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Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Recipes / Special Diets / Vegetarian Recipes / Buttery Cauliflower Steak Recipe

Buttery Cauliflower Steak Recipe

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

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Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Why ALWAYS Cook Cauliflower?
  • Crucifers Just as Anti-Cancer When Cooked!
  • Nutritional Benefits
  • How to Make Cauliflower Steak
  • Pan Fried Cauliflower Steak Recipe+−
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions

Easy recipe for buttery, pan-fried cauliflower steak for those that enjoy meat but need to eat more vegetables without skimping on taste or nutrition. Great as a main course or side dish!

cauliflower steaks in frying pan garnished with asparagus and tomatoes

If your family loves steak but is a little light on the vegetables, try serving them cauliflower steak one night for dinner!

Cauliflower is one of the few vegetables that works very well as an all-natural veggie steak without all the additives, fillers and MSG of store-bought versions.

It is easily sliced into steak sized pieces without falling apart, and will quickly soften up and yet still retain adequate firmness whether you grill it on the patio or pan fry it in the kitchen.

Cauliflower is one of the cruciferous vegetables. Other veggies in that family include broccoli, kale, arugula, cabbage, collard greens, turnips, Brussels sprouts, and bok choy.

Why ALWAYS Cook Cauliflower?

The best way to cook cauliflower steak is in grass-fed or clarified butter. These healthy fats will not only impart the best flavor but will also supply your thyroid with organic iodine. All cruciferous vegetables contain thyroid-suppressing substances called goitrogens that pose little risk to healthy individuals when consumed within the context of an iodine-rich diet.

Another plus to cauliflower steak is that it is a cooked recipe, not raw. It’s true – not everything should be consumed raw!

Cooking cruciferous vegetables is important as it reduces these goitrogenic substances by up to two-thirds, depending on the cooking method used. Note that contrary to popular belief, fermentation does not reduce goitrogens in these veggies. However, since fermented crucifers such as sauerkraut are typically eaten as a condiment and, hence, in small amounts, consumption is fine when the diet is rich in iodine and no thyroid issues are present.

But what about the protective effect of cruciferous vegetables against colon cancer and other malignancies of the digestive tract? Aren’t the protective effects best obtained by eating them raw?

Crucifers Just as Anti-Cancer When Cooked!

Again, the answer is no.

Sulfur rich phytochemicals found in cruciferous veggies called glucosinolates do indeed have a strong anti-tumor effect but are only effective when they are converted to isothiocyanates (ITC). It was previously thought that cruciferous veggies had to be eaten raw for this to take place. This is because the glucosinolate-ITC conversion process requires the presence of the enzyme myrosinase which is destroyed during cooking.

However, an interesting study by The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has demonstrated that beneficial gut bacteria can do the work for us. Although heat destroys the enzyme myrosinase, consumption of cooked cruciferous vegetables actually stimulates the appropriate beneficial microbes in the gut that are able to convert glucosinolates into ITC instead.

Thus, you can still get all the colon cancer-fighting benefits of cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables by cooking them which serves the dual purpose of significantly reducing thyroid-suppressing substances.

Nutritional Benefits

Cauliflower is certainly one of the tastiest vegetables readily available today. It is seasonally available in several colors including orange, purple, and green as well as the most common white florets. Feel free to serve your cauliflower in a rainbow of hues if you desire!

cauliflower steaks garnished with asparagus and tomatoes in frying pan

The many health and nutritional benefits of cauliflower include (1):

  • Fights cancer: As mentioned earlier in this article, cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower contain sulfur-rich phytochemicals called glucosinolates which exert a strong anti-tumor effect.
  • Antioxidants and phytonutrients: Cauliflower contains vitamin C, beta-carotene, and the antioxidants quercetin, rutin, cinnamic acid, among others. An adequate supply of natural, food-based antioxidants helps to overcome oxidative stress at the cellular level which can lead to premature aging, tissue and organ damage.
  • Loaded with Minerals:  Cauliflower is also a good source of magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and manganese. Organic cauliflower grown in nutrient-rich soil would be highest in these minerals.
  • Rich in B Vitamins: Cauliflower provides a wide array of B vitamins to the diet including thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), vitamin B6, folate (B9 – not to be confused with folic acid), and the brain-boosting nutrient choline.
  • Good for the Heart: Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower have been found to significantly improve blood pressure and kidney function. This is due to the presence of sulforaphane, which researchers believe helps improve DNA methylation, a critical function to protect cellular viability and normal gene expression especially within the delicate lining of the arteries.
  • Anti-inflammatory: Lastly, cauliflower contains anti-inflammatory compounds like indole-3-carbinol (I3C). Early research suggests that it may help prevent inflammatory responses in the body at their most basic level.

