Oven Roasted Flowering Cauliflower

By Alysha Melnyk

Authors Notes

Flowering cauliflower (also known as Fioretto which means “little flower” in Italian) is a hybrid cross between cauliflower and broccoli. It has long, tender stems with small florets (almost making it look like an edible bouquet!). 

Flowering cauliflower is sweet, tender, and (in my opinion) tastier than traditional cauliflower. You can enjoy the entire plant from the stems to the florets, so there is no waste with this dish.

There are many ways to enjoy flowering cauliflower, one of which is a quick 20 minute oven roast. The stems get nice and tender, and the florets crisp slightly at the top. Great to enjoy as the main vegetable of a meal or as a side dish. 

Oven Roasting

1. First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line your sheet pan with parchment paper, place flowering cauliflower pieces on top, and drizzle with olive oil (*add more if desired to coat pieces). Toss pieces until coated. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top.
3. Roast florets for approximately 20 minutes in the oven on the top shelf (tossing at the halfway mark). Reduce cooking time if florets looked crisped. 
4. Serve immediately and enjoy. 

*Tip: I paired my roasted flowering cauliflower with couscous, kale, a drizzle of local yogurt, parsley, and chili flakes for a quick meal.

Alysha Melnyk is the Founder and Content Creator of The Kitchenologist©, a food blog dedicated to healthy eating and kitchen experiments. Alysha combined her background in biology with her passion for making food delicious, eye-catching, and accessible. When she’s not cooking in the kitchen or dreaming up a recipe, Alysha works full time as an Implementation Specialist at ECRI, an international medical nonprofit located in suburban Philadelphia that is dedicated to improving patient safety worldwide. Alysha finds her many career passions revolve around the power of knowledge and that equipping people with the right tools and resources will help them make better informed decisions.