As the old adage goes, “That which is worth eating comes from much pain.” I clearly just made that up but the story that follows is not. This Cauliflower Parmesan is pretty darn tasty. No, it’s amazing but the pain inflicted upon me was horrible. So the story goes:
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After the photoshoot from this Cauliflower Parmesan recipe, I was putting back my wood props and since I am Miss Butter Fingers, one of the pieces dropped right down onto my big toe. I screamed in horror waiting for that initial pain to subside. You know, that “take your breath away because the wind got knocked out of you” pain. Little did I know I did a lot more damage than just getting the wind knocked out of me. (We’re talking toenail falling off sort of damage). Okay, that might be more dramatic but it felt like that.
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Anyone walking by my place must have thought I was getting murdered with all that screaming, cursing and crying. But there I was between a rock and a hard place: my toe was in excruciating pain but my cauliflower parmesan sat there on the table getting cold as I cried. So I did what anyone would naturally do…
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I ate my damn food. While wincing in pain. This dish is THAT good.
Cauliflower Parmesan
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 4 Cauliflower Cutlets 1x
Description
Go meatless tonight by replacing chicken with cauliflower in my own version of Cauliflower Parmesan. You won’t even miss the chicken!
Ingredients
Flour coating:
- 1 Tbsp. flax seed meal + 2 Tbsp. warm water, thickened
- 1/3 c. gluten-free flour
- 1/4 c. water
Bread Crumb Coating:
- 1 c. gluten-free Panko crumbs
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
Other ingredients:
- 4 thick slices cauliflower, cutlet form (slice from the middle where the stem is to keep intact)
- 4 servings of gluten free pasta
- mozzarella cheese (use nondairy, if needed)
- Favorite jar of spaghetti sauce
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Preaheat oven to 450 degrees.
- In a shallow dish combine the flour coating ingredients.
- In another shallow dish, whisk together the ingredients for the bread crumbs.
- Dip each cauliflower cutlet gently into the flour coating first and then into the bread crumbs until completely coated. Be gentle when moving the cauliflower. You might want to use a spatula to move from one dish to the next and use a spoon to coat instead of flipping over.
- Heat up 1/4 c. olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until hot and cook each side of the cauliflower until nicely browned on both sides (approx 5-7 min on each side)*
- In a baking dish, place the marinara sauce in the bottom. Top with cauliflower slices and non-dairy cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted.
- Serve over cooked pasta (optional).
Notes
*If you want to bake the cauliflower instead of fry it, place the cutlets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly coat the tops of the cauliflower with cooking spray. Heat your oven to 375 degrees and cook for 10-15 minutes on each side or until nicely browned.
Go meatless tonight by replacing chicken with cauliflower in my own version of Cauliflower Parmesan. You won’t even miss the chicken!
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I was wondering if I could replace the flax meal with something else? I don’t need the recipe to be gluten-free or vegan, and don’t have the flax meal on hand.
Chia seed slurry or aquafaba could work.
Thank you…making it tonight and realize I have chia but no flaxseed!
This looks so good. Do you think I could bake the breaded cauliflower in the oven on parchment paper instead of frying it in oil? Then when crispy, place on top of noodles and top with sauce.
I tried it by baking it and it turned out great! I baked them at 450 for 15min then flipped them over for another 10. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Oh, that is so great to hear Jen! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
Hi Cara, I’m new to the food blogging world. What a wonderful blog you have!! And what an amazing idea – slicing and coating the cauliflower like a cutlet or chicken fillet. Brilliant!
What kind of cheese did you use? Is there vegan parmesan or did you use mozzarella?
Hi Amanda 🙂 Daiya has a mozzarella-flavored shredded “cheese” that works in this recipe.
How much in advance can these cauliflower cutlets be made?
This was absolutely my favorite dish. Even better than chicken parm! So filling and makes enough for leftovers. I made it with whole wheat penne and it was delicious!
I made this tonight for my boyfriend and me! We loved it! I used corn chip crumbs instead of bread crumbs. Wow. I really recommend it!
Thanks for the inspiration!
What can I sub for the flax seed? I’m allergic to ALA. Thanks!
Hi Jess, you can try chia seed slurry or Ener-G egg replacer. But I’d go more for chia seeds (sub equal ground chia seeds for flaxseed meal).
Chia seeds are extremely high in ALA Omega 3. I’ll check out the Ener-G egg replacer. Thank you, I can’t wait to try this recipe! Everything on your site looks so good!
