How to make the best marinated cauliflower - This simple and easy recipe uses red wine vinaigrette salad dressing to soak cauliflower and give it a sweet and tangy flavor! Great on salads or as a side dish.
On our third or fourth date, Joe took me to a Penn State football game.
Incidentally, that was the date on which I knew we'd get married. It was uncanny.
Anyway, I'd never been tailgating before. I'd been to lots and lots of football games as a student, but I hadn't been to a football game since I'd graduated, and I had just never done the tailgating thing. We always rolled out of bed and walked to the stadium or else drank in our rooms and then walked to the stadium. We ate in the dining hall.
I didn't really know what to expect when he invited me to the game. Imagine my surprise when the nervous fellow I'd been seeing opened the trunk of his car and began to grab dish after dish, container after container. When he was finished, we had a magnificent picnic.
In the misty rain.
One of Joe's containers held raw cauliflower that he had marinated for 4 days in red wine vinaigrette. It was delicious.
We still make Joe's marinated cauliflower often. I like it best when we make homemade vinaigrette for the marinade, but it's good with commercial salad dressing, too.
This cauliflower makes an awesome appetizer, late night snack, or side dish. Joe has even been taking it to work a lot to eat as an afternoon snack.
Fortunately, marinated cauliflower is super easy to make (because we go through so much of it).
What you'll need to make the best marinated cauliflower
Equipment
There is no special equipment needed for this recipe. All you'll use is a sharp knife and cutting board. You also need a jar or bowl with a tight-fitting, liquid-proof lid.
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1 bottle of red wine vinaigrette or 2-3 cups of homemade red wine vinaigrette
How to make the best marinated cauliflower
This is so stupid easy that I probably shouldn't even call it a recipe, but here you go anyway.
- Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces.
- Fill a bowl or jar with a lid that seals tightly.
- Pour in enough red wine vinaigrette to cover most of the cauliflower.
- Seal the bowl shut and place in the refrigerator.
- Every 12 hours, shake and turn the bowl upside down. After about 48 hours, the cauliflower will be ready to eat.
If you don't let the cauliflower sit in the dressing for at least 48 hours, it will just taste like cauliflower with salad dressing which isn't bad but isn't really the flavor that you're going for. Let it sit. We've let ours sit up to 4 days, and that was amazing.
Marinated cauliflower salad
You can make this marinated cauliflower into a beautiful and flavorful salad.
Marinate the cauliflower as the recipe indicates above, and then a few days later, toss the whole thing (dressing and all) with the a combination of the following:
- Chopped red onion
- Shredded carrot
- Sliced red or yellow pepper
- Sliced black olives
- Sliced cucumbers
- Grated Parmesan cheese (the real cheese, not the powdery stuff)
- Fresh chopped parsley
Recipe
Marinated Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 bottle red wine vinaigrette or 2-3 cups of homemade red wine vinaigrette
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and put them into a bowl with a lid that seals tightly.
- Pour in enough red wine vinaigrette to mostly cover the cauliflower.
- Seal the bowl shut, and put it in the refrigerator.
- Every 12 hours, turn the bowl upside down.
- After about 48 hours, the cauliflower will be ready to eat.
Wendi says
Lately, I've been making mock mashed potatoes with cauliflower. First, clean the cauliflower and cut into medium size chunks. Place in covered dish with 1T water and microwave for about 12 minutes until very soft. Drain all but about 2T liquid and place in food processor with 4T butter. Add desired salt and pepper and pulse until smooth. Makes a delicious low carb side dish.
Tara @ Feels Like Home says
Thanks! Joe and I were just talking about mashed cauliflower. Neither of us remember ever trying it.
Andrea(LilKidThings) says
Yum! That sounds great!
Heather B (HomemadeMom) says
I finally made this! I only had vinegar and used it anyways. I'm sure it made it that much more tart, but I still loved it!
http://www.homemademom.com/2011/07/pink-pickled-cauliflower-not-my-new.html