Perfectly Roasted Cauliflower with Chick Peas

Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones

I love roasting vegetables and do so regularly.  It’s amazing what a little olive oil, salt & heat can do to elevate a simple vegetable to something complex and sweet. 

I’ve been roasting cauliflower for years and loving it.  But I recently starting doing it just a little differently and I’m forever changed.  The secret is to cut the whole head into slices rather than breaking it up into florets.  Slicing the cauliflower allows more of the surface to come in contact with the roasting pan and leads to perfectly roasted carmelization.  The chick peas complete the dish, elevating it beyond a simple plate of vegetables.  When roasted the chick peas develop a beautifully crisp exterior while maintaining their creamy interior.  It’s so simple, yet so delicious. 

I also prefer roasting my vegetables at a slightly lower temperature than what you may be accustomed to.  Roasting at 375 F, rather than the more standard 400 – 450 eliminates the possibility of burning while still allowing a lovely carmelization, and let’s face it anyone with kids underfoot or any other life distraction has probably burned a few vegetables, or maybe that’s just me…

Ingredients:

1 head of Cauliflower    

2 -3 Garlic cloves

Olive Oil

Salt

Thyme

1 15 ounce can Chick Peas – drained

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 375 F.

Prepare 1 or 2 large rimmed sheet pans by drizzling them with Olive Oil.

Wash the Cauliflower and remove any leaves.  On a large cutting board, first cut the Cauliflower in half and then cut each half into approximately half inch slices.  You can leave the slices large or break them up into bite size pieces if you prefer. 

Lay each slice of Cauliflower on the rimmed baking sheets and turn them over in the olive oil.   

Chop the Garlic in large pieces, about 4-6 pieces per clove depending on the size of your cloves.   

Top the Cauliflower with the chopped Garlic.  Sprinkle with Salt and Thyme.  Drizzle with a little more Olive Oil.  At this point you can either add the drained Chick Peas to the pan with the Cauliflower or if you prefer hold off and add the Chick Peas at the half way point. 

Note: Cooking the Chick Peas for the entire time will yield a crunchier but also slightly drier result.  If you choose to add the Chick Peas at the half way point, they won’t be quite as crisp, but still absolutely delicious. 

Position pans in the lower third of the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, then flip the Cauliflower and Chick Peas over or add the Chick Peas to the pan at this point if you didn’t already.  Bake another 15 minutes more on the second side.  If using 2 pans rotate their positions in the oven when you flip the Cauliflower.  The pan towards the center of the oven may take a little bit longer to cook than the pan in the lower part.  The Cauliflower should develop a beautiful golden carmelized color. 

Remove from pan with a spatula (or eat right off the pan as we often do in our house) and Enjoy!

Recipe Notes: Roasted Chick Peas and Cauliflower are a great accompaniment to any main dish.  We like them tossed with pasta or as a side with Quinoa Fritters or even with Tabbouleh.   

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Tagged: Cauliflower, Chick Peas, Garlic, Thyme