Romanesco Recipe (Quick & Easy!) - Wholesome Yum (2024)

Romanesco Recipe (Quick & Easy!) - Wholesome Yum (1)

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Table Of Contents hide

  • Why You’ll Love This Roasted Romanesco Recipe
  • What Is Romanesco?
  • Ingredients You’ll Need
  • How To Cook Romanesco
  • Flavor Variations
  • Storage Instructions
  • What To Serve With Romanesco
  • Tools I Use For This Romanesco Recipe

This roasted romanesco recipe, sometimes called romanesco broccoli or Roman cauliflower, makes a stunning and simple side dish for any night of the week! It’s a bit of a rare find where I live, so when I spot it at the store, it’s exciting to try something different from the usual broccoli and cauliflower. But just like regular roasted broccoli or roasted cauliflower, this easy side uses a short list of ingredients, needs just minutes to prep, and pairs well with dozens of meals for dinner. Win.

Why You’ll Love This Roasted Romanesco Recipe

  • Roasted, nutty, slightly sweet taste
  • Firm, yet tender texture with crispy edges
  • 5 simple ingredients
  • Just 10 minutes prep
  • Nutty flavor that pairs well with any protein or main dish!
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What Is Romanesco?

Romanesco is a vegetable in the brassicas family, which includes other cruciferous plants such as cabbage, kale, and brussels sprouts. It has a chartreuse color, pointy florets that look like miniature Christmas trees, firm texture, and lightly earthy flavor.

Although sometimes known as romanesco cauliflower, it is a separate variety of vegetable and actually tastes more like broccoli (mild, nutty, and a little sweet). Like both broccoli and cauliflower, it holds up to a variety of different cooking methods, including roasting, sauteing, stir fry, and more.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for roasting romanesco, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

  • Romanesco – Choose this veggie similar to how you would select cauliflower. Look for tightly bound buds, fresh looking outer leaves, and no signs of blemishes.
  • Olive Oil – With so few ingredients in this romanesco recipe, I like to use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil. However, any neutral cooking oil, such as light olive oil or avocado oil, will work.
  • Seasonings – Including garlic powder, sea salt (or kosher salt is fine), and black pepper. If you like more heat, substitute crushed red pepper flakes for the black pepper (or add both!).
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How To Cook Romanesco

This section shows how to cook romanesco broccoli, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

  1. Prep. Cut the head of romanesco into bite-sized florets.
  2. Toss. Add the florets to a bowl, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with seasonings. Toss to coat. Transfer to a baking sheet.
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  1. Roast. This romanesco recipe is finished when it’s tender and browned on the edges.
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Flavor Variations

  • Cheeses – Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese or goat cheese to the finished dish after roasting. You can also toss with grated parmesan before roasting for a subtle crispy crust!
  • Lemon – Tossed roasted romanesco with a squeeze of lemon juice, or add fresh lemon zest.
  • Spices – For extra flavor, add a sprinkle paprika, cumin, or homemade Italian seasoning together with the other seasonings.

Storage Instructions

  • Store: Recipes with romanesco taste best fresh, but like most veggies, you can store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
  • Meal prep: Cut the florets ahead of time, then store them in the fridge. When ready to cook, just toss in oil, season, and roast.
  • Reheat: Warm this romanesco broccoli recipe in a 350 degree F oven, until heated through.
  • Freeze: Flash freeze on a lined sheet pan until solid. Transfer to a container or freezer bag for long term storage for up to 3 months. Reheat directly from frozen.
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What To Serve With Romanesco

Romanesco is very versatile and tastes delicious with so many main dishes. Try it with these popular ones:

  • Chicken – Chicken is my go-to for dinner. If you’re like me, pair this romanesco recipe with sweet balsamic chicken, Italian-inspired sun-dried tomato chicken (my personal fave), cheesy and creamy lemon chicken, or fresh chicken Caprese depending on your mood. If you prefer to keep it simple, you can’t go wrong with baked chicken legs!
  • Beef – Serve tender New York strip steak, juicy Instant Pot beef short ribs, or simple garlic butter steak bites with this dish for an elegant meal.
  • Fish – Try romanesco roasted alongside baked sea bass, creamy Tuscan salmon, or simple pan fried tilapia.
  • Pork – Cook juicy air fryer pork chops or a tender pork tenderloin to go with this easy side.

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Recipe Card

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5 from 5 votes☝️ Click stars to rate or click here to leave a review!

Romanesco Recipe (Quick & Easy!)

Make this easy roasted romanesco recipe with just a few ingredients, in 25 minutes! It's nutty, lightly sweet, and tender, with crispy edges.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Total: 25 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 3 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

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Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).

