Whole roast cacio e pepe cauliflower
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Kris Kirkham
Whole roast cacio e pepe cauliflower
This really simple dish, created with minimal cauliflower prep, is made even more delicious by ‘scarpetta’ – the delicious act of dipping crusty bread into a flavoursome sauce that’s left at the bottom of the cooking pot
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
330Kcal
Fat
23gr
Saturates
8gr
Carbs
13gr
Sugars
9gr
Fibre
5gr
Protein
14gr
Salt
0.7gr
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Ingredients
- 70g Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
- 6 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra to drizzle
- 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1 extra-large cauliflower, about 1.3kg
- 250ml hot vegetable stock (made using ½ a stock cube*)
- 2 tbsp full-fat crème fraîche
- small handful of parsley, finely chopped
- crusty bread*, to serve
- salad leaves, to serve
Step by step
- Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. Combine 50g of the grated cheese with the oil, black pepper, garlic, and a large pinch of salt. Set aside.
- Remove the outer leaves of the cauliflower and set them aside in a small roasting tin. Cut a small slice from the base of the cauliflower so that it sits level, then place it in a deep lidded casserole. Pour the hot vegetable stock around the cauliflower, then spoon the Pecorino mixture over the top – it’s fine if some goes into the water below. Cover with a lid and bake for 45 minutes, or until fork tender. Meanwhile, drizzle the leaves with a little oil, season and add to the oven to cook alongside the cauliflower until crisp and slightly charred – about 15 minutes, then remove.
- Remove the casserole from the oven, sprinkle half the remaining cheese over the cauliflower and return to the oven, uncovered. Bake until the cheese has melted and the surface starts to turn golden, about 5 minutes.
-
Lift the cauliflower out to a serving dish, if using, then whisk the crème fraîche and remaining cheese into the liquid remaining in the casserole to make a sauce. Pour the sauce around the cauliflower and scatter over the parsley. Serve with the bread to mop up the sauce, and the roast cauliflower leaves and salad on the side. Alternatively, you could return the cauliflower to the casserole and take it all to the table to serve. *Serve with gluten-free bread and check your stock is gluten-free, if required.Waste notBlitz any leftovers with stock or milk plus some seasoning to make a speedy pasta sauce.
