When my sister in law originally recommended the New York Times Cauliflower Parmesan recipe this one is based off, I have to admit I was hesitant. Breading and deep frying things has never been something I enjoy. It is time consuming, makes a total mess of my kitchen and isn’t all that healthy, either. But we love cauliflower so I decided to make it and WOW! It was a hit with everyone – even my carnivorous son.
I posted the original version on Facebook in April 2020 and got a few comments that is was good, but too fiddly and labor intensive to be a regular or repeat meal. I decided to go to work seeing if I could adjust it to make it a bit more prep friendly. I have been testing this out for a couple of months now, and I think this captures the deliciousness of the original while being lighter and less of a project.
While the amount of time it take to prepare this probably isn’t all that different, only breading the cauliflower heads and oven roasting them instead of deep frying seems easier to me personally. I highly recommend you make your own Easy Marinara Sauce, but I have also used Rao’s Marinara Sauce (28 oz) and it is pretty good with that, too. You may want to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water to the jar and shake it up so that you thin the sauce a little to make it closer to the consistency of the homemade sauce.
I always serve this with a salad, and usually with some crusty bread as well. (Garlic Bread is extra decadent!)
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Healthier Cauliflower Parmesan
Ingredients
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1¼ cups Panko bread crumbs + more if needed
- Kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 36-40 cauliflower florets from 2 cauliflower heads (you will have leftover)
- 1 batch Easy Marinara Sauce can substitute a 28-32 oz jar of marinara sauce, preferably Rao's
- ¾ cup finely shredded or grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
- 8 oz (250 grams) fresh mozzarella cheese cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (julienned) + more leaves for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°F). Line a large baking tray with foil and spray with cooking spray. Spray a 13×9 inch glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Put the flour, lightly beaten eggs, and Panko into three separate shallow dishes such as pie plates or cake pans. Season all three with salt and pepper. (Approximately ¼ tsp each in each dish.)
- Dip each cauliflower floret in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip into the egg and then coat with the breadcrumbs. It is best to try to keep a "wet" hand and a "dry" hand to do this, or you can use tongs. Once the floret is covered with breadcrumbs, place it on the baking tray. Repeat with all the florets. You should have approximately 36-40. Spray the florets generously with cooking spray, preferably olive oil or avocado oil spray.
- Place the cauliflower in the oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are crispy and the florets are beginning to get brown.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, make the tomato sauce if you haven't already. Prepare the cheeses and the basil.
- Remove the cauliflower from the oven. Put ¾-1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange half of the florets evenly over sauce. Dollop/spread half of the remaining sauce on and around the cauliflower and then top evenly with half of the Pecorino/Parmesan and half of the mozzarella cubes and half of the sliced basil. Nestle the remaining florets in between the other ones. Top with the rest of the sauce, the remaining Pecorino/Parmesan cheese and sliced basil.
- Reduce oven temperature to 400°F (200°C). Place casserole in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese is golden brown. Let sit for a few minutes and then top with the basil leaves and serve immediately.