How to cook cauliflower? 13 fantastic recipes

Do cauliflower recipes not inspire you at all? Here are our favorites: we bet they will change your mind without a doubt!

Being good in the kitchen means (also) being able to make the most difficult palates appreciate less appetizing vegetables. If we talk about recipes with cauliflower, we already hear a good part of you turn up your nose, but today we are here to change your mind and to try to make you appreciate them !

It's true: cauliflowers are not beautiful, nor fragrant, but they are rich in benefits and properties . They contain Vitamin C , potassium, folic acid and calcium, they help regulate the presence of sugar in the blood and are therefore suitable for those suffering from diabetes ; the purple ones, then, are rich in anthocyanins renowned for their anti-aging and preventive action against neurodegenerative diseases.

In short, they should never be missing from our tables throughout the cold season! We will therefore accompany you on a journey to discover recipes with cauliflower: from cream soup to pancakes, including pasta.

• Cooking cauliflower
• Recipes
  • Gratin cauliflower
  • Pasta with cauliflower
  • Flan
  • Meatballs
  • Velvety
  • Pancakes
  • Pan-fried cauliflower
  • Cauliflower Cavour style
  • Cauliflower in batter without eggs
  • Cauliflower pizza
  • Cauliflower and bacon pasta
  • Poached cauliflower
  • Baked pasta with cauliflower

How to cook cauliflower

Did you know that cauliflowers are very easy to cook? Generalizing, we can say that every recipe always begins with blanching the cauliflower in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes . Then, they can be cooked in a pan or in the oven.

• Cauliflower takes about 20 minutes to cook in the oven at 200°C .
• In the pan the cauliflower cooks in about 15 minutes , covering with water or broth if necessary.
• If you fry them, it will take about 5 minutes per pancake.

13 recipes with cauliflower (for all tastes)

If you think of boiling them and eating them , however, you are wrong: once you learn to flavor them in a delicious way you will finally be able to love them. So let's see how to cook cauliflower in many different ways and many recipes to try!

The recipe for baked cauliflower au gratin

Let's start with a recipe that is as easy as it is good , that of cauliflower au gratin . Here are the ingredients needed for the cauliflower gratin recipe (for 4 people):

• 1 kg of cauliflower
• grated cheese to taste
• 200 g of fontina
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the béchamel:

• 80 g of flour
• 20 g of potato starch
• 100 g of butter
• 1 liter of whole milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Nutmeg to taste

Start boiling the florets in lightly salted boiling water, and in the meantime preheat the oven to 200°C . Prepare the béchamel by pouring the butter into a non-stick pan; add the flour and cook the roux until it is golden. Finally, add the pre-heated milk and, after 10 minutes, complete with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

At this point we assemble the pan: make a first layer of béchamel, one of diced fontina and finally the boiled cauliflower; cover everything with more béchamel and grated cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven . You can remove from the oven and serve when the vegetables are soft.

Pasta with white cauliflower

Let's now move on to a creamy and succulent first course: pasta with cauliflower . The ingredients needed for the pasta and cauliflower recipe (for 4 people) are:

• 400 g of cauliflower
• 400 g of pasta
• 1 clove of garlic
• Grated cheese to taste
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Start by cleaning and washing the vegetables before blanching them for 10 minutes in boiling salted water. Heat a clove of garlic in a pan with a drizzle of oil, then add the vegetables to flavour. Add the pasta that you have cooked and drained slightly al dente to the pan. Mix by adding the grated cheese, salt and pepper and a ladle of water.

The additional idea for offering it to children is to blend the cauliflower, in order to obtain a cream to add to the vegetarian pasta.

Cauliflower flan

If you're wondering what the difference is between cauliflower gratin and cauliflower flan , we're here to explain it to you! The second is a much more substantial , rustic and rich mixture (to be enriched as desired). The ingredients for the cauliflower and béchamel flan recipe (for 8 people) are as follows:

• 500 g of cauliflower
• 180 ml of bechamel
• 2 eggs
• grated cheese to taste
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• butter to taste

As usual, blanch the cauliflower in boiling salted water for about ten minutes, then obtain the florets. At this point, in a bowl, mix all the ingredients. Transfer everything into a baking dish, greased with butter, sprinkle the surface with plenty of cheese and cook at 180°C for about half an hour . Bring it to the table warm and enjoy the cauliflower pie as a second course.

