Gluten Free Cauliflower Piccata Recipe
Updated Jun 29, 2018, Published Nov 09, 2012
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Cauliflower – love it or leave it?
I will admit that growing up I could leave it, dare I say I went as far as being an almost hater? Sure, it was okay when covered with creamy cheese sauce or raw dipped into ranch dressing. But if you are going to eat all those calories and extra fat, wouldn’t it be better just to have a piece of flourless chocolate cake? Topped with caramel sauce? And maybe some whipped cream? But I digress.
Back to cauliflower. I have found that with most vegetables I didn’t think I liked that roasting is the answer. The veggies turn out perfectly crisp tender and roasting brings out the natural sweetness is just about anything.
Roasted cauliflower is perfectly good but I got to thinking, “why not zhuzh it up a bit?” For this recipe I gave it a piccata treatment, similar to the flavors of Chicken Piccata; lemon, parsley, capers and some crispiness, thanks to Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Panko Style Breadcrumbs.
The result? Kind of genius! This recipe transforms plain ‘ole cauliflower into something special enough for your holiday table but simple enough to just toss together.
Gluten Free Cauliflower Piccata Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, broken into florets, larger pieces cut so all the pieces are fairly even in size
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, use divided
- ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced or grated
- ½ cup gluten free panko style bread crumbs
- 1 whole lemon
- ½ cup parsley leaves, measured then chopped
- ½ medium red onion, cut in half and finely sliced
- ¼ cup capers, drained
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes – optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Place the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the salt and pepper. Toss to coat and roast, flipping once while cooking for even browning, until fork tender and browned, 20 – 25 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 teaspoons of olive oil, the garlic and bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until browned, about 3 minutes. Remove from skillet to a mixing bowl. Wash and dry the skillet.
- Grate the lemon zest from the lemon into the breadcrumb mixture, add the parsley and toss to coat.
- Heat the skillet over medium heat; add another 2 teaspoons of olive oil and the red onions. Cook the onions until tender, about 3 – 4 minutes. Add the capers and red pepper flakes, if using, and squeeze in the juice of the lemon. Cook the mixture until most of the lemon juice has evaporated. Add the roasted cauliflower to the pan and toss. Reserve some of the bread crumb mixture for garnish and add the rest to the pan. For extra richness, add another drizzle of olive oil and toss everything together. Garnish with the reserved breadcrumb mixture and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi Carol: Just wanted to thank you for this delicious recipe. I made it yesterday for a special birthday dinner for the whole family. Everyone LOVED it, from Grandpa to Granddaughter! Terrific!
Yay! So happy everyone enjoyed it and I hope your birthday celebration was amazing!
Another great one that I’ll have to try. I make Chicken Piccata occassionally, so why not serve this as a ‘side’ ! I also like to make mashed potatoes, using 1/2 potato, 1/2 cauliflower… Will be trying this one :)