parmesan-crusted cauliflower with white bean purée.

easydinnervegetarianside dish

Nov 4

Written By michelle mcglinn

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium-sized cauliflower, leaves and stem removed

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon pepper, plus more to taste

1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained

4 cloves garlic

1 small yellow onion (90 grams)

Juice from 1/2 lemon

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:

Parsley, for topping

Red pepper flakes, for topping

RECIPE:

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Slice the cauliflower into 1-inch steaks. Carefully place the steaks onto the baking sheet. If making florets, slice the steaks into smaller pieces, making flat florets.
In a large shallow bowl, mix together the parmesan, breadcrumbs, thyme 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Drizzle olive oil across cauliflower and brush until coated. For florets, add to a bowl and toss to coat.
Dredge one side of the cauliflower steaks in the breadcrumb mixture. For florets, toss with breadcrumb mixture.
Spread the florets onto a baking sheet. Press breadcrumbs into the cauliflower steaks or florets.
Roast for 20 minutes, until tender and golden.
In the meantime, combine beans, garlic, onion, and lemon in a blender and blend until very smooth, about 90 seconds.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, spread bean purée across plate or serving platter. For steaks, serve over bean purée on a plate. For florets, serve on a serving platter, with all florets dispersed across the purée.
If desired, sprinkle with parsley and red pepper flakes.

I recently hosted dinner for my family here in Cleveland. Feeding my family of 10 requires some creativity because not only are my sisters pescatarian, but my dad is allergic to fish. A menu of only meat or only fish isn’t possible, which means, probably, that it’s better to make a little bit of both.

One thing I can count on in these situations is a vegetable. I made this cauliflower that night and was surprised to hear so many compliments on it; and I’m not trying to brag here — it was a genuine hit, and a dish everyone could share.

I originally developed this recipe as a steak recipe (that is, cauliflower steaks) and adjusted it slightly that night to be more crowd-friendly. With the steaks broken into florets, the servings become more side-dish friendly, and everyone can grab spoonfuls of however much they want. Because the recipe is nearly the same either way — just with slightly different preps — I wrote both directions so that you can decide.

I recommend serving as steaks if this is a main dish for 2 to 4 people, and as flat florets for a side dish for up to 10 people. (Generally larger dinner parties have more dishes to choose from, so the portion sizes get a little skewed. This reasonably serves 4 to 6 side dish portions).

Enjoy.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes