Mexican Street Corn Style Roasted Cauliflower

You should roast more vegetables.

I’m a big proponent of roasting anything to make it taste better. Saute, boil, poach—no, no, no. Roasting brings out this delicate flavor and adds a char that will make it taste even better.

My favorite veggie for roasting? Cauliflower. Hands down, cauliflower. Cauliflower is insanely good raw, but even better roasted. If you sprinkle a little bit of seasoning on top, you’ve got yourself a delicious veggie side dish.

This recipe comes from my love of Mexican street corn. If you’ve never had it before, let me enlighten you. Street corn is roasted, sweet corn mixed with a mayonnaise/crema sauce, cheese (preferably cotija or Parmesan), chili powder, and cilantro. All of those ingredients mix together in your mouth like a watercolor of flavor. It’s my favorite snack to eat when I’m in the mood for something hearty and flavorful.

I’ve made Mexican street corn style roasted zucchini before and it was a huge hit. Playing off of that riff, I decided to do the same for some cauliflower. Mission accomplished. The cauliflower came out crispy and spicy and the toppings just made it that much better.

Enjoy!

Mexican Street Corn Style Roasted Cauliflower

• Servings: 3-4
• Time: 35 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Spicy roasted cauliflower with Mexican street corn style toppings like crema, cheese and cilantro.

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 TBS. olive oil
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder, plus more for topping
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• Sour cream (or crema), Parmesan cheese, chopped cilantro, for topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cauliflower florets with olive oil. In a small bowl, stir together garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and cayenne. Sprinkle over cauliflower and toss to coat.
2. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until cauliflower is slightly charred and crisp-tender. Top with crema, cheese, cilantro and chili powder and serve.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cauliflower florets with olive oil. In a small bowl, stir together garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and cayenne. Sprinkle over cauliflower and toss to coat.

Roast for 25-30 minutes or until cauliflower is slightly charred and crisp-tender. Top with crema, cheese, cilantro and chili powder and serve.