Achiote Cauliflower Recipe

Long oval white serving platter full with cauliflower that's red-ish from achiote paste and cut into steak-like pieces.

With achiote paste, and just a couple other ingredients that are surely in your pantry, you can make this delicious healthy cauliflower dish. It's a simple way to turn a head of cauliflower into a gorgeous dish.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: unique vegan sides, vegetarian sides

Servings:

Calories: 241kcal

Author: Valentina K. Wein

Equipment

Ingredients

2 small heads heads cauliflower (about 4 pounds with leaves intact)
2 tablespoons achiote paste (about 1½-ounces)
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
5 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 475℉ and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Prep achiote mixture. Combine the achiote paste with the lemon juice in a small bowl. Mix just to dissolve the paste. You might need a fork to break it apart. Once it's dissolved, add the olive oil. (DO NOT add the oil before it's dissolved or it will stay in paste form.) Then spread about ⅓ of the mixture on the parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle it lightly with salt.
*The easiest way to apply the achiote mixture is with a silicone (pastry) brush.
Cut Cauliflower. Remove the outer green leaves from the cauliflower and cut just a small portion of the root end off, keeping most of it intact if possible. Cut the cauliflower into approximately ½ to 1-inch slices -- some might break apart, some will stay together -- both are okay. Place all of the cauliflower slices on the achiote coated parchment-lined sheet pan. Then use the brush to coat the tops of the slices with the remaining achiote mixture. If they're not well coated, flip them over once or twice. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
Roast. Place the sheet pan in the 475℉ oven and roast until the bottoms of the cauliflower slices are sizzling and browning a bit -- even with the color of the achiote, you'll be able to tell. Flip them over with kitchen tongs, and cook until the other side is browning, about another 20 minutes.
Cool for about 5 minutes and serve!

Notes

Nutritional information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an estimate.

Nutrition