Cauliflower Parmigiana

  • 10MINS
  • 40MINS
  • Serves 2
  • 275KCAL

Our veggie take on a chicken parm uses cauliflower steaks instead of meat to help keep the calories low without compromising on the Italian taste.

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NutritionPer Serving

  • Calories275
  • Carbs31g
  • Protein17g
  • Fat7.2g
  • Saturates4.1g
  • Sugars21g

Cauliflower Parmigiana - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!

Our vegetarian take on the classic chicken parm uses roasted cauliflower steaks instead of meat to help keep the calories lower without compromising on the Italian flavours.

Topped with a marinara sauce and golden, melted cheese, this Cauliflower Parmigiana is a great option for when you’re craving hearty Italian food, but want something a little lighter.

If you have smaller pieces of cauliflower left over when you cut your steaks, then you can blitz them up and then pop into the freezer in a freezer proof bag. This means that you’re got some quick and easy cauliflower rice on hand at all times, or you could even use it to sneak some extra veg into a sauce.

We love this Cauliflower Parmigiana served with a crisp, mixed salad but you can really serve it with any accompaniment that you want. It also makes a fantastic light lunch, side dish or snack and, as it can be frozen, you can even make it ahead of time and defrost whenever you’re ready.

What diets is this Cauliflower Parmigiana suitable for?

This Cauliflower Parmigiana is suitable for gluten free diets.

It can also be made suitable for vegetarian, vegan and dairy free diets as long as you swap the following ingredients out for vegan or dairy free alternatives:

  • Parmesan cheese
  • Cheddar cheese

Most red wine vinegars are suitable for a vegan diet, but please do make sure that you double check before cooking for a vegan diet.

Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.

Do you need any special ingredients to make this Cauliflower Parmigiana?

This recipe doesn’t require any special ingredients or equipment to make, it’s really simple and straightforward.

We love hearing from you, submit any tips or tricks you have for this dish and we’ll review them and add some of them here. Just click here.

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You’ll need a baking tray to roast your cauliflower steaks on like this one.

It’s also really important to have a good quality frying pan on hand to make the marinara topping for this recipe.

How many calories are in this Cauliflower Parmigiana?

There are 275 calories per portion in this Cauliflower Parmigiana which means it falls into our Everyday Light category. 

This Cauliflower Parmigiana is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers. 

As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Step 2

Spray a baking tray with low calorie cooking spray and place the cauliflower steaks onto the tray.

Step 3

Spray them with more cooking spray, season well with salt and black pepper and roast in the oven for about 30-40 minutes turning once during cooking.

Step 3 pinchofnom.com

Step 4

While the cauliflower is cooking, spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and fry the onions and garlic until soft.

Step 4 pinchofnom.com

Step 5

Add the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, 1/2 of the basil, Italian seasoning and the red wine vinegar.

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Step 6

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 7

Remove from the heat until the cauliflower is cooked.

Step 8

When the cauliflower is cooked, top with the tomato mix, then add the grated parmesan and Cheddar cheese.

Step 8 pinchofnom.com

Step 9

Put back into the oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese is golden brown. Serve sprinkled with the remainder of the fresh basil.

Cauliflower Parmigiana - Pinch of Nom Slimming Recipes

What could I serve with this Cauliflower Parmigiana?

This Cauliflower Parmigiana would be really tasty when served with a fresh, mixed salad or any of the following accompaniments:

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How do you know when this Cauliflower Parmigiana is cooked?

Your cauliflower steaks will need to be cooked until they’re tender and just cooked through which should take around 30 – 40 minutes.

Once you’ve topped your steaks with the tomato sauce and cheese, cook for a further 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.

How long can I keep this Cauliflower Parmigiana in the fridge?

Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.

If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill.  You can keep leftovers of this Cauliflower Parmigiana in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.

Can I freeze this Cauliflower Parmigiana?

Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;

  • Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
  • Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.

Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!

How do I reheat this Cauliflower Parmigiana?

From chilled: Heat covered in the microwave for around 3 – 5 minutes or until piping hot.

From frozen: Defrost thoroughly then as above.

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Cauliflower Parmigiana

Our veggie take on a chicken parm uses cauliflower steaks instead of meat to help keep the calories low without compromising on the Italian taste.
  • Prep Time
    10 MINS
  • Cook Time
    40 MINS
  • KCals 275
  • Carbs 31G

Ingredients

  • 1 large cauliflower cut vertically into 1 inch steaks
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 white onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
  • 1 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 15 g parmesan cheese or vegetarian hard cheese grated
  • 35 g low fat Cheddar cheese grated
  • 5 leaves fresh basil chopped
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • low calorie cooking spray

We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Check out our oven temperature conversion guide.

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Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
  2. Spray a baking tray with low calorie cooking spray and place the cauliflower steaks onto the tray.
  3. Spray them with more cooking spray, season well with salt and black pepper and roast in the oven for about 30-40 minutes turning once during cooking.
  4. While the cauliflower is cooking, spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and fry the onions and garlic until soft.
  5. Add the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, 1/2 of the basil, Italian seasoning and the red wine vinegar.
  6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Remove from the heat until the cauliflower is cooked.
  8. When the cauliflower is cooked, top with the tomato mix, then add the grated parmesan and Cheddar cheese.
  9. Put back into the oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese is golden brown. Serve sprinkled with the remainder of the fresh basil.

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Recipe notes

If when preparing the cauliflower into steaks you have smaller pieces left, blend them and freeze flat in a freezer proof bag to use for cauliflower rice.

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8 comments

See what others have to say

TashaFriday 5th January 2024

Can this be made in an air fryer?

Reply

    HollyMonday 5th February 2024

    Hey Tasha, we haven’t tested this recipe in an air-fryer but we have a conversion guide HERE that you may find helpful!

    Reply

GailTuesday 16th February 2021

Hi,
Would you be able to make this with celeriac instead?

Reply

    HollyTuesday 16th February 2021

    Hey Gail, we haven’t tried this recipe with celeriac but I’m sure it should work just as well, let us know how you get on!

    Reply

Barbara LeeTuesday 26th January 2021

I had mine with salad and crusty bread, absolutely gorgeous

Reply

    HollyWednesday 27th January 2021

    Hey Barbara, so glad you enjoyed this!

    Reply

IndiaSaturday 26th December 2020

Enjoyed this with some boiled Veggies and Roasted Potato! The herbs and Tomato sauce go so well together with the cauliflower… Delicious! Will be definitely making this again. Thankyou!

Reply

    HollySaturday 26th December 2020

    Hey India, so glad to hear you enjoyed the Cauliflower Parmigiana!

    Reply

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