Crispy, golden, veggie perfection. Those are the words that come to mind when I think of these turmeric roasted cauliflower steaks. And that’s why these make a weekly appearance on my meal prep list. Not to mention, cauliflower is one of the cheaper vegetables you can buy at the grocery store and it’s incredibly versatile if you change your mind and want to make cauliflower rice or a whole roasted cauliflower instead.
Health benefits? Turmeric + black pepper + fat. Yup, you’ve heard it before, but when we consume turmeric with black pepper, our body can absorb more of the beneficial curcumin in turmeric. That’s because piperine, a compound found in black pepper, slows down the body’s ability to excrete curcumin from the liver. Curcumin has been associated with many health benefits such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.
The other player in the equation is fat. When you consume turmeric in it’s natural root form (which has oil) or add a fat like olive or avocado oil, the bioavailability increases by about six times. Plus, I think it tastes pretty darn good 🙂 So don’t skimp on the oil and pepper otherwise you’re missing out on those anti-inflammatory benefits from the turmeric!
These are one of my favorite veggie sides to make Sunday during meal prep or on a busy week night because they only take 5 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to cook while I make the rest of my meal. And, they reheat perfectly in the microwave or back in the oven for lunch the next day!
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 Tbsp oil (olive or avocado)
- 1 Tbsp turmeric
- Salt + pepper
- Preheat oven to 425 and line baking sheet with parchment paper
- Wash and pat dry a head of cauliflower
- Remove leaves and cut an even base on the bottom
- Cut into 1" slices - you can usually get 3-4 good "steaks" per head, plus some extra florets
- Lay steaks and florets on parchment-lined baking sheet
- Drizzle with oil, salt, pepper, and turmeric
- Roast for 20 minutes, flipping once, until golden brown
- Serve warm!