Cauliflower meatballs

Cauliflower meatballs certainly cannot be missing: beautiful to look at, tasty and appetizing . For the cauliflower meatballs recipe (for 4 people) you will need:

• 1 cauliflower
• 120 g parmesan
• 120 g breadcrumbs
• 60 g 00 flour
• 3 eggs
• parsley to taste
• pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• extra virgin olive oil to taste

First wash the vegetables, then steam them for about 10-15 minutes. Mix the cauliflower florets with the other ingredients (eggs, salt, pepper, parsley and cheese); give it the classic round shape and, to do so, make the dough more mouldable with breadcrumbs and flour. For light cooking, bake at 180°C for 15-20 minutes , until they become golden and crispy.

If you wish, you can also fry them: dip them in a pan of boiling oil for 5/10 minutes or until they are golden. This way they will be more caloric but also tastier.

Cauliflower cream soup

The cauliflower cream is a velvety soup, which will comfort you on the coldest evenings and when you feel less like cooking. If you have the possibility, prepare it in large quantities, freeze it and take out single portions when necessary. For the recipe for the cauliflower and potato soup (for 4 people), the ingredients are:

• 1 cauliflower
• 2 leeks
• 2 potatoes
• vegetable broth to taste
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• croutons to taste

First, wash and finely cut the leeks and brown them in a saucepan with a drizzle of olive oil. Also add the potatoes and cauliflower to the pan, then cover with the broth and cook for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are nice and soft (and the broth reduced). Salt, pepper and blend with a blender.

You can plate it immediately or put it in special containers (or bags) for the freezer .

Cauliflower pancakes

To make cauliflower fritters , start with clean, washed and blanched cauliflowers for about 10 minutes in boiling salted water. We chose a mix of white and purple cauliflower, but you can easily use just one variety. The ingredients for the crispy battered cauliflower recipe (for 4 people) are:

• 1 cauliflower
• 2 eggs
• 2-3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• seed oil for frying to taste
• grated cheese to taste
• parsley to taste

Prepare the fried batter by combining eggs, salt, pepper, cheese and enough breadcrumbs (or flour) to obtain a firm and homogeneous mixture . Also add the cauliflower cooked for about 5-10 minutes in hot water and reduced to a coarse puree, then complete with freshly chopped parsley. Use a spoon to create quenelles and dip them into a pan of boiling oil. When they are just nice and golden, drain them with a slotted spoon and place them on a sheet of absorbent paper.

Salt to taste and serve hot with sauces to flavor everything. For an even more intense flavour, add spices such as turmeric or curry.

Pan-fried cauliflower

As a last recipe, we also offer you the simplest preparation: pan-fried cauliflower , flavored with chilli pepper, garlic and parsley. It's so tasty you won't be able to resist it! The ingredients for the spiced cauliflower recipe (for 4 people) are:

• 1 cauliflower
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste
• fresh or dried chili pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• fresh parsley to taste

Boil the cauliflower florets in boiling salted water for about 5-8 minutes ; in the meantime, heat the oil in a pan with the garlic clove and the chopped fresh chilli and leave to fry for a few minutes. Remove the garlic and add the vegetable, sautéing it until it is golden brown (you can also add a few spoonfuls of water if needed).

How many types of cabbage do you know?

Cauliflower Cavour style

If you are looking for one of the best cauliflower recipes out there, this preparation is just the one for you. Have you ever tried making Cavour-style cauliflower as a side dish? A delicious dish with butter and cheese and seasoned with a delicious anchovy-based sauce !

• 1 large cauliflower
• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 3 anchovies
• 90 g of butter
• 80 g of grated Grana Padano
• 1 sprig of parsley
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt to taste

Clean and cut the cauliflower into florets, then boil them in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes . Once the time has passed, when the cauliflower is cooked but still nice and compact, put it back in a pan where you have previously melted the butter and seasoned with salt. At this point, grease a baking tray with about 30 g of butter , pour in the vegetables, cover it with the grated cheese and bake for about 15 minutes at 180°C . While the cauliflower is cooking, chop the hard-boiled eggs in a small bowl and add the lemon, chopped fresh parsley and the drained anchovies in oil. Melt the remaining butter and add it to the boiled eggs and the other ingredients and mix everything together.

When the cauliflower is ready, remove it from the oven, sprinkle it with the sauce and serve it.

Cauliflower in batter without eggs

For a vegan diet without giving up taste, one of the dishes with cauliflower that we would really like you to try is cauliflower in batter without eggs . A recipe to be made both baked and fried , but equally tasty.

