Slow Cooker Whole Spiced Cauliflower

My slow cooker whole spiced cauliflower is a delicious way to add more vegetables to your diet and still enjoy loads of flavour. It is also perfect for Meat Free Mondays as well as being a great frugal option for a main meal.

Hello February, the month when Spring is on its way perhaps but not quite there, and a cold nip is still in the air.

After the healthier food choices I found myself making in January, we have Pancake Day and Valentine’s’ Day on the way and the indulgences they bring.

So, in order to combat the effects of those, for me, February is still a time I like to enjoy lighter recipes and cram in the vegetables.

Roasting a cauliflower in  a slow cooker

Why use a slow cooker you might ask, why not roast or bake your whole cauliflower in the oven?

Of course you could do that too but I like to use the slow cooker when I can due to the convenience of not having to watch over it.

It saves on electricity costs too!

If you have jobs to do and need to pop out, you can be smug in the knowledge that your food is already cooking when you make a slow cooker whole spiced cauliflower.

No more last minute panics at the end of the day over what to cook after a busy shift.

You’ll find a whole cauliflower cooks gently and stands up well to a long slow cook.

Sides

I served this whole spiced cauliflower on a bed of kale, well cavolo nero to be more precise.

I like to serve it with cucumber raita on the side, which I make simply by combining natural low-fat yoghurt, cucumber and fresh mint leaves in a bowl. It would also be delicious with rice.

If you want to keep it vegan, use a plant-based alternative instead of standard yoghurt in your raita.

Spice rub

To make the spice rub I just combined a few teaspoons of curry powder with some oil.

I then mixed and drizzled it over the cauliflower.

Then, through the long cooking in the slow cooker, the spices infuse into the whole cauliflower leaving it aromatic and flavourful.

You can of course also roast a whole cauliflower in the oven as I’ve said, but I prefer to use my slow cooker here as the edges don’t catch and burn if it is in for too long.

Ingredients

Here’s what you will need for this recipe, get the quantities further down in the recipe card:

• a whole cauliflower 
• olive oil
• curry powder – I like to use a medium tikka curry powder, but if you like something milder or hotter you can vary the type of curry powder.
• red chilli
• fresh coriander

Method

1. Put the cauliflower in the slow cooker pot.
2. Combine the oil and curry powder in a bowl, then pour it over the cauliflower.
3. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for approx 3 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours.
4. Garnish with red chilli and chopped coriander leaves, and serve.

I really enjoyed having the spiced cauliflower as a light main meal, and you can also use the leftovers the next day as the veggie side to a curry dish, to replace rice.

Worth a try if you want to introduce more plant-based meals!

The slow cooker needn’t always be for meat-based dishes and stews. Check out my Vegetarian recipes in the my slow cooker archives.

More slow cooker veggie dishes

For more whole veggies cooked in the slow cooker, how about these tasty ideas:

• simple slow cooked beetroot from Fab Food 4 All
• how to cook a whole butternut squash in the slow cooker from My Fussy Eater
• slow cooker baked or jacket potatoes

Linking up with Tinned Tomatoes for Meat Free Mondays and with Farmersgirl Kitchen for the Slow Cooked Challenge

Pin this slow cooker whole roast cauliflower for later:

Recipe

Slow Cooker Whole Spiced Cauliflower

Roast a whole cauliflower in your slow cooker, with aromatic Indian spices

5 from 5 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Slow Cooker, Vegetarian

Keyword: cauliflower, vegetarian

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 73kcal

Author: Lucy Allen | BakingQueen74

Ingredients

• 1 extra large cauliflower approx 1 kg or 2 lb
• 2 tbsp oil I used olive
• 3 tsp medium tikka curry powder
• red chilli, sliced to garnish
• fresh coriander chopped, to garnish

UK Measurements - US Measurements

Equipment

oval slow cooker

Instructions 

• Put the cauliflower in the slow cooker pot.
  1 extra large cauliflower
• Combine the oil and curry powder in a bowl, then pour it over the cauliflower.
  2 tbsp oil, 3 tsp medium tikka curry powder
• Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for approx 3 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours.
• Garnish with red chilli and chopped coriander leaves, and serve.
  red chilli, sliced, fresh coriander

Did you try and love this recipe?Then please leave a review and rating in the comments at the bottom of the post. If you post your creation on Instagram, tag me @bakingqueen74 or use hashtag #bakingqueen74!