Cast iron vegetables are one of my favorite ways to eat (and cook) vegetables, and this pairing with buttermilk dressing makes them a perfect side dish to share. I love whipping up a huge batch of these vegetables in the summer, since the charred flavor is so smokey and perfect, and the buttermilk dressing is all cooling and delicious.
There are some tips and tricks to cooking with a cast iron, and no, you don’t need a grill pan cast iron to make it happen (some might say grill pans are just less effective cast irons, but more on that in a later post!). This cast iron method is just super simple – I cook the vegetables that need higher heat first, then reduce the heat and finish off my second batch of vegetables in minutes. The buttermilk dressing is quick and easy, and reminds me of a brighter, fresher ranch dressing. All that to say, if you are looking for an easy, light way to enjoy vegetables, these cast iron vegetables are it.
Table of contents
How I like to cook my vegetables on a cast iron pan
I don’t claim to be a cast iron expert, but I do have a few preferences for when I cook vegetables on my cast iron pan.
The reaction I am going for when I cook vegetables at a high heat is caramelization. This is where sugars are introduced to heat and create a non-enzymatic browning reaction. This should not be confused with the Maillard reaction, where reducing sugar reacts with amino acids. It’s a highly complicated chemical reaction to explain, especially since I don’t really get it, but here’s what I prefer to do with my cast iron cooking:
- Cook vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, broccolini etc. at a high temperature, with no oil. This is because I don’t want to push my oil past its smoke point during the browning of my vegetables. This would cause an unpleasant flavor as well as release some residue from the pan onto the food. Since cauliflower and broccoli take much longer than other counterparts, I opt to cook them without oil.
- Cook sliced or quicker-cooking vegetables over medium heat with a touch of oil. The oil will promote browning, but it won’t be pushed past its smoke point, so there’s no risk of getting burnt fat along with your charred vegetables.
If you’re looking for the difference between charring and burning, Bon Appetit did a great article here, which also helps summarize the kind of reaction I go for in cast iron vegetables. I like a nice char.
Ingredients for the buttermilk dressing
This simple, bright buttermilk dressing only needs a few ingredients, and it’s my whole reason I always have buttermilk on hand. I put it on everything. This is what you’ll need:
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, about 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- Freshly ground black pepper
And then you just whisk it all together and season to taste! Just keep in mind that since buttermilk is fatty, it can take a lot of salt to get it seasoned to your liking. Make sure to taste and adjust as you see fit.
And that’s it for these cast iron vegetables!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
Cast Iron Vegetables with Buttermilk Dressing
Equipment
- 1 large cast-iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 small head of cauliflower or broccoli, or romanesco
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 3 cups green beans or sliced zucchini, carrots, snap peas, radishes, etc.
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh dill finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves grated
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice about 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Ventilate your kitchen.
- Tear off any large rough green leaves from the cauliflower, cut it into quarters, then halve the quarters, leaving you with 8 pieces.
- Place the cast iron over very high heat. We are charring the cauliflower without oil first, because any oil pushed past its smoke point will cause residue from the pores of the pan to rub off onto the food. When caramelizing the vegetable's sugars at this high of a heat, dry is my preferred.
- Cook the cauliflower for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until deep char marks are showing. Rotate to get all the sides browned and cooked through. Transfer to a bowl and rub in a pinch of salt to all the pieces.
- Reduce the heat on the cast iron to medium.
- Clean and trim the green beans. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the cast iron and a handful of green beans, being careful not to crowd the pan. Season with a pinch of salt and stir to coat the green beans in the oil. Cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, then give the pan a quick shake to flip the pieces. Cook another 2 minutes or until the beans are charred in spots. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the remaining batches.
- Make the buttermilk dressing by whisking together the dill, garlic cloves, lemon zest, lemon juice, and buttermilk. Season with a generous pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper.
- Scatter the vegetables onto a serving platter and drizzle with the dressing right before serving.
This looks so yummy!! I’m excited to try it! I have 2 questions, if you’re able to answer them I’d really appreciate it:
1. Do you have a recommendation of how to cook or use cauliflower leaves? They remind me of broccoli stem in that they seem like a cast-off with high potential.
2. What other vegetables would you recommend cooking this way? I’m imagining asparagus would be tasty but my imagination stops there.