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Cauliflower Steaks with Orange-Basil Butter

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Cauliflower Steaks are juicy, crispy, hearty and unbelievably delicious — though a vegetable and not a steak in the true sense of the word. The Orange-Basil Butter is sweet, aromatic and melts perfectly over the perfectly roasted cauliflower. Cauliflower Steak with Orange-Basil Butter on a white plate

First, there was my Tofu “Sashimi” that didn’t have a raw fish anywhere near it.

I then presented a Red Lentil “Hummus“ that — while delicious — was without chickpeas, and therefore isn’t a true hummus.

Today, it’s the amazing (and I mean AMAZING!) Roasted Cauliflower Steaks that, um, contain no meat at all.

The Orange-Basil Butter however, contains everything in its title. 😉

Roasted One large head of cauliflower with a black background.

* Remember to pause and admire the beauty of your ingredients.*

What is Cauliflower Steak?

  • Cauliflower steak is thickly cut cauliflower that’s cooked on both sides, until it’s perfectly caramelized. This gives it a “crust,” much like a sauté pan would give a piece of meat when it’s seared. This can be achieved by roasting the cauliflower in the oven, sautéing it in a cast iron skillet or grilling it.
  • Here’s the deal, this cauliflower is steak-ish. It’s cut like a steak, it’s juicy like a steak, and it’s hearty like a steak.

How to make Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

What you need to know to have success . . . .

  • When you remove the leaves from the cauliflower, keep part of the root end intact. By doing this, your slices are more likely to stay together.
  • Cut the cauliflower into thick slices, about 1-inch.
  • Coated both sides of the cauliflower slices well with olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper.
  • The oven must be very hot, about 500°F!
  • The cauliflower steaks should not be flipped over until the bottom is a deep golden brown.

Orange-Basil Butter in a green ice cube tray.

Orange-Basil Butter

The super delicious Orange-Basil Butter melts over the cauliflower perfectly, just as it would on a real steak.  And it seeps into every crevice it possibly can, flavoring the dish beautifully.

It’s also fabulous spread over a slice of warm, rustic bread!

Cauliflower Steaks with Orange-Basil Butter on a white plate

These “steaks” make for a lovely side dish, but can also serve as a fantastic vegetarian main course.

I hope you every last, scrumptious bite of these mouth-watering Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

Here are a few more delicious cauliflower recipes:

Roasted Cauliflower Steak with Orange Basil Butter - beyond heavenly!

Cauliflower Steaks with Orange-Basil Butter

Valentina K. Wein
Roasted Cauliflower Steak is juicy, crispy, hearty and unbelievably delicious -- though a vegetable and not a steak in the true sense of the word. The Orange-Basil Butter is sweet, aromatic and melts perfectly over the perfectly oven-roasted cauliflower.
5 from 4 votes
Print
Prep Time 25 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 165 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the butter

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2 generous tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon fresh orange juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • a couple turns of freshly ground black pepper

For the cauliflower

  • 1 (approximately 2 1/4-pound) whole cauliflower
  • olive oil for the baking sheet
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
  • To make the butter, in a small bowl, mix the butter with the basil, zest, juice, salt and pepper. Either fill a couple of spaces in a rubber ice cube tray with the butter, or roll it into a log in plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator to firm up, about 30 minutes. (You can really refrigerate it in any form you'd like to -- it's just easier to slice so it's pretty, from the ice tray or log.)
  • Drizzle a thin layer of olive oil on a sheet pan. Set aside.
  • Remove the outer green leaves from the cauliflower and cut just a tiny portion of the root off, keeping most of it intact. Cut the cauliflower into approximately 1-inch slices -- some might break apart, some will stay together -- both are okay.
  • Dredge both sides of each slice into the olive oil on the baking sheet. They should be well coated, so drizzle a bit more if necessary. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper and then place in the preheated 500 degree F oven.
  • Roast until it's deep golden brown, and it's tender all the way through, about 12 minutes per side. (Flip them over half way through the cooking process.)
  • While the cauliflower is still hot, add a dab of the butter to each portion and serve.
Keywords best vegetables to roast, great side dishes for meats and stews
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Comments

  10. David says

    I think this will be my new favorite veggie dinner – maybe even more than the smashed potatoes I just read about. The orange-basil butter sounds divine, but I am thinking of all kinds of things that could top the roasted cauliflower steaks! My first thought is a chunky ragù/salsa of shallots, olives, capers, and tomatoes. Yum! Thanks, and have a great weekend cooking!

    Reply

      • David says

        We had this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic! I really love this method for cooking cauliflower. The shallot-tomato-olive-caper ragù was great with it. I definitely want to try the orange basil butter next time! xo

        Reply

        • valentina says

          Thanks so much for the report, David! LOVE hearing this, and I will try it with a ragù like yours next time. 🙂 XO V

          Reply

  13. Emily | Rainbow Delicious says

    I just tried my first “cauliflower steak” recipe last week (with cheddar and green onions) and it was so good! This one looks amazing and a little lighter and I can’t wait to try it… I can’t believe how delicious and filling roasted cauliflower is. I tried it once with coconut oil instead of olive oil or butter and it was great.

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Thanks so much for sharing — you made my day! I love the butter too — it’s also so delicious spread on crispy toast. 🙂

      Reply

  15. Athena says

    This recipe is devine! I did make some minor changes though. I didn’t have any oranges on hand, so I used lemon zest and fresh lemon juice instead. It’s also scorching hot here in northern Arizona since it’s mid-June, so I chose to grill the cauliflower rather than turn my oven on. The result was delicious and super easy to make. In the future, I’ll make the butter and couple hours before I start cooking to allow it enough time to solidify. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Thank you, Athena! You made my day. 🙂 I love the idea of grilling the cauliflower and I’m definitely going to try that this summer. I imagine the added smoky/char flavor is excellent, and lemon is lovely.

      Reply

  16. flgirl says

    3 years later, I’m still making this! Just had to come back and tell you this is an EPIC recipe. It’s in heavy rotation at our house. 🙂

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Hi there, You’ve made my day! 🙂 I’m happy to hear you love this recipe — it’s one of my favorites, too. Enjoy, and thank you for sharing. 🙂

      Reply

  17. Karen says

    Excellent! I always google cauliflower steak with orange butter because this is my favorite recipe. As I am trying to go vegetarian, this is a must have recipe!!

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Karen, thank you! This makes me so happy. It’s my favorite cauliflower recipe, and I appreciate you sharing. Cheers! 🙂 ~Valentina

      Reply

  18. Frank @Memorie di Angelina says

    The crust on that cauliflower looks amazing, Valentina! I would have sworn you’d seared it in a skillet rather than in the oven. Gotta try this.. !

    Reply

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