Roasted Cauliflower Steak with Chimichurri Sauce (2024)

Oven roasted cauliflower steak is my new favorite way to eat cauliflower. This dish can be served as vegetarian entrée or side dish or light meal! The flavors added to cauliflower steak while roasting along with chimichurri sauce together will blow your mind away!

Another great side dish to make is cabbage steaks. Roasting vegetables brings out it’s wonderful flavors, with spice rub it turns into flavor packed vegetable side dish.

Why you should try cauliflower steak recipe

Include more vegetables in your diet: This is undoubtedly the best vegetarian steak recipe you’ll have. This hearty plant based dish that is great as entrée or side dish but can be served as main if you are looking for clean light meals. I ate it for dinner (I truly didn’t mind it as a meal for my dinner) and it was very satisfying.

Serves great with many different sauces or mash: Serve it with a sauce, like chimichurri sauce which is a classic combination that never fails. But don’t stop there, go ahead and try it with spiced tahini like harissa tahini, or with mashed peas or your own favorite sauce. If you don’t mind extra carbs, serve it with potato mash or sweet potato mash. Or simply with cauliflower mash itself made from crumbly leftover bits of cauliflower from cutting steaks.

Addany spice or herbs of your choice: Cauliflower is an excellent blandcanvas. Fill it up with spices, herbs, oils. Cauliflower absorbs all thewonderful spices and seasoning, and when roasted until golden brown it bringsout the sweetness and wonderful taste of cauliflower. Cauliflower soaks up all the flavors and staysfirm after roasting, giving you best vegetarian steak experience. Vegetariansor meat lovers, anybody is sure to love it.

Serveas entrée or even main: Truly you can serve this roasted cauliflower simplyas a main dish with gravy or mash or any sauce. It’s great for days when youare longing to eat clean and healthy.Thebest way to serve these steaks are as sides along with roast chicken or lamb.

No wastage: Don’t worry about crumbly bits of cauliflower when you cut out thick steak from the middle. You won’t be chucking them into the bin. Easiest thing to do it roast all the crumbly bits with same spice blend as steaks, but in different pan as they will brown faster and serve these roasted cauliflower with any meal. Or simply turn the crumbly bits into cauliflower rice to make low carb cauliflower fried rice or make creamy and light cauliflower cheese sauce.

Ingredients needed

You’ll need –

It’s best to use large cauliflower heads so you get big meaty steaks.

This recipe uses Cajun seasoning, which can be easily substituted with smoked paprika or cayenne pepper. I used cayenne pepper instead of cajun seasoning.

How to cut cauliflower steaks

First remove the green inedible leafy parts from the base of the cauliflower.

Trim off little part of the stem if it’s too long. Make sure you don’t cut too deep. We want to keep the core/stem intact.

Cut cauliflower head right through the middle into half.

Cut and 1 inch thick slice of steak from each half of the cauliflower. The smaller florets will break and fall part, it’s okay. I was able to get 3 decent sized steaks from one cauliflower head. The number of steaks will vary depending on the size of cauliflower head. You should be able to get 2 hearty steaks at least from each cauliflower.

Save the crumbly florets bits that can be used to make mashed cauliflower, cauliflower fritters or use it in vegetarian curries.

What goes in the spice mix

I used kosher salt, finely crushed pepper, garlic powder and Cajun seasoning.

Mix together all the spices and use as much or as little you would like.

Note : Adjust amount of spice mix to sprinkle on steak depending on your spice level tolerance.

How to make roasted cauliflower steak

Grease your baking tray with oil. Arrange steaks on a baking tray.

Drizzle olive oil over each steak on both sides and rub it very gently all over the surface of the steak.

Sprinkle the seasoning mix (salt, pepper, garlic powder and Cajun seasoning mix) as little or as generously as you like on both sides. Using gentle fingers rub the spice mix all over the steak.

Cover tray tightly with aluminum foil. This will help cook the steaks and soften it too.

In apreheated oven at 500 degree Fahrenheit, roast it for 15 minutes.

Remove foil and continue to roast the steaks for 3 to 5 minutes or until it begins to brown.

Flip it oncein between and roast it until golden brown on the other side.

Broil it for a minute to sear it if needed.

Serve itimmediately with creamy chimichurri sauce or a mash.

These roastedsteaks tend to become softer due to the moisture in it after cooking, so it’sbest served immediately, right out of the oven.

How to make chimichurri sauce

Try this ridiculously delicious chimichurri sauce. It’s simple and easy it is to make.

Cook’s Tip : If you want creamier texture of chimichurri sauce simple pulse the ingredients in a blender for 1 or 2 seconds or more depending on how creamier your sauce needs to be.

You canstore chimichurri sauce for 5 to 7 days in an air tight container whenrefrigerated. For longer storage, freezer it in zip lock bags in freezer and itcan last up to 3 months.

What to do with leftover crumbly cauliflower florets

Don’t worry about crumbly bits of cauliflower when you cut out thick steak from the middle. You won’t be chucking them into the bin. Easiest thing to do it roast all the crumbly bits with same spice blend as steaks, but in different pan as they will brown faster and serve these roasted cauliflower with any meal.

How to serve cauliflower steak

The best wayto serve cauliflower steaks is serve it immediately drizzled with chimichurrisauce as side with roast chicken or lamb.

I don’t mindserving it for my mains. Generous drizzle of chimichurri sauce or mashed peasor with harissa tahini along with good squeeze of lime, it’s hearty andsatisfying.

Other variations

Cauliflower is like an blank canvas, you can season with any flavors of your choice. It allows you to fill it up with any spices, herbs and oil.

Try and picksome of your suggestions below –

• Salt, pepper, garlic powder and maple syrup.
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin powder.
• Salt, turmeric powder, curry powder.
• Salt, pepper, cumin powder, coriander powder and cayenne pepper.

Other cauliflower recipes to consider:

• Cheesy Cauliflower Bread Sticks
• Spiced Roasted Cauliflower Soup
• Creamy Cauliflower Soup