Thick slices of Cheesy Cauliflower Steaks coated in a rich spice rub and roasted to golden perfection in 30 minutes. A perfect match to your favorite protein.
Love cauliflowers versatility? Give Parmesan roasted cauliflower and cauliflower pizza crust a try!
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So, cauliflower steak isn’t a real steak, but it plays the part with its shape and thickness. Serve it up fresh and its cheesy goodness will wow even your pickiest eaters.
It’s one of the easiest side dish recipes that’s delicious and cute, especially served next to real steak.
You can also turn this veggie into cauliflower breadsticks and cauliflower mashed potatoes, the possibilities are endless!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients: Cauliflower, cheese, a touch of oil, and basic seasonings.
- Quick and convenient: Perfect for busy days, roasted cauliflower steaks are a breeze with just 5 minutes of prep.
- Healthy and delicious: The nutritious kick of cauliflower paired with the indulgence of cheesy flavors.
- Versatility on the plate: These steaks can be served as a low-carb side dish with different proteins or as a vegetarian centerpiece.
Ingredients for Cheesy Cauliflower Steaks
You’ll need 7 common, everyday ingredients to make this cheesy cauliflower steaks recipe.
- Cauliflower: Pick the largest cauliflower head available to yield bigger and heartier steaks.
- Olive oil: Choose a bold extra virgin olive olive over lighter olive oil or mild tasting avocado oil for a more pronounced flavor.
- Garlic: For a flavorful kick in this cauliflower steak recipe, fresh garlic cloves are a must!
- Seasonings: I love the simple blend of salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
- Mozzarella cheese: A happy sprinkle of cheese adds a layer of creaminess to the dish.
- Fresh herbs: Optional, but I added a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh parsley for extra flavor and presentation. You can also use cilantro or any other herb you have on hand.
How to Make Cheesy Cauliflower Steaks
Let me walk you through making cheesy cauliflower steaks, I’m all about simple recipes that pack a punch of flavor!
There is a full recipe card below.
- Prep: Heat the oven to 400 F. Take off the cauliflower leaves, keeping the core intact. Use a sharp knife to cut it in half, then halve each piece again to get 4 steaks. Try your best to keep end pieces together, but don’t worry if they fall apart a bit. Place them on a large baking sheet and set aside.
- Make the spice rub: Add olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Give it a good whisk then brush both sides of your cauliflower steaks.
- Bake: Pop the cauliflower steaks in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the core is fork-tender. Then sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top, bake for an extra 3 minutes until it’s all melty, then switch to broil until it gets that golden brown perfection.
- Serve: Enjoy it at its best when served fresh and warm alongside a main dish of your choice.
Tips for Best Results
Here are a few simple tips to ensure your cheesy cauliflower steaks turn out perfectly.
- Pick large cauliflower: You’ll need a large cauliflower with no blemishes to guarantee 4 hearty steaks.
- Slice only 3 times: Limit the cuts on the cauliflower head to a maximum of 3, and aim for 1 – 1 1/2 inch steaks for the perfect texture when roasted.
- Keep end parts together: Even if there is no more core attached, they stay together after slicing so handle them carefully transferring onto a baking dish.
- Bake small pieces too: These cauliflower steaks are too delicious to let any bite go to waste.
- Skip the parchment paper: Usually I like to line my baking sheet but not in this case, steaks will roast better without it. Plus, I love how my OXO baking sheet bakes!
Variations
There’s room for some creative twists, here are a couple of ways to switch up the flavors a bit.
- Other cheese: Try Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, feta cheese, or mix cheeses to create a flavorful blend.
- Oil: Melted coconut oil is my other favorite, avocado oil will work too.
- Spices: Add onion powder to the spice rub or for a spicy flair, include red pepper flakes, chipotle powder, Cajun seasoning, or cayenne pepper.
What to Serve Cauliflower Steaks with?
These cauli steaks offer endless serving possibilities, making them a perfect choice as a side or main dish. And trust me, they’re always a crowd pleaser!
- Chicken: Try it with chimichurri chicken, baked BBQ chicken, or slow cooker whole chicken.
- Seafood: This cauliflower recipe pairs perfectly with lemon butter cod, baked salmon, or air fryer shrimp.
- Pork and beef: You can’t go wrong with Instant Pot ribs or roast beef.
- Side dishes: When serving as the main dish, serve them with roasted vegetables, Mediterranean quinoa salad, Instant Pot corn on the cob, or your go-to salad recipe.
How to Store and Reheat
Store: Set leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
Reheat: Warm up leftovers by microwaving for a few minutes, air frying at 350 F for 4-7 minutes, or reheating in the oven at 350 F for 10-15 minutes.
Do not freeze because they will become soggy once thawed.
FAQs
Certainly! Make air fryer cauliflower steaks by cooking them at 400 F for 15 minutes. Additionally, you can also try my air fryer cauliflower.
Trim the base of the cauliflower to create a flat bottom. Halve the cauliflower down the middle, and then further divide the 2 pieces to get 4 evenly sliced steaks.
The thickness to cut cauliflower steak depends on the size of your cauliflower head. I like to cut mine 1 – 1/2 inches thick, you could probably go as thin as 3/4 inch thick if you have a medium-sized cauliflower head.
The cooking time for cheesy cauliflower steaks can vary depending on your oven, baking sheet, and size of steaks. You want the core to be fork tender, mine took 20 minutes, then add your cheese and bake a few more minutes until melted.
More Cauliflower Recipes to Try
- Marry me cauliflower
- Cauliflower biscuits
- Cauliflower risotto
- Cauliflower stuffing
- Cauliflower fried rice
- Cauliflower potato salad
- 25 cauliflower rice recipes
Cheesy Cauliflower Steaks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower rinsed
- 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 2 large garlic cloves grated
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- Parsley finely chopped, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Remove leaves from the cauliflower but leave the core. Cut in half, then cut each half one more time, so you end up with 4 steaks. It's OK if end pieces will fall apart a bit, do your best to keep them together. Transfer onto large baking sheet and set aside.
- In a small bowl, add olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Whisk well. Brush mixture onto both sides of cauliflower steaks.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until core is fork tender. Sprinkle with cheese, bake for another 3 minutes or until cheese has melted, then broil until golden brown.
- Best served fresh while warm with a main of your choice.
Video
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheat: Reheat in a microwave for a few minutes, in air fryer at 350 F for 4-7 minutes or in the oven at 350 F for 10-15 minutes.
- I don’t recommend to freeze cauliflower steaks, they will become soggy.
Yummers!! A keeper! And thank you for stating the air fryer instructions, which were perfect. I try to avoid my oven at all costs (unless ABSOLUTELY necessary!!) due to the heat in the kitchen (in Florida!) & the high cost of running it nowadays. I definitely see the difference in my electric bill using the air fryer vs the oven. So u’ve made me a happier camper!!
So nice of you to say, so happy you loved it! Yes, I try to avoid oven too cause it takes long time to preheat, so hence the bill, or cook batches of food at same time. Enjoy!