I did the same thing when I sliced my finger open making homemade potato chips with my menacing mandoline. Threw a band-aid on it, put the chips in the oven, cooked my veggie burger, and enjoyed my dinner! Good food is the best pain reliever. 🙂
This looks absolutely amazing! I am a huge cauliflower fan but have never tried it in “steak” form. Seems to be a popular way to cook with it lately. I must try it! I used to love chicken parmesan.
Way to take one for the blog, your poor toe!
I made this meal tonight and it was a hit! The only thing is that I wish there was a note as to how thick the cutlets should be since I had to bake them a tad longer than as directed. Other than that the sauce was amazing and the seasoning for the bread coating was addictive (I kept eating the leftover crumbs after breading!)
This is my first time going to your site and trying a recipe and trust me…I will be back for more 🙂
Sounds amazing! I wonder how thick the slices should be? Am I cutting the entire head into 4 even slices or will I cut thinner slices and have some cauliflower left over? Your advice would be much appreciated. Making this tomorrow and I’m so excited!
Hi Sherry! You want to hold the cauliflower, stem down and the head facing up. Making sure not to slice the bottom stem (this is will allow you to slice the cauliflower while keeping intact). Make the slices a good inch thick–you really don’t want to go any thicker than 1.5″. Depending on the cauliflower and how well it stays together, 4 slices should be only half of it. Hope this helps and hope you like it! xo
Thanks, Cara! That’s tremendously helpful. So looking forward to having it this evening. YUM!
I made this tonight and it was FABULOUS! My husband, who is not vegan, loved it as well. This will be a regular in our house. Thanks again, Cara, for an amazing dish (and the clarification too). Muah!
I’m sorry about your toe, but the cauliflower dish looks amazing!
These look amazing Cara! What a great way to use up cauliflower. I am so sorry about the toe incident though. Ouch. Good thing you had this gorgeous meal to distract you!!
I’m sorry you had to sacrifice your toe in the process of taking these tantalizingly good photos. This sounds so good! I hope that it helped to take your mind off the pain!
:S
Ouch! Hope your toe is ok! This dish looks seriously amazing, I absolutely love cauliflower! Yay! Xxx
Talk about sacrifice! You ate the food…in pain…I’m so proud of you! :-)It does look delish!
The pain in your toe…yeeesh it hurts just thinking about it. Do I need to send you a pair of steel-toed boots for working in the kitchen?
Here’s a virtual ‘kiss it and make it better’- not the toe.
XOXOXO
From this situation came about a new rule: Cara must always wear shoes while in kitchen 🙂
But I will take that kiss AND I will raise the ante and add a good long back tickling session please!
You got it!!!
XOXOXO
oww owww.. yeah i am going to eat that cauli parmesan too! damn it looks good!
That cauli IS damn good! 😉
i would have done the same thing. nothing gets between me and my dinner. not even excruciating pain and a lost toe nail. this looks damn good! making this tonight 😉
Haha, That’s my girl. We mean business with our food!
Let me know what you think about the recipe Caitlin…
Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry about your toe – ouch! But I’m glad you were able to share this recipe with us. I recently discovered that I can’t tolerate eggs or dairy products anymore, so your Vegan tips and tricks will come in handy. I’m okay with gluten, so will probably use whole grain bread crumbs in this recipe; but I am interested in trying brown rice pasta. It just looks so good! This is going on my menu right away.
So sorry about your toe, Cara! These photos and recipe are making my mouth water! I’m absolutely addicted to cauliflower, and can’t wait to make this. Thanks!
So good you eat it while in pain. That’s a pretty good endorsement. I’m sorry about your owie!
Wonderful recipe! Cauliflower is so versatile. I hope your toe is better soon! Tkae care.
Oh my word. Is this what I was keeping you from? I should be shot. That is looks delish.
Oh Cara, I’m so sorry. I know exactly the pain you are talking about. I dropped a huge stack of textbooks on my toe while working at a bookstore in college. The toenail did fall off, but I’m living proof that it will grow back! Soooo painful.
This, on the other hand, looks absolutely to die for. I want it now. In my face. I’m going to be making this asap!
Hmmm, I always get hungry from looking at pasta. I can’t help but love it (and therefore want to eat it every evening).
I don’t like cauliflower, but I’m going to try it this way, maybe I’ll like it!