This whole Moroccan roast cauliflower takes just 10 minutes to prepare, then it just needs to be baked for 30 to 50 minutes!
In this recipe, we use as much of the cauliflower as possible, to reduce food waste.
We've been looking into reducing our food waste recently - we don't have much as it is. We compost any food waste we end up with, but no matter what, we always think there's probably more that can be done.
Our recent discovery is that the stalk and the leaves of a cauliflower are absolutely delicious! The stalk is a lot sweeter than the head of the cauliflower and the leaves are quite similar to roasted cabbage or kale when cooked.
With that in mind, we decided we wanted to create a dish that uses the entire cauliflower, so we made this Moroccan roast cauliflower.
All you need to do is remove the stalk and leaves, create a spice rub for the head of the cauliflower and bake it. 10 minutes before the end, chuck the stalk and leaves in with a bit of oil, salt and pepper!
If there are any parts of the cauliflower that you can't use, be sure to compost them rather than throwing them in the bin.
Check out the recipe below and let us know what you think of our Moroccan roast cauliflower in the comments or on Instagram! Oh, and it goes great with this silky Lebanese Hummus.
📖 Recipe
Moroccan Roast Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon Harissa paste
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cauliflower
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 190c / gas mark 5.
- Half-fill a baking pan with water and place it in the bottom of the oven - this will help create some steam and help keep the cauliflower from going dry.
- Mix the spices, Harissa paste and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl until you have a thick paste.1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon cayenne, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, 1 tablespoon Harissa paste, 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Peel off the leaves of the cauliflower and then remove the stalk, making sure not to cut out too much of the core, as you want the whole head intact. Slice the stalk into ~ 0.5cm slices.1 cauliflower
- Place the cauliflower upside down and pour half the spice mix into the underside, then give it a minute for the spice mix to run down into the core and coat the inside (give it a bit of a shake to speed things up).
- Flip the cauliflower back over and brush the remaining spice mix over the outside of the cauliflower.
- Place the cauliflower core side down onto a baking tray and put in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Cooking times will varydepending on the size of the cauliflower.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, toss the core and leaves in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
- After 30 minutes, start checking the cauliflower in 10 minute intervals until it's done. Check the firmness by inserting a knife and seeing if the texture is right for you. If you want the cauliflower to be a bit softer, leave it in the oven a bit longer.
- When you're able to push a knife into the core of the cauliflower without too much resistance, add the stalk and leaves to the tray and put back in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Serve up with some couscous and hummus for the perfect Moroccan roasted cauliflower!
Claire
This is great. Yum and simple. Will make it again for sure!
And thanks for the encouragement to eat the leaves 🙂
Jess Saunders
So glad to read you enjoyed this Claire! Sometimes we think the leaves are the best bit 😍
Joanna Graham
This felt like a great recipe but the inclusion of the Ground Clove ruined the dish and left a lingering taste in our mouths. It may be better tasting without it!!
Jess Saunders
Thanks so much for the feedback Joanna! we'll have to try it without the ground cloves, we've never noticed a lingering taste but will revisit it!
Nicola
Loved this! Thank you
Jess Saunders
So glad you liked it! Thank you for leaving a comment too 😊 Jess x