Cauliflower a Diavola

To put it plainly, this is my favorite way to eat cauliflower on the planet. No lie, with this Cauliflower a Diavola recipe, I’ve been known to eat a whole head of cauliflower in one sitting. And believe me I am not proud of that. But in a way, isn’t it a flex to eat your veggies?

I’ve named this recipe “a Diavola,” which in Italian means “of the Devil.” And while typically in Italian food that means the food is spicy, in this recipe it just means the cauliflower is sinful. Because even without using rich ingredients, it tastes rich. Of course, there are peppers included, but they are more there for balance than heat. This recipe will please anyone, no matter their spice tolerance. The name is just so you aren’t surprised when you see the bright red color the cauliflower turns into!

Ingredients you will need for Cauliflower a Diavola

If a vegetable side dish is simple, then sign me up. What I love about this recipe is how delicious it is, but with just simple ingredients. Here is all you need:

• 1 head cauliflower, 32 ounces
• 5 small Calabrian chilies, or 2 tablespoons jarred chopped Calabrian chilies
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 tablespoons tomato paste
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Italian basil, for topping

How to best prepare this cauliflower recipe

This cauliflower recipe is all about TIMING.

You have to cook down your cauliflower in the pan, and that takes time! Think 10-12 minutes, kind of time. But it’s worth it. You want your cauliflower browning before you add the aromatics. If you start adding them before the cauliflower gets brown, then their moisture will prevent the cauliflower from further browning, and you’ll kind of be stuck.

But after you’ve reached the cauliflower browning point (yay!), you can add the chilies, the garlic, cook for a few minutes and add the tomato paste. The tomato paste will need more time to cook down, about 4-5 minutes. Then add splashes of water to help it cling to the cauliflower and watch it cook down into a sticky, unctuous side dish. And in twenty minutes, you’re done!

Will this work with other vegetables?

Usually I say “any vegetable will do!” but I’ve tried this recipe with a few other vegetables, and it just wasn’t as good? So for this, I’d say start with cauliflower if you can find it, but then keep it to the brassicas: like broccoli, broccolini, romanesco, etc.

Their crevices help gather the sauce, and the are sturdy enough to hold up while the tomato past cooks down.

What is the best way to store Cauliflower a Diavola?

What I like about this recipe is that it gets BETTER as it stores. You heard me! I don’t know what it is, but the flavors begin to blend and sit with each other. And eating this cold out of tupperware? DELICIOUS. Don’t knock it until you try it!

The best way to store this cauliflower side dish is in an airtight container (such as tupperware) and it will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge!

What do you eat this with?

This recipe is what I call “the perfect vegetable side dish.” It goes well with any dinner-style protein and carb you can think of! In this instance, and in the blog post above, you can see I served it alongside a simple salt-and-pepper seared swordfish. However if you eat meat, this would also pair well with any steak, chicken or fish you have in mind. In a pinch (and if you really don’t feel like cooking) a rotisserie chicken and some kind of grain would be great friends with this vegetable dish.

If you are plant-based, this would work well with a fried tofu and a bowl of rice. It would even go well over brothy beans, which PS, is the first way I ate this recipe!

Watch the recipe here

The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.

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