Fresh and Indulgent
If you’re looking for a hearty meatless dish, look no further! These cauliflower steaks served with chimichurri sauce are an impressive entree that feels indulgent, yet tastes fresh and herby from the chimichurri. It’s simple enough to make for a meatless Monday dinner but feels special enough to make for a special weekend dinner with a big salad and side of roasted potatoes.
I love adding vegetarian meal options like this into our rotation. It’s a great way to incorporate more veggies into our meals and I genuinely enjoy switching in meat-free dinners. Chimichurri is typically served with steak, or a protein, so switching it out for a cauliflower steak feels like a perfect fit to still enjoy the sauce but as a veggie option!
Frequent Questions When Making Cauliflower Steaks with Chimichurri
Q: How do you cut cauliflower steaks?
A: To slice your cauliflower steaks, remove any leaves and the long part of the stem from the bottom of the head of cauliflower. Cut only enough of the stem so that the cauliflower will sit flat on the cutting board, but don’t slice into the vegetable. The stem is what will help keep the cauliflower steaks whole. With the cauliflower sitting on the cutting board, slice it down the center. Make parallel cuts into the two halves of cauliflower, creating four long pieces, making sure a bit of stem keeps each slice intact. For each of the end pieces, cut off a bit of the round edge so that you end up with four long, steak-like pieces of cauliflower.
Q: Why do I need to preheat the pan?
A: Preheating your cast iron pan will ensure that your pan is evenly heated all the way through, rather than being hot only right under the burner. While there still may be “hot spots” on the pan, this will help make sure you get an even fry on all pieces of the cauliflower. In addition, if the pan is cold when you add the cauliflower steaks, they will sop up the oil, rather than fry in it, giving you an oily end product that’s not as crisp.
Q: I’ve never had chimichurri before. What does chimichurri taste like?
A: Chimichurri is a sauce with a very aromatic base, from the shallot and garlic, is very herby from the fresh parsley and cilantro, a tad spicy from the jalapeno, and has a noticeable vinegar flavor. It’s similar to a vinaigrette with lots of crunchy herbs and vegetables.
Cauliflower Steak Recipe Tips
When you make these pan-fried cauliflower steaks with green chimichurri, here are a few tips to make sure they’re delicious:
- For a successful pan fry, you need to make sure you have enough fat in the pan for the steaks to fry and not burn. Keep your eye on the pan while you’re cooking the cauliflower steaks and if it begins to look a bit dry and like there’s no oil in the pan, add another tablespoon of butter or drizzle of olive oil.
- When making the chimichurri, taste as you go! If you don’t like too much spice, only add half of the jalapeno. Make sure there’s enough salt and if the vinegar flavor is a bit too strong, add another drizzle of olive oil. Just remember, as the chimichurri sits while you fry the cauliflower steaks, the flavors will meld together more. Give it one more taste right before serving!
Recipe Details
To make these cauliflower steaks with green chimichurri sauce, you’ll begin with the sauce to let the flavors meld together. The chimichurri is as simple as mincing shallot, garlic, and jalapeno, then chopping fresh parsley and cilantro. All of these ingredients are added to a bowl and mixed together before adding in the vinaigrette. In the bowl, drizzle olive oil and red wine vinegar and season with a pinch of salt and dried oregano. Taste the chimichurri to ensure it’s at the spice level you want and seasoned appropriately. Set this aside to let the flavors meld together.
The first steps in delicious pan-fried cauliflower steaks is preheating the pan. Preheating the pan will help brown the cauliflower steaks evenly and let them begin frying right away. I recommend using a cast iron pan, but if you don’t have one use your pan with the heaviest bottom for even heating. Once the pan is hot, add a mix of olive oil and butter, letting the butter melt most of the way before adding the cauliflower steaks to the pan, working in batches as needed. Let them fry on the first side until they are golden brown, it’ll take just under ten minutes. Carefully flip the steaks onto the other side and let brown until they are golden on the second side and the cauliflower is cooked all the way through. As you’re frying the steaks, keep your eye on the pan. If it begins to look a bit dry, add more butter and olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time. This will help keep your cauliflower frying evenly and not burning on the bottom.
Once all of your cauliflower steaks are cooked all the way through, arrange them on a serving tray or add a one slice of cauliflower steak to a plate. Give the chimichurri one more taste to see see if you need to make any flavor adjustments and then spoon the chimichurri over each steak, letting the sauce drip over the sides as needed. Serve right away with a side of roasted potatoes and a side salad and enjoy!
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator, keeping the cauliflower steaks and the chimichurri separate if possible. Reheat the cauliflower and then top with the chimichurri.
I hope you love this cauliflower steak recipe as much as I do!
Pan-fried Cauliflower Steaks with Green Chimichurri
Description
Golden brown cauliflower steaks topped with a herby, green chimichurri for an indulgent, yet fresh tasting, vegetarian entree. The cauliflower steaks are pan fried in butter and olive oil until crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Topped with a chimichurri that’s packed with herbs and freshly minced aromatics for a perfectly delicious dinner.
Ingredients
Green Chimichurri
Cauliflower Steaks
Instructions
Make the Chimichurri
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In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the minced garlic, shallot, jalapeno, parsley and cilantro.
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Stir to combine and then drizzle the olive oil and red wine vinegar over the top. Season with salt and dried oregano and mix to combine. Set aside while you fry the cauliflower steaks.
Prep and Pan Fry the Cauliflower Steaks
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Remove any leaves from the head of cauliflower and set on a large cutting board.
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Set the head of cauliflower stem side down and cut it in half down the center. Make a parallel cut down each half to create 4 cauliflower steaks. Remove a small part of the curved side from the two end pieces so that they will lay flat in the pan. Season each side of the cauliflower steaks with salt and pepper.
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Preheat the cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the butter has melted add two of the cauliflower steaks to the pan. Let fry on the first side for 6-8 minutes until golden brown.
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Carefully flip the cauliflower steaks to the other side and fry on the second side, for another 5 minutes, adding a second tablespoon of butter if the pan is starting to look a bit dry.
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Once the cauliflower steaks are golden brown on the second side and the cauliflower has cooked all the way through. Transfer to a plate or tray and repeat with the remaining cauliflower steaks.
Plate and Serve
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Arrange the fried cauliflower steaks on a serving tray. Spoon the green chimichurri over the center of each steak, letting the sauce drip over the sides.
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Serve warm with a side of crispy potatoes and enjoy!
