I made chef Alex Guarnaschelli's favorite 'accidentally vegan' dish. The recipe is now my go-to for an easy dinner.

It's tempting to bid take-out aliases make a frozen pizza for dinner, but making a restaurant-quality crockery astatine location isn't arsenic overmuch of a hassle arsenic you mightiness think.

Just inquire cook and Food Network prima Alex Guarnaschelli.

When I interviewed her successful February 2021, she told maine cauliflower "steak" is 1 of her go-to dishes to make erstwhile she wants an easy dinner. It's besides a signature crockery astatine her New York City edifice Butter.

"I telephone it my accidentally vegan entrée, and it's fundamentally cauliflower that's blanched, soaked successful coconut milk, and past roasted," she said. "It's just, like, 'What did I conscionable eat?' It's sewage that benignant of vibe."

Although I don't travel a plant-based diet, I effort to person meatless meals passim my week. I besides emotion vegetables, though I must admit cauliflower is 1 of my slightest favorites.

Still, I'm ever crippled to effort thing new. So, I pulled up 1 of Guarnaschelli's recipes for cauliflower "steak" and sewage cooking.

The ingredients felt affordable and easy to find

The look has 3 components: marinated cauliflower steaks, a elemental vinaigrette, and a gremolata topping (an herby Italian condiment typically made pinch parsley, garlic, and citrus juice).

It looked a small intimidating astatine first glance, but erstwhile I publication done the recipe, I realized this crockery would really beryllium beautiful simple.

A batch of the ingredients, for illustration salt, red-wine vinegar, garlic, oliva oil, and red-pepper flakes, are communal pantry staples.

However, I did person to prime up a fewer things I don't usually person connected hand, for illustration unsweetened coconut milk, flat-leaf parsley, and coriander seeds.

Prep took maine a fewer hours, but nary of the steps were difficult

I started by cutting a cauliflower caput into 3 heavy slices, aliases "steaks." The look said to trim the caput into 2 pieces, but excavation was massive.

From there, I boiled 2 slices successful a cookware of heavy salted h2o for astir 7 minutes.

I was thankful to person 3 slabs of cauliflower because 1 fell isolated while boiling. I still strained it and fto it drain connected a expanse cookware while the 3rd steak boiled.

While the cauliflower rested and released the other water, I prepared a mini baking crockery pinch coconut milk, crushed coriander seeds, reddish capsicum flakes, and salt.

I'd ne'er worked pinch coriander seeds before, but crushing them pinch a mortar and pestle was easy.

Next, I placed the cauliflower pieces successful this crockery and put it successful the fridge to marinate for 2 hours.

Just earlier the 2 hours were up, I put together my vinaigrette and gremolata truthful that the nutrient would beryllium fresh to sheet aft the cauliflower was roasted. 

The vinaigrette was arsenic easy arsenic whisking mustard, oliva oil, red-wine vinegar, and citrus juice together.

Then, I chopped up astir half a bunch of parsley and mixed it pinch minced ail and citrus zest.

After marinating, I popped the cauliflower successful the oven for astir 15 minutes, past broiled it connected precocious for astir five. I kept a adjacent oculus connected it while broiling to make judge it didn't burn.

When everything was retired of the oven, I put 1 hefty steak connected a plate, generously poured connected the vinaigrette, and topped it each pinch a mates of spoonfuls of gremolata.

This crockery was an detonation of spirit successful the champion way

Simply put, this crockery was incredible.

I'd brought retired a weapon for the afloat steak effect, but I didn't request it. The cauliflower was tender capable to trim pinch a fork.

Every wound was amazing, moreover the tougher stalk. As I chewed, location were truthful galore breathtaking things happening to my sensation buds. It was sweet, spicy, salty, and tangy.

I'll decidedly beryllium making this beautiful crockery again. Despite the lengthy prep — including 2 hours to fto the cauliflower marinate — I was capable to make this connected a weeknight pinch ease.

It besides seems easy to upgrade aliases adjust. For example, Guarnaschelli told me, it's easy to adhd much macromolecule to this crockery by topping the "steak" pinch immoderate benignant of beans aliases crushed nuts.

I deliberation finely crushed walnuts would beryllium a bully summation for some spirit and texture, and I'm excited to effort crumbling them connected apical adjacent time.

The vinaigrette and gremolata are besides astonishing connected their own, and I'll beryllium utilizing them connected my standard salads and roasted veggies connected nights I don't person clip to marinate the cauliflower.

Really, each portion of this crockery is beautiful versatile. I tin spot myself utilizing the coconut-milk marinade for tofu arsenic well, aliases drizzling the dressing and gremolata connected veggies, pasta, aliases pizza.

I've ne'er been to Guarnaschelli's Butter, but I can't hold for the time I tin make a trip to NYC to person this prepared by the pros. For now, I'll person this connected dense rotation astatine location because I'm already obsessed.

This communicative was primitively published connected February 16, 2021, and astir precocious updated connected August 14, 2026.