Spicy, tangy sauce, blue cheese crumbles, crunch celery all included in a classic recipe gone vegetarian: Buffalo Cauliflower. Guess what? You won’t miss the meat!
I have always love Buffalo Chicken Wings. To me they are the most perfect combination of spicy, tangy, succulent food there is.
I have loved blue cheese dressing since I was a child so the fact that is a standard dipping sauce proves it is a divine recipe.
Add some fresh-flavored celery for a nice crunch and perfection has been reached.
I love them so much I developed a Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Lasagna recipe to enjoy it in a different from (which has been wildly popular I will add).
Jump to:
This past weekend was full of football play-off games in my household. Socked in with dreary weather and kids loaded up with homework, the countdown to the big game was evident. Though I’ll watch a football game, I’m distractable and unless something fantastically interesting is going on, I generally mentally drift, this time thinking about food for the Super Bowl.
I have been making a concerted effort to think about adding vegetables into my family’s eating regimen and not as an afterthought trailing the decision of what protein to serve for dinner. Periodically I’m sent cookbook copies for review from publishing houses. I have a stack next to my desk which I’ll thumb through to share with you or to test in my own kitchen. “Meat on the Side” (Delicious Vegetable Focused Recipes for Every Day) by Nikki Dinki caught my attention, feeling like the manual for my New Year’s resolution on the vegetable front.
Meat on the Side (St. Martin’s Press) features over 100 recipes from an author who did not eat her first vegetable until she was 20 due to being a picky eater. To me the book speaks to people LIKE me; those of us who want to incorporate vegetables into our meal planning in a more interesting way. I don’t want to give up meat but I want to get out of a vegetable rut AND to feature vegetables as the main dish of a meal (like with Butternut Squash Noodles in Sage Brown Butter or Paneer Tikka Masala) and not miss meat from time to time.
I spent some time flipping through the pages, reading the ‘family friendly’ notations on the recipes, admiring the breadth of recipe categories and then landed on the mother lode: Buffalo Cauliflower. Cue the angels singing on high. I knew this was a recipe I had to make.
As with my first paragraph wings description, this Buffalo Cauliflower recipe has everything we love; spicy, tangy sauce, blue cheese, crunchy celery and beautifully roasted cauliflower which as a fantastic, substantial bite.
I loved every bite of this recipe AND having a perfect option to serve for gatherings or football food that is a meat-free option. And a recipe where the meat is not missed!
Try it with homemade buffalo sauce too!
This Buffalo Cauliflower recipe is chock full of favorite hot wing flavors. Spicy, tangy sauce, blue cheese crumbles and slices of cool, crunch celery. A great game day vegetarian appetizer!
Recipe
Buffalo Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 medium head Cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) Unsalted Butter, cut into pieces
- 1/3 cup Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Distilled White Vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup very thinly sliced Celery
- ½ cup crumbled Blue Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Break the cauliflower into large florets and put in a large bowl. Add the oil and 1 teaspoon of the salt and toss to coat. Spread the cauliflower out evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until tender and browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Return the cauliflower to the large bowl.
- Meanwhile, put the butter, hot sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the Buffalo sauce has come together, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and toss until well coated. Serve, dividing the celery and blue cheese equally over the portions.
Crystal says
This is going to be so great for tailgating. We love a lot of flavor, but not having to fill up with junk is a good thing.
Toni Dash says
It’s perfect for that!
Pam Wattenbarger says
I am seeing so many cauliflower recipes lately. I used to not like cauliflower but it turns out I just don’t like poorly prepared cauliflower.
Toni Dash says
Pam cauliflower is one of those vegetables that I did not like for the longest time when it was cooked. I fault poor cooking methods as you said. I love this roasted cauliflower and who can beat the ingredients for hot wings on top?!
Diana Rambles says
This looks fantastic. I will have to double the recipe because I know my guys will chow down on this.
Jonna says
I always love finding new recipes to incorporate more veggies into our diet. this one looks delicious!
Toni Dash says
I’m on a quest Jonna! I want more veggies and good tasting recipes to go with them!
Beth Baumgartner says
Super creative use to jazz up cauliflower while still enjoying a classic comfort food dish!
Toni Dash says
Glad you like it Beth!
Jeanette says
OHHHH I want this! It looks great! Its healthy and has great flavor! I really want to try this! I can’t wait!
Dawn McAlexander says
I have heard that cauliflower is becoming a big thing for people these days. I didn’t realize just how versatile it was. I need to try some of these recipes.
Toni Dash says
Really? I had not heard that but can say this is an awesome version of ‘buffalo’ that doesn’t skim on flavor!
Jennifer says
Now this I will have to try! I would have never thought to make this kind of thing out of cauliflower. Now my husband and kids are going to have to try this with me. Thanks for sharing!
Jen Rattie says
That is so great! Cauliflower and buffalo sauce are both favorite game day flavors in my house, if not usually together. I am definitely going to give this a try.
Toni Dash says
I also would not have thought to put them together before seeing this recipe. It’s a winning combination and another fun way to get more vegetables into the football food rotation!
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
I can’t wait to try this! Cauliflower is a great healthy snack, and making it buffalo flavored makes it a great game day snack, too.
Toni Dash says
I completely agree Stacie! It’s a great option to go along with other favorite football food.