Crispy roasted cauliflower head served over quinoa breadcrumbs, capers & kalamata olives, with a soft-boiled egg on the side.
Jump to Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Jump to:
Cauliflower isn’t badass like Serrano peppers, who pack searing heat into long slender bodies. It’s not a vixen like salt, completely dominating dishes if mishandled, not letting other ingredients get a word in edgewise. Cauliflower is like chicken. It's mild mannered, amenable to all kinds of other flavors.
Unless you roast it whole.
Suddenly you have badass biker chick on the plate. Crispy florets, slightly charred, and loaded with concentrated flavor. Serve it with sauces, like this roasted whole cauliflower,Middle Eastern style, a Middle Eastern take on cauliflower inspired by my travels to Israel.
Or serve it over quinoa crispies or gremolata breadcrumbs, capers, kalamata olives and a few slivers of preserved lemon. Finish it with a soft-boiled egg for a little added protein. Brown buttered breadcrumbs is another great option with this dish.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
For the all of the ingredients, measurements and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- Cauliflower
- Spring onion - or a white onion, or scallions
- Kalamata olives - get them already pitted to save you some prep time.
- Capers
- Preserved lemon - you can skip the preserved lemon if your market doesn't carry it.
- Panko breadcrumbs - plain or with a Gremolata twist.
- Quinoa crispies - I make crisped quinoa from cooked quinoa.
- Parsley - I like the flat Italian parsley instead of curly parsley, but they both work fine.
- Fresh mint leaves
- Eggs
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
🔪 Recommended Equipment
- Chef's knife
- 8" X 8" casserole pan or sheet pan (for roasting the cauliflower)
- Medium sauté pan
- Small pan - for the soft boiled egg
📝 Instructions Overview
Detailed instructions for making this cauliflower recipe are in the recipe card below, but here's an brief overview!
Step 1
Cauliflower. Prep and roast the cauliflower.
Step 2
Quinoa. Cook the quinoa for the crispy quinoa.
Step 3
Sauté. Sauté the onion until softened. Add the kalamata olives, capers, preserved lemon,
Step 4
Toast. Make the crispy quinoa, and add the breadcrumbs to the pan with the veggies until toasted. Stir in the crisped quinoa, parsley, mint, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5
Eggs. Make the soft boiled eggs, or fry them if preferred.
⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- Cook the quinoa ahead.
- Make the crispy quinoa ahead.
- Eliminate the quinoa altogether, and only use Panko breadcrumbs in the recipe.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Roasted Cauliflower with Quinoa Breadcrumbs and Soft-Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
Cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower about 2 lb.
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Quinoa Breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 spring onion finely chopped
- 4 pitted kalamata olives quartered
- 1 tablespoon drained capers
- 6 sliced slivers preserved lemon
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup Quinoa Crispies
- 4 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Soft-Boiled Eggs
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
Cauliflower
- Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a baking dish or a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut away all leaves on the cauliflower, and core, leaving the head intact. Quarter the head using a sharp knife, and arrange the cauliflower pieces in the prepared baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over the cauliflower and rub, using your hands, to completely coat in oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
- Roast until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Quinoa Breadcrumbs
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until caramelized, about 30 - 40 minutes. Add the olives, capers, and preserved lemon and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Add the breadcrumbs and Quinoa Crispies and sauté until toasted, about 10 minutes. Add a little oil if too dry.
- Toss in mint, parsley, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning if needed.
Soft-Boiled Egg
- Place the eggs in a small pot and cover with water by 1 - 2 inches. Bring to a simmer and maintain a slow simmer for 5 minutes. Run the eggs under cold water, peel, and slice in half.
laurasmess
This is such an awesome dish Susan! I love everything about it... the crispy quinoa, the gorgeously mellow cauliflower and that gooey egg goodness! I would totally devour this any day. I definitely need to try the quinoa crumbs. Genius stuff! xx
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Laura. Cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies!
Norma Chang
This sure sounds delicious and oh so easy to make, I too love the gooey egg. I see many uses for your Quinoa Breadcrumbs, thanks for sharing.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Norma - it's super easy to make.
Erika
Susan. I LOVE THIS. One because I love roasted cauliflower (SO SO MUCH--I distinctly remember having this awesome cauliflower steak at this restaurant Erik and I went to for our second anniversary) and two because your writing is hilarious! Cauliflower as a biker chick--YES!!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Roasted cauliflower is the BEST !!! Glad you laughed at the biker chick reference 🙂 LOL
cheri
Hi Susan, we love roasted cauliflower, it certainly transforms this little veggie. The addition of the soft egg is genius!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
The egg makes this such a comfort meal for me. I'm adding an egg to so many of my vegetable dishes right now.
apuginthekitchen
I totally missed this, oh my does it sound and look good. The egg is the perfect accompaniment, love the breadcrumb topping (quinoa) really delicious.
Yosef - This American Bite
I'm a massive fan of roasted cauliflower. Never thought to serve it with the egg. Nice call.