  2. Cut the romanesco into bite-sized florets.

  3. In a large bowl, toss the florets with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

  4. Spread the florets onto a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until tender and browned on the edges.

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  • Roasted Broccoli And Cauliflower

  • Air Fryer Broccoli Recipe

  • Roasted Eggplant Recipe

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 cup

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories117

Fat9.3g

Protein3.4g

Total Carbs7.6g

Net Carbs4g

Fiber3.6g

Sugar3.3g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course:Side Dish

Cuisine:American

Keywords:roasted romanesco, romanesco broccoli, romanesco recipe

Calories: 117 kcal

© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂

Roasted Romanesco Recipe

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FAQs

What is the math of romanesco? ›

Why are math lovers fascinated with Romanesco? Each bud consists of a smaller series of buds, all arranged in the same even spiral pattern, going on and on seemingly to infinity. It's a logarithmic spiral that shows a perfect geometrical progression.

Is romanesco healthier than broccoli? ›

According to The Land Connection, the nutritional profiles of broccoli and romanesco are fairly similar. Both are excellent sources of vitamins C and K, as well as dietary fiber.

How long does romanesco last in the fridge? ›

Choose dense heads without any discoloration. Harvested heads can be stored in plastic in the refrigerator for about a week.

What is the pattern of romanesco? ›

Romanesco has flowers that form perfect geometric spiral patterns that repeat called fractals. When you look closely, each spiral bud is composed of a series of smaller buds, all arranged in yet another spiral that continues at smaller levels. The number of spirals on the head of Romanesco is called a Fibonacci number.

What is a fun fact about Romanesco? ›

“Romanesco” (when not associated with this broccoli, is actually the name of the dialect (regional pre-Italian language) spoken in Rome, Italy! This light green verdura (vegetable) comes from Lazio, Italy, the region of Rome. In Rome, they call this veggie Broccolo Romano (or Roman Broccoli).

What is the golden ratio of Romanesco? ›

This brings us back to the Romanesco broccoli. The spiral pattern on the broccoli exhibits the golden ratio, in that each small bud that grows outward from the main one has the same size ratio with its predecessor, specifically the Golden Ratio.

Can you eat romanesco raw? ›

Like broccoli, Romanesco can be eaten raw, but also holds up well under various cooking methods like stir frying or roasting in an oven. As the florets heat up, they can become surprisingly sweet, making Romanesco a perfect addition to curries and other spicy dishes.

Is romanesco a Superfood? ›

What are the health benefits of romanesco? Like other members of the brassica family, romanesco is high in vitamin K, vitamin C, dietary fiber, and carotenoids, supporting your body's tissue repair, blood clotting, system regularity, and more.

Is Romanesco cauliflower man made? ›

Romanesco was created by farmers using traditional cross-breeding techniques in the Lazio region of Italy. Experts believe farmers purposely selected plants genetically predisposed to developing naturally spiraled heads, eventually reinforcing the trait over centuries of breeding.

Why is my Romanesco purple? ›

Sun, heat and Romanesco don't mix. And when they do mix, they create purple! The purple color is caused by anthocyanin, a harmless, water-soluble pigment that is exacerbated by sun exposure. When the developing heads are exposed to sun and heat, they can turn purple.

Can you freeze raw Romanesco? ›

Romanesco can be kept for 2 or 3 days in the salad drawer of your fridge. But it will keep even better if you first wash it, divide it into florets and place it in an airtight container. It can also be frozen (blanch it first).

Can you freeze Romanesco? ›

Romanesco broccoli, also called Roman broccoli, takes its name from the days of Julius Caesar and remains a popular cruciferous vegetable for its sweet flavor and dense texture. It only keeps for a few days in the refrigerator, but you can preserve the florets in your freezer for later use.

Why is it called Romanesco? ›

Romanesco didn't arrive in the U.S. until the beginning of the 20th century, but it is thought to have originated in the Lazio region of Italy as early as the 15th century. Rome, from which the plant gets its name, is the capital of Lazio.

What is the common name for Romanesco broccoli? ›

Romanesco broccoli (also known as broccolo romanesco, romanesque cauliflower, or simply romanesco) is in fact a cultivar of the cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis), not a broccoli (Brassica oleracea var.

Is Romanesco a vegetable or fruit? ›

Romanesco, also known as broccoflower or Roman cauliflower, is a chartreuse, unique-looking vegetable prized for its appearance and mild flavor.

What is the fractal dimension of Romanesco broccoli? ›

fractal dimension of the outline of the romanesco broccoli is a non-integer number of $1.26, and more gen- erally, this parameter somewhat varies between 1 and 2 for a line in 2D.

Why is Romanesco a fractal? ›

The atypical shape of the Romanesco cauliflower is explained by the fact that its stems produce buds more and more rapidly, whereas the production rate is constant in other cauliflowers. This acceleration gives each floret a pyramidal appearance, making the fractal aspect of the structure clear.

Is Romanesco broccoli a fractal? ›

Romanesco superficially resembles a cauliflower, but it is chartreuse in color, with the form of a natural fractal.

How much math did Romans know? ›

By the time of the Romans, humans had learned to count, use a number line, add, subtract, multiply, and divide. They could also work out squares and roots, do all basic geometry, and could apply mathematics to building, commerce, and engineering.

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