This Garlic and Lemon Roasted Romanesco recipe is simple and delicious! The lemon and garlic highlight the beautiful Romanesco flavors, making it a tasty vegetable dish that is perfect as a side dish or even as a main dish if you want something light.
I think Romanesco is one of the most beautiful vegetables! It’s perfect Fibonacci sequenced spirals are truly a work of natural art! It can be so beautiful to me that it’s hard to actually eat it because I don’t want to ruin it’s beauty.
So how do you cut up a Romanesco?
I like to flip the Romanesco over and remove the stem and set it aside, we will chop that up later. I then cut each stem so the spirals stay in tact. The top will get smaller and when I get to that point where the stems are too small, I cut the large top piece so they it is about the same size as the other spirals. Chop the stem into similar size pieces and you are done.
My sweet Instagram, turned real life friend Laura gave me inspiration for this recipe, we were chatting late one night and she said she had Romanesco in her refrigerator too and that she loves it with garlic and lemon and I knew I needed to make some, thus this recipe was born. I’m grateful for foodie friends who I can chat food with late at night because it’s their passion too.
What you need to make garlic and lemon roasted Romanesco:
Makes 1 head of Romanesco
- 1 head of Romanesco – cut into individual spirals and the base chopped.
- Olive oil – I also love garlic infused olive oil
- 1 lemon – cut in half, you will roast the Romanesco with half of the lemon and use the other half to finish with just before serving
- 6 cloves garlic – slightly smashed but left whole
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons salted butter – melted, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Cut up Romanesco into individual spirals and chop the base into equivalent sized pieces.
- Lay Romanesco on a parchment paper lined baking sheet or greased cookie sheet.
- Drizzle the Romanesco liberally with olive oil.
- Peel and smash your garlic cloves and add them to the pan.
- Sprinkle the top with a generous sprinkle of salt and black pepper and just a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper, more if you want some heat, this isn’t aimed to make it spicy but just to enhance the flavors.
- Squeeze half of a lemon over the top and toss the Romanesco in the seasoning and oil so it’s nicely coated, adding more olive oil or seasoning if you feel like it needs it.
- Roast for 45 minutes, feel free to stir the Romanesco if you feel like it’s getting too browned on one side.
- Remove from the oven and squeeze the remaining lemon half on top and add melted butter, stir mixture together.
- Serve and enjoy!
Here are a few other vegetable dishes you may love:
Bacon Ranch Swiss Chard
Easy Cheddar Broccoli Soup
Cauliflower Chicken Alfredo
Sesame Brussels Sprouts
Maple Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad
Garlic and Lemon Roasted Romanesco
Ingredients
- 1 head of Romanesco – cut into individual spirals and the base chopped.
- Olive oil – I also love garlic infused olive oil
- 1 lemon – cut in half you will roast the Romanesco with half of the lemon and use the other half to finish with just before serving
- 6 cloves garlic – slightly smashed but left whole
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons salted butter – melted optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Cut up Romanesco into individual spirals and chop the base into equivalent sized pieces.
- Lay Romanesco on a parchment paper lined baking sheet or greased cookie sheet.
- Drizzle the Romanesco liberally with olive oil.
- Peel and smash your garlic cloves and add them to the pan.
- Sprinkle the top with a generous sprinkle of salt and black pepper and just a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper, more if you want some heat, this isn’t aimed to make it spicy but just to enhance the flavors.
- Squeeze half of a lemon over the top and toss the Romanesco in the seasoning and oil so it’s nicely coated, adding more olive oil or seasoning if you feel like it needs it.
- Roast for 45 minutes, feel free to stir the Romanesco if you feel like it’s getting too browned on one side.
- Remove from the oven and squeeze the remaining lemon half on top and add melted butter, stir mixture together.
- Serve and enjoy!