• 1 medium head of cauliflower
• 100 ml of beer
• 150 g of 00 flour
• 1 teaspoon of Paprika
• 1 pinch of chilli pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon of seed oil

Wash and cut the cauliflower into florets, then boil them in boiling water for a maximum of 5-10 minutes . Once the time has passed, drain them and dry them with absorbent paper. While the cauliflower cools, prepare the batter by mixing the flour, spices, salt, pepper and oil with the cold beer . Mix well and then dip the cauliflower in. Fry it in boiling seed oil for a few minutes (until it is golden) or cook in the oven at 190°C for 20 minutes .

Cauliflower pizza with vegetables

Flourless, light and perfect for those intolerant to gluten, among the quick recipes to make with cauliflower, cauliflower and vegetable pizza is certainly among the top positions . You can prepare it in a short time and it will be fun to amaze your friends!

• 600 g of cauliflower tops
• 60 g of grated cheese
• 2 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 50 g of pesto
• 100 g of growth
• 1 small courgette
• 1 small tomato
• rocket to taste

First, blend the raw (and well washed) cauliflower in a blender and reduce it almost to flour . Then mix it together with the eggs, salt, pepper and grated cheese. Take two baking trays covered with baking paper, divide the dough and shape each pan into a flat, circular shape (just like a pizza). Bake for about 20-25 minutes at 230°C , then remove from the oven and season with the remaining ingredients before serving (after seasoning you can also do a second pass in the oven for a maximum of 5 minutes ).

Cauliflower and bacon pasta

Preparing a unique and balanced, yet delicious dish will never have been so easy: with our cauliflower and bacon pasta ! Few ingredients, even fewer steps and an unmistakable taste for a complete and balanced meal.

• 300 g of pasta of your choice
• 140 g of fresh or diced bacon
• 600 g cauliflower (white or green)
• 1 clove of garlic
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water and, in the meantime, prepare the sauce with cauliflower and bacon. Clean the cauliflower and cut it into florets, then put it in a pan with a drizzle of oil, 1 clove of garlic and about 2 inches of water so that everything cooks, making the vegetable soft and tasty. When the water has receded and the cauliflower is ready , mash it a little with a ladle and in the meantime add the bacon. Raise the heat and let it toast. At this point, drain the pasta directly into the pan, season with salt and pepper and, if the dish is a little too dry, add a few tablespoons of cooking water and mix well in the pan before serving.

Poached cauliflower

A typical side dish from Catania is, without a doubt, poached cauliflower or smoked broccoli. It can be done in a pan divided into florets or baked whole , for a much more spectacular result. The recipe is very simple, let's prepare it together!

• 500 g of cauliflowers
• 1 white onion
• 100 g of pitted black olives
• 1 glass of red wine
• 50 g of pecorino
• 50 g of extra virgin olive oil
• 5 salted anchovies
• salt to taste

Clean the cauliflower and cut it into florets, then cut the onion into wedges, coarsely cut the olives and anchovies (depriving them of bones and spikes), finally grate the pecorino. Take a non-stick pan , place it on the heat with a drizzle of oil and make a first layer of cauliflower florets. Add a few pieces of olive and anchovy on top, then repeat the layering and, before completing with a final layer of vegetables , add the onion and pecorino. Complete with the red wine and another drizzle of oil and leave to cook until the vegetable is nice and soft (but not to the point of falling apart ). Then remove from the heat and serve.

Baked pasta and cauliflower

Pasta, bechamel, cauliflower and a thousand possibilities to enrich it: this is the recipe for a first course that will appeal to both adults and children. And its final gratin will win over even the most sceptical, we can guarantee it!

• 1 cauliflower
• 300 g of pasta
• 15 g of grated parmesan
• 300 ml of bechamel
• 140 g of sliced ​​cheese
• 70 g of speck
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• breadcrumbs to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic

Clean the cauliflower, cut out the florets and wash them under running water and then steam them. Once cooked, season them in a pan with a drizzle of oil and a clove of garlic for a few minutes . At this point you can blend the vegetable or simply mix it with the béchamel sauce and the grated cheese. Cook the pasta in a pan with boiling salted water for half the time indicated on the package , then add it to the cauliflower and also add the diced cheese and, if desired, some speck previously toasted in the pan. Mix well and pour everything into a bowl that can go into the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes at 180°C .

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