Roasted Romanesco Recipe
Roasted Romanesco! Romanesco is a stunning chartreuse-spired cruciferous hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower. Roast it with shallots, garlic & lemon—a simple recipe that takes 15 mins of hands-on time!
How to Make the Best Roasted Romanesco
Romanesco is one of those vegetables that stops you in your tracks at the farmers market. With its mesmerizing fractal spirals and stunning chartreuse color, it’s almost too beautiful to eat—almost. This roasted Romanesco recipe showcases this unique cruciferous vegetable at its finest, combining the best qualities of both broccoli and cauliflower in one stunning side dish.
The key to perfect roasted Romanesco is keeping those gorgeous spires intact while ensuring even cooking throughout. By carefully separating the florets and roasting them at high heat with garlic, shallots, and a touch of lemon zest, you’ll achieve tender-crisp results with beautifully caramelized edges. The addition of chili flakes adds just the right amount of heat to complement the vegetable’s mild, nutty flavor.
Paired with a bright and briny salsa verde, this dish transforms from a simple side into something truly special. The herbaceous sauce cuts through the richness of the roasted vegetables, creating a perfect balance of flavors. Serve it alongside grilled fish or chicken, or let it shine as the star of a vegetable-forward dinner.
Roasted Romanesco
Roasted Romanesco! Romanesco is a stunning chartreuse-spired cruciferous hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower. Roast it with shallots, garlic & lemon—a simple recipe that takes 15 mins of hands-on time!
Ingredients
Roasted Romanesco
Salsa Verde
Instructions
Roasted Romanesco
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Remove the leaves and stems from the Romanesco and trim off any discolored ends. Slice the leaves in half lengthwise to create strips. Cut the stem in half, then into 1/4-1/2 inch thick strips. Carefully, starting from the bottom of the bud, pull off the spires with your fingers, keeping them intact.
- Place all in a big bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, add the sliced garlic, shallots, zest, salt, pepper and chili flakes and toss to coat well.
- Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan, not overlapping. Bake for 15 minutes, stir in parmesan if using, and bake for 5-10 more minutes, until tender-crisp yet still vibrant in color. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and chili flakes.
Salsa Verde
- While the Romanesco is roasting, make the salsa verde.
- Place everything in a food processor and pulse until uniformly chopped and combined. Add more olive oil to loosen it if you like. (You can also finely mince everything by hand and stir in a small bowl.)
To Serve
- Place a few tablespoons of salsa verde on a large plate or platter, place the roasted Romanesco over the top with tips pointing up and out—along with all the toasty bits. Then add a few more spoonfuls of salsa verde over and around. For color and heat, Calabrian chilies are nice and punchy.
Notes
- Choose a Romanesco head with similar-sized spires for the most even cooking.
- Aleppo or Urfa Biber chili flakes add a nice depth of flavor compared to regular red pepper flakes.
- The salsa verde can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- For a vegan version, simply omit the parmesan and anchovies.
