Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Red Pepper, Capers, and Olives
Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Red Pepper, Capers, and Olives are absolutely delicious for low-carb meatless dinner! If you’ve never cut cauliflower into thick slices and roasted them, you have to try this recipe!
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Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Red Pepper, Capers, and Olives are a tasty cauliflower dish that I’d really enjoy for a meatless dinner! But I do realize some of you would’t be happy with a big slice of roasted cauliflower for dinner, even if the cauliflower was topped with garlicky red peppers, capers, and olives.
If you’re one of those people who can’t get that excited about cauliflower, feel free to consider these roasted cauliflower steaks a side dish while all the cauliflower lovers like myself happily devour this as a meatless main dish. And I ate the leftovers cold out of the fridge the next day; it was that good!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is ONLY a list of ingredients for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- large head of cauliflower
- olive oil
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
- Kalamata olives (optional)
- red bell pepper
- Capers (affiliate link)
What are Cauliflower Steaks?
Cauliflower steaks are thick slices of cauliflower that are roasted, grilled, or fried and often served with some kind of sauce or topping.
Are Cauliflower Steaks hard to make?
The hardest part of this recipe might be slicing the cauliflower steaks so they don’t fall apart, so buy the biggest cauliflower you can find. I recommend that you cut through the core of the cauliflower to keep the pieces intact. But even if some of your cauliflower ends up in pieces instead of slices, I promise you that this will still be delicious!
What other topping variations can you use for the roasted cauliflower steaks?
There are an endless number of options for varying the topping that goes on the cauliflower steaks. If you use the topping in this recipe, you can switch out the Kalamata olives for regular black olives if you prefer. Some people also might want to skip the capers. You could also use the toppings from Chicken Bake with Olive and Caper Sauce or top the cauliflower pieces with Avocado Salsa or Mediterranean Salsa for some other variations.
How low in carbs is this recipe?
This delicious recipe for roasted cauliflower steaks topped with a tasty sauce made of roasted red pepper, capers, and olives has only 6 net carbs per serving.
Want more ideas for Roasted Cauliflower?
If you’re a cauliflower lover like me, you’ll want to check out Low-Carb and Keto Roasted Cauliflower for more tasty recipes like this one.
How to make Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Red Pepper, Capers, and Olives:
(This is ONLY a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Cut a head of cauliflower into slices about 3/4 inches thick.
- I cut through the core of the cauliflower to keep the pieces intact, and then cut some of the core away afterwards.
- Lay the cauliflower slices in a single layer on a roasting pan. It’s important that the pan isn’t crowded.
- Drizzle both sides of the cauliflower with olive oil and season liberally with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
- Roast cauliflower in a 450F/220C oven, cooking without turning for at least the first 15 minutes.
- After about 15 minutes, remove cauliflower from the oven and carefully turn cauliflower pieces with a large turner.
- Put back in oven and roast 10-15 minutes more, or until cauliflower is slightly crisp and nicely browned, and done to your liking.
- While the cauliflower roasts, mash 1/2 tsp. Minced Garlic with some salt. I used a mortar and pestle, but you can do this in a bowl with a fork.
- Put the garlic and salt into a bowl with lemon juice, (I rinsed out the mortar and pestle with the lemon juice), then stir in olive oil, whisking until the vinaigrette is emulsified.
- Then mix in the chopped olives, diced red pepper, and capers, and let dressing sit so the flavors blend while the cauliflower finishes roasting.
- When the cauliflower steaks are crisp and slightly browned, spoon the spicy garlic dressing mixture over the cauliflower pieces and serve hot.
More Recipes for Cauliflower Fans:
- Cauliflower Rice Sausage Casserole
- Loaded Cauliflower Mock Potato Salad
- Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin
- Twice-Baked Cauliflower
- Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup
Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Red Pepper, Capers, and Olives
Cauliflower fans will enjoy these Low-Carb Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Red Pepper, Capers, and Olives for a meatless main dish or a side dish!
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 2 T olive oil
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
- pinch sea salt
- 3 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 3 T extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped Kalamata olives (optional, see notes)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped small
- 1 T capers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F/200C.
- Remove leaves from cauliflower, then use a large knife to cut the cauliflower into slices an even 3/4 inch thick, slicing through the core to make the cauliflower "steaks."
- Cut core section away from the slices and arrange cauliflower slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. (Don’t worry if some piece break off; they will still taste great!)
- Drizzle both sides of cauliflower with olive oil and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. (I used a generous amount of pepper, but not too much salt.)
- Start cauliflower roasting while you make the vinaigrette, and let it roast 15 minutes without turning.
- While cauliflower roasts, mash garlic and sea salt in a mortar and pestle (or use a fork and a bowl), then rinse the garlic and salt mixture into a bowl with the lemon juice.
- Stir in the olive oil, whisking until the dressing is emulsified. Stir in chopped red peppers, capers and olives and let the vinaigrette ingredients blend while cauliflower continues cooking.
- After about 15 minutes, remove cauliflower from the oven and carefully turn cauliflower pieces with a large turner.
- Put back in oven and roast 10-15 minutes more, or until cauliflower is slightly crisp and nicely browned, and done to your liking.
- Serve hot, with the garlicky dressing mixture drizzled over cauliflower
Notes
You can use plain black olives if you prefer, or skip the olives completely.
This recipe adapted from a recipe by Melissa Roberts for Gourmet Magazine.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 228Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 3gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 0mgSodium 314mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 6gSugar 6gProtein 4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Red Pepper, Capers, and Olives are a great side dish or vegetarian main dish for any low-carb or Keto diet plan as well as for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Sheet Pan Meals or Cauliflower Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This interesting meatless dinner of roasted cauliflower steaks was first posted in 2010! The recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.
