This whole roasted cauliflower recipe is delicious on it's own, but is elevated with an easy pistachio, lemon, and dried cranberry "gremolata / pesto" garnish.

Two halves of roasted browned caulflower flat side down on a wood cutting board with a chefs knife and lemon half. Cranberries, chopped rosemary and pistachios layered over the top.

I love a simple recipe that is elevated with a simple garnish. This whole roasted cauliflower recipe is good on it's own, but why stop there? Garnish with an easy pistachio and cranberry "pesto".

Cauliflower head on wood cutting board with a bottle of oil, container of salt, silicone baster, and chefs knife.

How to Cook Simple Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Preheat oven to 425F and line a sheet with parchment or aluminum foil.
Level off the cauliflower stem.
Set it in ~ 1 ½" of simmering water and cover.
Cook whole cauliflower ~ 7-9 minutes.
Transfer cauliflower to lined sheet pan and place on an elevated rack to cool and dry.
Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to cauliflower head.
Cook at 425F ~ 25-30 minutes or until browned and caramelized.

Steamed whole head of cauliflower with salt and pepper on an elevated wire rack over parchment paper.

Make The Pistachio, Lemon, Herb "Gremolata"

Ok, gremolata is really an Italian word for a parsley based green sauce. I use rosemary in this garnish recipe instead. Having said that, any herb can be used in this green garnish sauce.

Making the Pistachio and cranberry garnish for roasted cauliflower is easy.

Zest a whole lemon and then juice half of it and put it in a bowl.
Place the pistachios in a small ziplock bag and get all the air out. Smash the pistachios in the bag with a large spoon into smaller chunks.
Add the pistachios and remaining ingredients to the bowl.
Mix and chill. The flavors will taste best if they have at least 30 minutes to chill but taste even better the next day.

Whole browned roasted cauliflower on a wood cutting board with a lemon half and zester in the background.

Pistachio Lemon Sauce Ingredient Substitutions

The garnish for this whole roasted cauliflower recipe can be made with any nut, any fruit, any herb, any citrus or vinegar, and any spice.

There are many ways to make a green herb sauce or pesto for this whole roasted cauliflower recipe.

Ingredients on a wood cutting board: ½ cup of shelled pistachios, ¼ cup of cranberries, salt shaker, 1 whole lemon, oil in container, sprig of rosemary, and a chefs knife.

Here's some ingredient garnish ideas:

pistachios, walnuts, pecans, almonds
rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley
raisins, dried mangos, dried apricots, dried dates
lemon juice, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar
a touch of cumin, coriander, nutmeg, or curry

Top down view of bowl of shelled pistachios mixed with cranberries and chopped rosemary in liquid with a spoon sticking out the side.

Two halves of roasted browned cauliflower flat side down on a wood cutting board with a chefs knife and lemon half. Cranberries, chopped rosemary and pistachios layered over the top. Close up.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Pistachios and Cranberries

Roasted cauliflower half face down sprinkled with cranberries, pistachios, and chopped rosemary.

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This whole roasted cauliflower recipe is delicious on it's own but is elevated with an easy pistachio, lemon, and dried cranberry "gremolata" like garnish.

Author: Beckie
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4
Category: Side Dish
Method: Stovetop / Oven
Cuisine: International
Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Whole Roasted Cauliflower Ingredients

1 whole cauliflower
olive oil
salt
black pepper

Pistachio and Lemon Garnish Ingredients

zest from 1 lemon
juice from ½ lemon
½ cup (2 ounces), roasted and salted shelled pistachios - chopped or smashed
¼ cup (1 ounce), cranberries
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
pinch black pepper

Instructions

Make the Pistachio and Lemon Garnish

Place the nuts in a small ziplock bag and smash them into large chunks with the back of a large spoon.
Zest the lemon and place in a small bowl. Juice half of that lemon and place in bowl with zest.
Add pistachios, cranberries, rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper to the bowl and mix.
Add more salt and lemon juice to taste.
This tastes best if it rests at least 30 minutes and is even better the next day.

Make the Roasted Whole Cauliflower

Preheat oven to 425F.
Add 1 ½ inches to a large pot of water and bring to a simmer.
Level stem of cauliflower with a knife and remove any tough leaves.
Place whole cauliflower in simmering water covered and cook for 7-9 minutes depending on size of cauliflower.
Remove cauliflower and let cool 10 minutes on an elevated wire rack on a sheet pan lined with parchment or aluminum foil (for easy clean up).
Rub cauliflower with olive oil and add salt and pepper.
Bake ~ 30 - 35 minutes depending on size or until browned and caramelized on the top and a fork goes easily through the top.
Quarter it and slather on the pistachio, lemon, and herb garnish. Add salt to taste. Happy eating! beckie

Notes

Larger cauliflower heads need to be boiled for 9-10 minutes in 2" of water.
Smaller cauliflower heads need 7-8 minutes boiled in 1 ½" of water.
If the whole cauliflower is not browning then bring the temperature of your oven up to 450F.
If the cauliflower is browning to fast, drop the temperature of your oven to 375F or 400F.
Flip the sheet pan in the oven half way through if one side of your oven cooks faster than the other side.

Serving Suggestion

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