I’m always look for new side dishes. Unique side dishes that stand out among the rest. I love cauliflower, yet hardly ever cook with it. For some reason I was compelled to pick up a head of cauliflower, and after a little browsing around the internet for ideas I made this roasted cauliflower with white beans. First off, I would have never thought to roast cauliflower OR white beans. This is a hearty side dish and to be honest you could easily skip a carb with this hearty side dish.
This side dish would compliment turkey as well. If your looking for a last minute side dish you might want to give this one a try. The earthy-ness of the rosemary screams fall/winter time (to me)! Whether or not you make it for Thanksgiving I highly suggest giving this side dish a try sometime soon.
Adapted from: Everyday Food, November 2011
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower chopped
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 15 oz. can of cannellini beans rinsed and drained
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- ¼ tsp red-pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- While the oven is preheating toss the chopped cauliflower with one tablespoon olive oil. Place on baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is roasting; in a small bowl combine one teaspoon of olive oil, panko breadcrumbs, grated pecorino romano, and rosemary. Set to the side.
- Remove the cauliflower from the oven and toss white beans, red pepper flakes, crushed garlic, and lemon zest. Once the roasted cauliflower is well tossed top with the panko mixture.
- Place the cauliflower back in the oven for 5 minutes or until panko turns golden brown.
I made this tonight as a meal rather than a side dish and served it with some rice and quinoa. As written, the recipe contains no salt at all. Obviously, any cook would know to season to taste, but I found it odd that it wasn’t mentioned at all. Cauliflower and beans are bland foods, so salt and pepper is definitely needed during both roasting stages. I did not have panko or Parmesan so I used a blend of Ezekiel sprouted grain cereal and pumpkin seeds chopped finely in my mini chopper with 1/2 tbls dried rosemary. I pulsed in the olive oil just before sprinkling atop the pan for the final bake. Overall, I will make this again, but the beans dried out considerably and I’m not a huge fan of rosemary, so I will probably find a way to decrease the dryness (more oil or maybe some lemon juice or chicken stock added during the second bake) and will find a different herb profile (fennel? oregano? chive?).
Hi heather, thanks for the feedback! It all sounds delicious!
perfectly nice recipe that we may make this evening. but seriously with the multiple auto-play video ads? they make it so that i won’t ever visit this site again. shame.
Hi Jeff, Sorry to read about the multiple auto-play video ads. I’ll talk with my ad manager. I wasn’t aware I had multiple going. I wish I didn’t have to have any ads on my blog, but it helps to pay the bills–it’s a business. In any event, I hope you make this recipe. It’s a delicious side dish!
Great side! Healthy but looks oh so tasty 🙂
I love roasted cauliflower! Definitely need to try the addition of white beans!
This sounds fantastic! I like cauliflower, too, but rarely make it at home – need to change that, because this looks fab!
Okay, next time I make roasted cauliflower, I am totally adding beans and cheese!
Yes! It adds a whole new layer of flavors!
I love everything about this recipe!! Especially the beans. YUM!