39 Comments on “Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Red Pepper, Capers, and Olives”
Just made this for myself for lunch, it was great! Would definitely make it again, although I would probably turn down the oven to 425. Mine got brown really quick, but luckily I was watching it so I only ended up cooking the cauliflower for 17 min total (turned over after 10 min). Thanks for this quick, easy, and delicious recipe!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Been out of touch for a while. So what do I see when I get back? This!
This is my kind of dish. I love roasted cauliflower topped with tangy vegetable relishes. Especailly ones with lemons & capers. Excellent recipe.
Thanks CJ; glad you like it and nice to hear from you again. Hope you are doing well!
I'm firmly in the I LOVE CAULIFLOWER camp! I am totally fine with eating it roasted and plain, but this topping sounds super.
Joanne, same here on the cauliflower love! And yes, plain roasted cauliflower is great but we did love this topping!
Michelle, so glad you enjoyed it!
I ate this as the main dish alongside some sauteed spinach. Just delicious! I have seen recipes for making cauliflower "steaks" on the grill, but it was cold outside so this was perfect! The Kalamata olive drizzle was yummy 🙂
So glad people are enjoying this, and I bet the roasted cauliflower is good on it's own too. Thanks for that idea!
We.LOVE.this. It's great even without the vinaigrette.
Made this recipe early in the week and it was delish! Wish I had made more – i finished it in 1 sitting!
What a vegetable this is. I love how versatile cauliflower is. I so tempted to try your recipe later this week (I have 3 heads of cauliflower waiting for me at home.) I will come back to your site and report on how your recipe turned out for sure! Would you like to take a look at my most recent cauliflower creation? http://cuceesprouts.com/2010/09/marinated-cauliflower-salad/
What a tasty way to enjoy some cauliflower!
Wow, those look really good.
Ooh, well done. I tried getting those cf steaks before but failed miserably. Then later I was aiming for a fine chop but stumbled across the (im)proper cut by accident. I think there is a particularly tight arrangement of some cfs that allow them to maintain their integrity when sliced this way.
Thanks for the link-love, by the way!
Mrs. Ed, you are too sweet. Definitely, a veggie cookbook would be more interesting to me than just a cookbook in general. I will think about it; I'm certainly open to the idea if I had an offer!
Wow, this looks great! You have such a way with veggies! I know I've said this before, and I know you did not seemed thrilled….but I sure wish you'de write a veggie cookbook. Our household is grainfree and I would love a book of your veggie recipes!!!
What a great way to serve cauliflower! I dare anyone to complain that they don't like it.
Nancy, so glad you liked it, thanks for letting me know!
Long time reader, first time poster. Just had to say this was FANTASTIC! I made this the other night and couldn't stop eating it. I even loved it without the dressing. I will be making this again and again. Thanks so much for the receipe.
A lot of cauliflower recipes can be bland – what a great idea to roast and dress with kalamata vinaigrette – such good flavors.
Hi Kalyn,
I just wanted to tell you how much I love your recipes! Youre site is such great inspiration. Keep up the good work.
This is so unique and looks absolutely fantastic! I love kalamata olives and I bet it goes great with cauliflower!
That looks amazing. And I love that you use more of the cauliflower (it looks like) with it. I adore kalamatas.
I did mean to say "rinse." I mashed the garlic and salt together, then added the lemon juice and used the lemon juice to rinse the garlic out of the mortar and pestle. But if you mashed the garlic in a bowl that was big enough to make the dressing, you could skip that step.
This sounds really delicious, I love roasted veggies and glad to have another way to prepare cauliflower.
One little question: "then *rinse* the garlic and salt mixture into a bowl with the lemon juice."
Rinse? Maybe whisk?
Also, want you to know that I've been South Beachin' for about 6 weeks now and your website has been beyond amazing. It's all the kinds of food I like anyway, and the recipes are fantastic!
ValerieAnne, I love the idea of eating this vinaigrette on eggplant of zucchini. Great idea!
I think this dressing would be really good on zucchini and possibly eggplant. I'm not a big eggplant lover, which is why I would try it.
I'm so glad people are liking this, because this recipe is amazing. I think I need to make it again soon.
Eleanora, thanks so much. My wonderful brother Rand is the one who designs the headers. He's such a blessing to me, love him!!
Love the new ♥ header and the garlic vinaigrette!! Ciao from a huge fan
Eleonora xx
This dish is definitely worth waiting for! I love cauliflower, especially roasted. Sounds delicious.
Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that is so hard to get right. This recipe looks delicious and super savoury.
I confess that I've tried cutting cauliflower like this with the intent to grill and they ended up all falling apart! Nice job, yours look much better 🙂
i love roasted cauliflowers any which way I can get. Such a unique addition of garlic and kalamata olives, looks very delicious.
You couldn't have put a more perfect topping on the cauliflower. I would happily eat olives all day, particularly kalamata ones. This would be a great topping for braised leeks, too.
Oh Boy does that look good.I love olives -black, green, Greek you name it. I would never think of combining cauliflower with olives but it looks fabulous and definelty am going to try this recipe.
Oh my god, that looks so good! I need to make that very soon — I even have everything (okay, except the cauliflower) 😉
Some day I will learn to love cauliflower, I really will — so I'm bookmarking this recipe in anticipation. Love the kalamata vinaigrette; I'm going to try that on some roasted vegetables.
Looks yummy! 🙂 ~Lanie