Tired of Meat? How About Trying Cauliflower Parmesan “Steaks”

 

One of the best things about being retired is having time to try new recipes. This Cauliflower Parmesan recipe was posted by a friend on Facebook. I made a couple of modifications because the recommended ingredients weren’t handy, and it is a long way to the grocery store from my house. But that’s what is great with this recipe – substitutions work great, and exact measurements are not necessary. and it was quick to make!

My husband George swears he is a vegetarian (when not running through the drive thru for a quick hamburger), so I thought he might enjoy this cauliflower “steak” recipe. He ate it up, but he did drink his Red Zinfandel wine even faster. I really liked it and am looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch. It’s low calorie, tasty and good for us!

Step One:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice a full head of cauliflower into generous one inch slices and baste or spray one side with olive oil. I prefer a sprayer; it gives a nice even coat and can use less oil. Place on a lined baking sheet or silicon pad (love those buggers). sprinkle oiled slices with salt, pepper and dried or finely minced fresh basil. I was out of fresh, and the dried worked fine.

Step Two:

Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes.

Step Three:

Remove from oven. Leave cauliflower on tray. Sprinkle minced garlic on each cauliflower steak and slather each with marinara sauce. Great use for leftover spaghetti sauce. If you eat meat, you could use a bolognese or even sliced sausage – whatever sounds good! Sprinkle green onions or whatever else you come up with. Olives and mushrooms sound good to me; oh, I wish I had thought of that when I made this! Next, top with cheese. I had some Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheese, but you could use whatever sounds good. Mozzarella and Parmesan would be a nice blend. I don’t use a ton of cheese to save calories, but use however much seems good to you. Mine looked like this:

Step Four:

Return tray to oven and bake until sauce is hot and cheese is melted, approximately 8-10 minutes. Garnish with freshly minced parsley or basil leaves. Serve immediately and enjoy!

 

I couldn’t fit the glass of wine in the picture, but imagine a nice glass of red wine with this meal. Because the overall calories were low, I enjoyed a nice glass. Ahhhhh….

 

INGREDIENTS and DIRECTIONS

Full Head of Cauliflower

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tsp of dried basil (or finely minced fresh)

2 large cloves of minced garlic

1 cup of marinara or meat sauce

1/8 cup thinly sliced scallions

Scant 1/4 cup of mixed grated cheeses; Parmesan, pecorino, mozzarella (whatever you like)

3 tbsp minced parsley or fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice head of cauliflower into one inch thick slices and place on lined cooking sheet. Baste tops of slices with olive oil, salt, pepper and basil. Bake for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven, leaving cauliflower on baking sheet. Sprinkle minced garlic on each slice and liberally spoon on marinara sauce, and sprinkle scallions and cheese. Return to oven and bake 8-10 minutes until sauce is hot and cheese melted.

Garnish with freshly minced parsley or fresh basil leaves.

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