What I love about Loaded Baked Cauliflower Steaks
These Loaded Baked Cauliflower Steaks bring all the fun and flavor—so much so, you won’t even miss the potato! Cauliflower often steps in for potatoes in low-carb recipes thanks to its similar flavor and texture. In this recipe, the goal is to recreate the experience of a loaded baked potato, and it totally delivers.
I bake the cauliflower steaks until they’re crisp on the edges, then smother them with cheddar cheese and bake again until the cheese turns golden and bubbly. To finish it off, I pile on classic baked potato toppings: sour cream, crispy bacon, and fresh green onions. You only need a handful of ingredients and they’re super easy to make! Did I mention they’re low-carb too? They’re also gluten-free and grain-free!
These cauliflower steaks are perfect for meatless Monday, weekend game nights or hosting friends for dinner. You can be creative with the toppings as well, but I just love the simple, traditional toppings. It could be fun to make as a family too if everyone got to build they’re own loaded cauliflower steaks.
Recipe Notes
A few things to keep in mind:
- Cauliflower – I found that one medium-sized cauliflower yields two steaks. If you have found a way to cut more steaks and have less of it crumble to pieces, PLEASE let me know! I’ve tried multiple times and I can only seem to get two. I’m thinking if you have a large cauliflower, it would yield 3 or 4 steaks.
- Sour Cream – Sour cream is a must when it comes to a baked potato, or in our case a baked cauliflower steak. We need some sort of “sauce” and sour cream fits the bill. I like full-fat sour cream, but any will do.
- Bacon – I also love to add some crumbled bacon on top. Especially if this is going to be a meal, you need a little protein and bacon has it! If you want to make them vegetarian, simply skip the bacon.
- Green onions – Green onions are delicious. They add flavour as well as beautiful green colour to the cauliflower steaks. They’re the perfect garnish and they really pull the whole dish together, so don’t skip it!
FAQ:
Yes. You can omit the bacon, but it will affect the overall flavour/experience of this recipe. Alternatively, try adding black beans instead of bacon for extra protein!
When cutting the cauliflower steaks, start cutting from about 1/4 of the way through the cauliflower. The first one or two may break apart into florets that you can save and roast on the side. Cut the cauliflower into 1 1/2″ thick steaks to ensure they hold their structure. As the recipe states, with one medium-sized cauliflower you should get 2 steaks. If you have a larger cauliflower, it may yield up to 4 steaks.
The steaks will be done when they’re browning on the edges and the whites have turned more opaque in appearance.
I usually don’t attempt to flip the cauliflower steaks halfway through baking as this is when they are more delicate and can tend to break. They seem to cook just fine without flipping.
A lovely green salad pairs well for a lighter/low-carb option or for something heartier, try pairing it with my Green Goddess Soup or Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup.
I recommend storing them in an air-tight container in the fridge and then reheating in the oven under the broiler for 5-6 minutes.
Loaded Baked Cauliflower Steaks
Equipment
- 1 Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized cauliflower (will yield 2 steaks)
- extra virgin olive oil for roasting
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 150g (no hormones added) bacon cooked and diced
- 1 green onion thinly sliced
- fresh cracked pepper for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
- Wash the cauliflower and slice into two steaks about 1" thick. There will be excess cauliflower florets leftover. Pat dry with paper towel the two cauliflower steaks and then place them on the prepared pan.
- Brush both sides of the cauliflower steaks with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Bake the cauliflower steaks in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cauliflower steaks and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Return them to the oven and broil on high for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and melted.
- Remove cauliflower steaks to a plate, top with sour cream, bacon and green onions. Garnish with fresh cracked pepper and enjoy!
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