I am officially OBSESSED with these Cauliflower Steaks with Chipotle Pesto and Toasted Hazelnuts. I literally could not get over how incredibly delicious these are. I often rotate through food obsessions and lately it has been chipotle peppers. I have literally been putting them in everything.
I created this chipotle pesto one night when we were going to roast some salmon. I really love to pair salmon with something spicy. I just think the flavor pairs really well together.
I was seriously blown away at how good this pesto was. It was this smoky, spicy, sweet and bold mixture. I spent the next couple days just putting it on everything. Of course I didn’t write the recipe down when I made it the first time so I had to recreate it and share it with you all.
I knew this pesto would pair perfectly with the cauliflower steaks. It would give these steaks and bold and hearty flavor.
Depending on the size of your cauliflower you can sometimes get three steaks out of it instead of two. I reserve all of the remaining cauliflower pieces for some rice or just to roast on their own so be sure to save the florets.
This dish is great as an entrée or a wonderful hearty side dish.
Enjoy!
PrintCauliflower Steaks with Chipotle Pesto and Toasted Hazelnuts
- Prep Time: 15
- Total Time: 25
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
Chipotle Pesto
- 2 cups fresh cilantro
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 5 whole chipotles in adobo sauce
- 2 tsp honey (sub maple for vegan option)
- 3 Tbsp lime juice
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
Cauliflower Steaks
- 2 whole heads of cauliflower
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup roasted hazelnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the cilantro, garlic and pumpkin seeds to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
- Add the chipotles, honey, lime juice, vinegar, olive oil and salt and pulse until combined. Set aside.
- Remove the leaves of the cauliflower and trim the bottom but leave the core intact.
- Cut the curved edges of the cauliflower off from top to bottom and then cut two large 1 – 1½ inch steaks with the remaining cauliflower. Repeat with the other head of cauliflower.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the steaks and take about ½ cup of chipotle pesto and rub both sides of the steak with the pesto.
- Roast for 20-25 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender.
- Top the steaks with roasted hazelnuts and more pesto if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you can’t handle much spice I would reduce the amount of chipotle peppers in the pesto.
- Depending on the size of the cauliflower I can sometimes get 3 steaks out of one head.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
Bethany @ Athletic Avocado says
I’ve been obsessing over cauli steaks for quite some time now, however, I never met a cauli steak recipe quite this flavorful and gourmet-like! WOW that chipotle pesto!!