This Spicy Roasted Cauliflower Was PureWow’s First Viral Recipe—but Does It Hold Up? I Cooked It to Find Out

If you’ve managed to navigate the internet for the last 11 years without seeing this recipe, allow me. It’s a whole, trimmed cauliflower, slathered in citrus-kissed, spiced Greek yogurt and roasted on a baking sheet until the marinade is dry and golden-brown. It can be sliced into cauliflower steaks and served as an unconventional vegetable side with just about any protein, soup or salad imaginable. (Contrary to some PureWow recipes before my tenure, a 128-calorie slab of seasoned produce doesn’t qualify as a main…but I digress.)

It seems its magic mostly lies in its Insta-worthy appearance that inherently inspires intrigue—it’s a brain! an avantgarde sculpture! no, a giant meatball!—and its painless preparation and cleanup. To me, it looks a little dated, the product of a time when all we craved was unicorn cake, frosé, bacon everything and devastatingly charred Brussels sprouts from a trendy gastropub. (Seriously, whatever PR maven is responsible for the rebranding of Brussels, cauli and mushrooms deserves a medal.) But just because it has a retro appearance doesn’t mean it isn’t delicious, right?

It’s a very simple process that holds up in any year, IMO. Once the oven was preheating, I trimmed the base of the cauliflower and removed its leaves. Next, I mixed the marinade, which stars fresh lime juice and zest, Greek yogurt and a flurry of bold, warm spices. Once it was mixed, I dunked the cauliflower into the marinade and used a basting brush to spread it over the surface. Finally, I roasted it for about 35 minutes, until I saw a well-browned crust on the vegetable.

As far as the recipe goes, it seemed like more marinade than necessary (like, three times as much). I brushed it on super thick on all sides, including the bottom and in all the nooks and crannies, but I was still left with a ton of yogurt. This felt a bit wasteful but know that you can keep the remainder in the fridge for up to three days to use on other proteins or produce. (Baby potatoes would be nice.) I’d also recommend lining the sheet pan with nonstick foil to save yourself some cleanup.

Other than that, I found the recipe super easy to follow, and things went exactly to plan. I was surprised how pleasant I found the smell—like cauliflower meets taco seasoning.

Once it cooled slightly, I cut a wedge out of the behemoth to taste. The marinade was very tangy and citrusy. It tasted smoky, mildly spicy and flavorful, albeit a bit bitter in parts. That said, most of the cauliflower was untouched by marinade, so the interior was a little bland.

Personally, I think the dish would’ve tasted better if I’d cut the cauli into florets and tossed them in the marinade to coat every bit. Sure, I’d have lost the wow-factor of serving the vegetable whole, but I’m betting you (and your guests) would prefer it taste good than look good for a blast from the past. After all, it isn’t 2014 anymore.