Parmesan Pesto Roasted Cauliflower

Looking for a quick and easy side dish to go with your next meal? Try this parmesan pesto roasted cauliflower! It’s got lots of flavor from the pesto and a nice salty bite from the parmesan cheese. Plus, you only need four ingredients to make it!

This recipe and photos have been updated since the original post on 2/22/2017

There’s about a 50/50 chance you’ll get a side dish with dinner at our house. If we have company there’s a good chance you’ll get one, but if it’s just me and my husband not so much. 

I have been trying to be better about it. My go-to side dish is generally some kind of roasted vegetable, like these chili honey lime roasted brussels sprouts or this sweet and spicy roasted butternut squash.

Whatever side dish I’m making it has to be easy and something that will taste good the next day so I can repurpose it with another meal. This parmesan pesto roasted cauliflower checks both of those boxes and the flavor is next level!

Ingredients For Parmesan Pesto Roasted Cauliflower

• Cauliflower
• Pesto
• Parmesan cheese
• Lemon

How To Make Parmesan Pesto Roasted Cauliflower

This side dish couldn’t be easier to make. Start by preheating your oven to 400° F. Rinse and dry the head of cauliflower and then cut out the core. Break it down into florets and put them on a rimmed sheet pan.

If you don’t want to deal with any cleanup, line your sheet pan with foil or parchment paper. Lay the cauliflower florets onto the sheet pan. 

Dollop on 3 or 4 tablespoons of pesto depending on how large your head of cauliflower was. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as well. 

Use clean hands to toss the cauliflower until all the florets are coated with pesto. Spread them out into a single layer and make sure there is some space in between them. This will allow them to brown and caramelize rather than steam.

Roast the pesto cauliflower for 10 minutes and then remove it from the oven. Use a spatula to toss it around and then sprinkle on the parmesan cheese. Roast for another another 12-15 minutes or until it’s tender and caramelized.

Remove it from the oven and squeeze the juice of half of a lemon all over it. Put it on a serving platter or in a bowl. I like to scrape up any of the crispy parmesan cheese that’s stuck to the pan and add it in. 

Dollop on additional pesto and sprinkle on extra parmesan cheese if you’d like. 

Tips For Roasting Cauliflower

• Roast the cauliflower at a high heat. I like to roast mine at 400° F., but you can also roast at 425° F. Just keep an eye on it as it likely won’t take as long to roast.
• Slice the cauliflower so that there are plenty of flat edges. Make sure the flat edges are in contact with the bottom of the pan. This will ensure that they get golden brown and caramelized on that side.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan. If the cauliflower is too close together or on top of each other it will steam and won’t get any of the crisp edges or caramelization.
• Be sure the cauliflower is completely coated in oil or in this case pesto. Pesto contains olive oil which is why I didn’t add any additional oil to this recipe. 
• Flip the florets over with a spatula halfway through the cooking time. This will help to caramelize more surface area of the florets.

More Cauliflower Recipes

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

Creamy Italian Cauliflower Soup

Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Pesto Pasta

Salsa Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Skillet

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