How to Make Cauliflower Steak

Are you convinced yet that cauliflower steak would be a great addition to your family’s menu plan?

Below is a simple recipe to start you out with that can be used as a light main meal, a side dish for a real steak dinner, or topped with a fried egg. This third variation makes for a vegetarian “steak and eggs” dish!

Buttery Cauliflower Steak Recipe 1
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Pan Fried Cauliflower Steak Recipe

This recipe for cauliflower steak is excellent if your family loves steak but needs to eat more vegetables without skimping on taste or nutrition. Great as main course or side dish.

Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword budget-friendly, buttery, easy, healthy
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 3
Calories 138 kcal
Author Sarah Pope

Ingredients

  • 1 large head of cauliflower preferably organic
  • garnishing vegetables cherry tomatoes and asparagus suggested
  • 2 Tbl grassfed butter or ghee
  • 2 eggs optional
  • sea salt

Instructions

  1. Remove the leaves on the cauliflower head and trim the stem until it is flush with the creamy white florets (or green or purple depending on the color cauliflower you buy!).

  2. With a large knife, cut 2-4 cauliflower steaks approximately 1 inch thick. See the picture above to get some idea of the shape and size.

  3. Heat the butter or ghee in a large frying pan until melted and spread evenly across the pan. Carefully place the cauliflower steaks in the pan when hot. Cook for approximately 5 minutes each side on medium heat with the lid off. When cooking the second side, place sliced veggies for the garnish on top to warm and slightly soften them.

  4. While the cauliflower steaks are grilling, fry up the optional free range eggs on a separate burner in another frying pan. Fry them either sunny side up or over hard depending on the preferences of those you will be serving.

  5. Test the cauliflower steaks with a fork, and if they are soft, remove from the pan. If still quite firm, cook a few more minutes.

  6. Remove from pan and place on serving platters. Top each cauliflower steak with garnishing vegetables and an optional fried egg as desired.

  7. Serve immediately either as a side dish or as the main course paired with a salad for a lighter meal.

Nutrition Facts
Pan Fried Cauliflower Steak Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 steak)
Calories 138 Calories from Fat 68
% Daily Value*
Fat 7.6g12%
Saturated Fat 5g25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 145mg6%
Potassium 848mg24%
Carbohydrates 14.8g5%
Fiber 7g28%
Protein 5.6g11%
Vitamin A 216IU4%
Vitamin C 130mg158%
Calcium 67mg7%
Iron 1.25mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
buttery cauliflower steak in a pan
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Category: GAPS Recipes, Low Carb Recipes, Side Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: Amazon #1 bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

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Reader Interactions

Comments (7)

  1. Jennifer Emslie

    Aug 15, 2016 at 9:34 am

    Love your way of thinking! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  2. jessi

    May 1, 2016 at 5:07 pm

    oh my god this is so vegetables friendly : / i dont know if it’s healthy enough. for a main?? where do i get my proteins and iron. im so disappointed u sara. i need my dairy & meat!! do u think i could combine more sour cream & cheese on this?

    Reply
    • Sarah

      May 2, 2016 at 8:40 am

      The recipe says to put an egg or two on top if you want to 🙂

  3. Judee@gluten freeA-Z Blog

    Apr 28, 2016 at 7:57 am

    I made something like this yesterday and it was delicious. I didn’t know about pairing cruciferous veggies with grass fed butter to supply iodine! Thanks for the valuable info/// Would I get the benefit if I roasted my cauliflower in a little olive oil and then melted grass fed butter on top when serving?

    Reply
    • Sarah

      Apr 28, 2016 at 8:47 am

      Yes, that would work too!

  4. Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist

    Apr 28, 2016 at 7:00 am

    I see the different colored cauliflower available seasonally in the US via veggie co-ops and also at the healthfood store. They taste delicious and are a nice change from the white versions.

    Reply
  5. Reken Hira

    Apr 28, 2016 at 5:09 am

    Can’t define the temptation inside my mouth to have it. It must be delicious. Moreover, from where we can get these colored cauliflowers?

    Reply

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