I do not recall the exact date that roasted cauliflower became my children’s favourite cooked vegetable but suffice to say, it was a case of ‘oh happy day.’
My gals eat salad by the truckload and most nights we eat salad with just about every meal. When served cooked vegetables, it is a chorus of ‘eeeuuurrrgh’ unless it is potato. Raw carrot – great. Roasted carrot – not so great. On the odd occasion when we have frozen peas they will literally eat frozen peas – they prefer them frozen to cooked #strange
So you can imagine my apprehension the first time I roasted a whole cauliflower in the oven and served it up for dinner. But curiouser and curiouser – they not only didn’t hate it, they fairly demolished the whole thing.
Roasted cauli is on the menu fairly regularly now and is served as everything from a side dish to salads, blitzed into soup and now in this vegetarian open pie.
This vegetarian pie is perfect to throw together for an easy lunch or dinner, or for picnics. It also tastes great cold served with a green salad. It is so versatile and you can add or subtract ingredients according to what’s in your kitchen. I would recommend leaving the chickpeas in, both for protein and texture.
GATHER:
½ cauliflower
Generous glugs extra virgin olive oil
Dried herbs of choice such as Italian, dukkah, Cajun etc
½ cup frozen peas
¼ cups tinned chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 cup grated hard cheese, such as cheddar
S & P
Packet of chilled, not frozen, filo pastry, at room temperature
Melted butter – around 100 grams
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
LET’S GET TO IT:
Preheat oven to 180C and place the whole cauliflower on baking paper-lined oven tray. This recipe only uses half a cauli but feel free to roast a whole cauli and use the rest later.
Drizzle over the oil, sprinkle over dried herbs of choice and roast for 40 miutes or until lightly golden and tender.
Cut into florets and set aside.
Spray a 30cm ceramic or glass pie dish with non-stick spray.
Gently unroll filo pastry sheets and place one into the dish, bush with melted butter and top with another sheet. Continue with five sheets, brushing with melted butter, making sure you cover the bottom and up the sides of the dish.
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper, drained chickpeas, cheese, peas and cauliflower.
Pour into pastry-lined dish and bake for 35-40 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature in slices.
the hungry mum 
That looks AMAZING! Saving this for later 🙂 You always have such great ideas!!
Hey, thanks! This pie was such a hit! Looking forward to making it again really soon.
Cauliflower is one of my most favourite things so I am so making this. I can’t get my paws on non-sweet filo (and I lack the skills to make it) so I will need to improvise with another pastry. Thanks!
Hungry Mum – looks like your family loves cauliflower as much as me. You should absolutely try buying one with the original leaves intact and then roast them – they taste amazing – my local Harris Farm happily now gives me just a bag of the leaves for free – otherwise they go to waste. A suggested method is on my blog too 😄
That looks INCREDIBLE
Oh, thanks so much! It was pretty delish 🙂
Love roasted cauliflower. I know people who eat frozen peas. I just think that’s strange. Give me roast spuds and pumpkin and I’m a happy bloke.
Cauliflower is tasty fixed so many ways. I often let it replace mashed potatoes.
That’s a great idea, I haven’t tried serving it like that. I do adore cauliflower and cheese…yum!
Me too!
I would *love* to find a way to make roasted cauliflower my husband’s favorite vegetable, too! Maybe a cauliflower pie like this could put him on that track… 😀
xo,
K
This is a great idea, i like the way you think!
This does look delicious and I love that you used filo pastry for the crust.I give you mums credit. Trying to prepare one meal that all family members will eat isn’t an easy thing to accomplish. Doing it every day is near impossible. When you find something that works, like roasted cauliflower, by all means use it in every way your can think of. 🙂
Looks delicious. I love cauliflower and would eat it about any imaginable way. Nice to have yet one more alternative! Thanks!
Thanks Brad 🙂 I love cauli too and could eat it every day.
Wow, this looks amazing! I wonder if I’ll ever get my kids to eat cauliflower? 🙂
Thanks 🙂 Try them on it, you may be surprised. Roasting it makes it tender and also mellows the taste.