If you love cauliflower, take it to the next level by roasting your cauliflower whole. This easy roasted whole cauliflower recipe is so easy to make!
Top it with my homemade creamy alfredo sauce, and you have an incredible side dish. If dinner is a big part of your family's evening, give some of my gluten free dinner recipes a try too!
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You can see the beautiful crust that bakes into this baked cauliflower head. It is perfect for holding sauces!
I had no idea how good a whole oven-roasted cauliflower could be. I have seen them at restaurants and skipped right over them when they were on the menu.
Mr. Fearless Dining loved this baked whole cauliflower. We roasted it and then topped it with my easy homemade alfredo sauce is restaurant-quality...better than anything he has tried. (And yes, Mr. Fearless Dining is the one who ALWAYS orders the roasted whole cauliflower off the menu!)
Homemade alfredo sauce is so easy! If you haven't made an alfredo sauce from scratch yet, you will LOVE how easy this is to make. This sauce is so good on pasta, vegetables, baked potatoes, anywhere you could put a sauce.
This alfredo sauce is even delicious on gluten free pizza instead of a red sauce!!
Ways to cook a whole cauliflower:
Whole, not chopped up into pieces! Here are my favorite ways to cook a whole cauliflower:
- Bake it in the oven as I did.
- Toss the whole cauliflower head on the grill (see picture below).
- Cook it in a pressure cooker (though it won't get crispy on the outside)
You can even toss the whole cauliflower in a pan and bake with your other dinner items! Add my easy creamy alfredo sauce recipe, and you have a delicious easy meal!
Recipe step by step directions:
Let's make that creamy alfredo sauce while your cauliflower is roasting.
Step 1: Saute olive oil and garlic in a skillet over medium-low heat.
Step 2: Add heavy cream and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to simmer.
Step 3: Add the parmesan cheese. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it cooks.
This is the ultimate sauce for all of your cooking!! If you LOVE cauliflower, you should also try this Turmeric Lime Cauliflower recipe. You can roast the cauliflower in cut pieces or whole! Even my kids love it!!
Fun toppings:
- Try crispy fried shallots. You can make these by sautéing in a pan with some garlic and olive oil. It will get crispy and delicious!
- You can top your roasted cauliflower with a simple marinara sauce.
- Make an enchilada out of it with enchilada sauce (like Hatch gluten free brand's) and add cheddar cheese on top!
For this recipe, I added some sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds and scallions and enjoy!
Serve it with:
- Zucchini Ribbon Lasagna with Alfredo Sauce
- Air Fryer Scallops
- Gluten Free Oven Fried Chicken (cook them in the same pan!)
- Cut up the cauliflower and serve it in these Savory Gluten Free Crepes!
Tools:
- A roasting pan is definitely a plus for roasting. You can get one big enough to include other foods too!
- Use a basting brush to spread the olive oil onto the cauliflower evenly.
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📖 Recipe
Roasted Whole Cauliflower with Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 large garlic clove minced, or 2 small cloves
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Wash a cauliflower and cut off the leaves.
- Place in pan. Brush with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden.
- In a saucepan, add oil and garlic. Saute 2 minutes.
- Add heavy cream. Turn heat to low and simmer until it gently boils.
- Turn off heat and add parmesan cheese.
- Drizzle the sauce over the roasted cauliflower. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and scallions. Eat hot.
Nutrition
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Joyce
I noticed that 1/2 cup of heavy cream was on the recipe twice. Does that mean I should use 1 cup of heavy cream?
Sandi Gaertner
I actually think 1/2 cup is fine...if you like a lot of sauce, you can definitely use 1 cup. I clarified the recipe, I appreciate your reaching out :-).
Kavey Favelle
Loving the idea of an Alfredo sauce over a whole roasted cauli, that really sounds like the perfect garnish!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you so much Kavey. Alfredo is one of the few sauces my picky child will eat 🙂