Spicy Cajun Roasted Cauliflower

We are always looking for ways to bring excitement to our veggie side dishes and making them more of the star of the show, or at least an unforgettable supporting role! This Spicy Cajun Roasted Cauliflower will bring the life back to your dinner!

Why cauliflower?

If there is anything we have learned about cauliflower over the last year or so, it’s that it is quite possibly the most versatile vegetable! Cauliflower recipes of all forms and flavors have flooded the internet with recipes ranging from cauliflower pizza crust, to cauliflower mashed “potatoes,” cauli “hummus,” and even cauli Buffalo “wings.” It makes you wonder if cauliflower is the chameleon of the vegetable world and what it will be next!

Cauliflower comes in several varieties and colors, so you can really have fun with these dishes. We love using the orange or purple variety to brighten up our plates! And if you haven’t tried these other varieties, you must! The orange is slightly sweeter and contains beto-carotene (think carrots!), so it provides a unique flavor profile compared to the more common white version. The purple is one of our favorites to make as cauli mashers, especially given that Mark is a huge TCU fan (GO FROGS!). Finally, the green variety, especially Romanesco Cauliflower with its fun spiral shapes elevates any dish to a whole new level! Romanesco is often a challenge to find in stores, but when you see it, do not pass this one up! It is a gem and has such a wonderful flavor, texture, and appearance.

Spicy Cajun Roasted Cauliflower

For this Spicy Cajun Roasted Cauliflower recipe, we decided to highlight cauliflower in its own right and bring out the delicious cauliflower flavors by roasting it at high heat. We used a combination of orange and white florets for this recipe to add a tiny bit of sweetness to this spicy recipe.

For the seasoning, you can use your favorite Cajun seasoning blend. We selected Veggie Season’s Red Pepper Cajun seasoning blend for this version, but our homemade Cajun Seasoning blend works well here too.

Our Homemade Cajun Seasoning

Here’s what you need:

• 4 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp Kosher salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp dried mustard
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder

Mix these all together and store in a jar to use whenever your heart desires. Or check out more ways to use this spice blend with our Cajun Crab Cakes or Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.

The only other additions we made to this were a little bit of chopped shallots and parsley to top it off. Shallots have a much milder flavor compared to onions, so they pair really nicely with the flavors in this Spicy Cajun Roasted Cauliflower dish. The parsley adds the fresh and bright contrast in taste and color.

We love making this as a side dish for a variety of proteins, or it can be made as a main dish served over rice or, our Southern favorite, cheesy grits!

Enjoy!

We hope you enjoy this recipe! If you give it a try, leave us a comment below or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine.

If you like this recipe, check out some of our other popular side dishes below:

• Spicy Grilled Watermelon Salad
• Parmesan Herb Asparagus with Prosciutto and Pine Nuts
• Homemade Garlic Fries
• Grilled Romaine and Pear Steakhouse Salad
• Parmesan Risotto and Mushroom Ragù Phyllo Cup Bites