Roasted Cauliflower With Pickled Cherry Peppers
This roasted cauliflower with cherry peppers recipe will go down as one of your favorite side dish recipes ever. It is the perfect combination of flavors and textures coming together in one salty, sweet, tangy, crunchy bite.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our affiliate policy.
It’s funny how sometimes a simple side dish can totally steal the show, right? Well, get ready, because this one is seriously amazing. With all the different flavors and textures going on, it might just be the best thing on your plate!
Around here we love a good side dish. Our roasted Brussels sprouts, broccolini, and kale salad are some of our most popular recipes.
Requirements for being a KBR side dish are strict. They must be fairly easy, full of big flavor, and require only a few ingredients. Most nights we don’t have the time or patience for a complicated side dish.
This roasted cauliflower checks all the boxes. It does take about 50 minutes of total time but most of that is hands-off, waiting for the bread to toast and cauliflower to roast. Megawatt flavor with nutty cauliflower, tangy peppers, and crunchy breadcrumbs and only 8 ingredients (including olive oil, salt & pepper).
What Are Pickled Cherry Peppers?
If you’ve never enjoyed pickled cherry peppers before they come in sweet and hot varieties that ripen to a bright red and look like oversized cherries (or really more the size of cherry tomatoes).
I like the sweet pickled cherry peppers for this recipe but if you want to add some heat, grab the hot pickled cherry peppers instead. Look for them in the condiments aisle in the grocery store next to the olives and vinegar.
8 Key Ingredients in Roasted Cauliflower with Cherry Peppers
You need just 8 basic ingredients for my homemade roasted cauliflower:
- Garlicky breadcrumbs
- Cauliflower
- Pickled cherry peppers
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Fresh mint
- Pickled cherry pepper juice
With so few ingredients, it’s important to reach for quality ingredients. See the recipe card for the complete ingredients list and instructions.
How To Make Your New Favorite Cauliflower
Heat oven to 350 degrees f. Make the crispy garlic breadcrumbs by tossing cubed bread with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl and laying in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and toasty. Remove and set aside.
*Shortcut: Use store-bought garlic croutons instead of making your own.
Turn the heat of the oven up to 475°F. You want a really high temperature so the cauliflower browns without getting mushy.
Cut the cauliflower head into bite-sized pieces. I like to use the tender stems too. Toss the cauliflower florets and stems with olive oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Roast until browned and tender, about 15 minutes.
While the cauliflower roasts, remove the stems and seeds from the pickled peppers and chop. Chop the fresh mint as well.
When the cauliflower is ready, add the chopped peppers, mint, and three tablespoons of the pickled pepper juice right on the baking sheet. Toss to combine.
Place cauliflower on a serving dish and crush the breadcrumbs over the cauliflower. Serve immediately. Yum!
What To Serve With It
These add pep and zest to a lovely Italian meal. Serve your amazing cauliflower with:
- Kate’s Best Italian Spaghetti & Meatballs-I love this recipe!
- Roasted Delicata Squash Pizza with Burrata
- Sausage Stuffed Peppers with Pesto
- Or make them the main dish by tossing the whole thing with pasta and grated parmesan cheese
Roasted Cauliflower with Pickled Cherry Peppers
Ingredients
For the breadcrumbs:
- 1 1/2 cups cubed sourdough bread
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the cauliflower
- 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 8 whole sweet pickled cherry peppers, seeds removed and chopped
- 3 tablespoons pickled cherry pepper juice (from the jar of peppers)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Toss the 1 1/2 cups of bread cubes with the 1 tablespoon olive oil and the 2 cloves minced garlic and season with the 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper in a large bowl. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until toasted and crisp, about 15-20 minutes.
- Turn oven up to 475°F. Toss the head of chopped cauliflower with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with the 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the upper third of the oven until browned and tender, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and add the 3 tablespoons chopped mint, 8 chopped cherry peppers and 3 tablespoons of juice right onto the baking sheet. Toss it all together and give a taste. Does it need more salt? More pickle juice? Maybe a drizzle of olive oil? Add it! Transfer to a serving platter. Crush the croutons into smaller pieces and sprinkle over the cauliflower and serve!
Notes
- Pickled cherry peppers: Pickled cherry peppers come in sweet and hot varieties. Pick the one you’d like to use.
- Make ahead: This cauliflower is good hot or at room temperature. It’s a great dinner party side because it can sit at room temperature for about an hour and still be delicious.
- Breadcrumbs: Make your own or substitute store-bought garlic croutons.
- Removing the seeds from the peppers: Cut off the stem then cut around the seeds in the middle. Any leftover seeds can be scooped out with a small spoon.
