy cauliflower's not a hit here, so making sure it's cooked all the way through is a must.

I bake this in a small-ish casserole pot. Make sure you buy a cauliflower that's going to be a snug fit for the casserole pot you have, as you want it to stay together during cooking and not fall apart :)

To prep the cauliflower I slice across the bottom enough to easily pull the leaves away but not so much that the florets start to break off. If you see the image below, the stalk is still fully intact and there's only a few little straggly leave still attached.

You then need to 'carve' a hole into the stalk: This will help the cauliflower cook from the bottom up while it's in the oven. I add a a little water to the pan so it steams itself whilst it's roasting, and this means it cooks a bit faster than it would otherwise.

Make sure you cover the cauliflower whilst it's roasting, you want it to not crisp on top so that later when you add the BBQ sauce and breadcrumbs they bind well with the cauli. If (like mine, most of the time!) your cauliflower is to tall for the casserole pot lid, just use a little foil to seal the pot whilst it's roasting. Either's fine.

Once the cauliflower's cooked it's then finished off with the BBQ sauce and breadcrumbs, uncovered to crisp up. And that's it. Easy :)

How To Eat

I make this as a side dish much as I would with other veggie side dishes. Thanks to the BBQ sauce, this goes really well with some simple grilled or pan fried chicken. The flavor of this cauliflower shines through, so I recommend serving it with something simple!

For kids that are older I'd let them serve themselves, straight from the dish (it's hot...be careful!) Getting the cauliflower out of the pot in once piece can be slightly challenging, so I stopped doing it. Cooked cauliflower is not especially stable, so if it's not going to come out in one piece, leave it in the pot!

Make Ahead

While you can prep this recipe a day or so before you want to serve it, it really needs to be served straight from the oven. The breadcrumbs are at their best when they're crispy and hot and once this cools down like most breadcrumbed recipes, isn't as good as when it's fresh.

If you want to prep this ahead of time you can cut the cauliflower and get it ready for the oven and then leave it in the fridge until you need it. Fresh cauliflower tends to stay good for a few days after I've bought it, so I'd say you can leave it in the fridge, prepared for a couple of days.

More Vegetable Recipes

How To Make Whole Roasted BBQ Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 Cauliflower Sliced flat across the bottom, with a hole (see post) in the bottom to help steam the Cauliflower
4 tbsp Water
½ Cup BBQ sauce Homemade (see post for recipe)
2 Slices Wholemeal bread Breadcrumbed
2 tbsp Olive oil
Salt and pepper To Season

Instructions

Heat the oven to 180°
Add the water to the casserole pot
Prep your cauliflower and pop it into the pot. Season the cauliflower with salt and pepper to taste. Put the lid on the casserole pot or tin foil
Roast the cauliflower for 45-55 minutes, depending on the size, until fully cooked through
Once the cauliflower is fully cooked, uncover it and turn the oven up to high
Spread the BBQ sauce over the cauliflower and work it into the cauliflower. Use your fingers (yep, it's messy!) to get the sauce into all the nooks and crannies :)
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the cauliflower as evenly as you can and then drizzle the Olive oil over the top to help the breadcrumbs crisp up in the oven
Roast for another 10 minutes, uncovered, until the breadcrumbs are golden and crisp
Serve!

Whole Roasted BBQ Cauliflower recipe

Print Pin

No ratings yet