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Ooey, gooey, crispy and drool-worthy. Roasted Cauliflower with Burrata and Gluten Free Gnocchi is simple enough to throw together for a weeknight but incredibly impressive for any dinner party.
How can you go wrong with burrata? Mozzarella’s gooey cousin is a welcome addition to any dish. It makes salads better, toasts more delectable and now pasta perfection! I thought of this recipe because I had a ball of burrata cheese in the back of my fridge I forgot about and I had to use it up. It wasn’t bad, but probably in about 2 days wouldn’t have been useable; and I can’t let burrata go to waste! I also conveniently had some cauliflower to use up and so was thinking of a way to make these two a meal together. I figured gnocchi would be a great addition with the burrata. Thus the Roasted Cauliflower with Burrata and Gluten Free Gnocchi was born!
Now I usually make my own gnocchi fresh, but I realize people do not like to or even want to. So to make this recipe easier I just call for store bought gnocchi. It means this can come together so easily! Just roast the cauliflower, cook the gnocchi and toss it all together! Of course something this simple deserves a drink pairing, so don’t forget to pair this Roasted Cauliflower with Burrata and Gluten Free Gnocchi with the Hot Honey and Basil Gin Fizz.
Burrata with Roasted Cauliflower and Gluten Free Gnocchi Recipe Notes and Substitutions
Cauliflower– Feel free to substitute broccoli for cauliflower. I had cauliflower to use, but broccoli will work incredibly well with this. Make sure when roasting the vegetables you let them brown and get crispy. Use plenty of oil and a higher cooking temperature.
Gnocchi– Use store bought gnocchi! Feel free to make your own, but there are some really good ones out there. I used potato gnocchi but use cauliflower gnocchi if you prefer. Make sure you confirm your gnocchi is gluten free before buying. There are plenty of gluten free gnocchi on the market, however not all are. If you are making this vegan, make sure the gnocchi is egg free.
Capers– I LOVE capers. I feel like they are a highly underutilized ingredient, often left for restaurants or relegated towards fish. They add a beautiful pop of brine, acidity, salt and a bit of a spice akin to mustard. If you do not like capers you can leave them out, but I recommend including them. Feel free to get caper berries, the large ones, they will work really well too! If you don’t have capers you can substitute olives or add a little more mustard to the vinaigrette.
Burrata– The one and only. Basically mozzarella that has a gooey inside, what could be wrong with that?! Check out this post by Castello for everything you want to know about burrata. If you do not have or want to use burrata you could substitute ricotta cheese or mozzarella. If you don’t use burrata it will still be good, just not as good.
Garlic– This recipe calls for FRESH GARLIC, pasted, like for my vinaigrettes. I get people don’t love raw garlic, but using pasted garlic helps cut the intensity and just nicely coat everything. Also, fresh garlic helps with all that creaminess of the burrata. It beautiful mixes with it and cuts the creamy in the best way. If you do not want to use fresh garlic use roasted garlic or sautée it in oil and then sautee the gnocchi in the oil and pour the rest of the garlic oil on top. Or leave out the garlic for garlic oil.
Lemon Zest– Fresh lemon zest brightens up this dish so incredibly well! But if you don’t like it, leave it out. I love the freshness lemon zest brings but get it isn’t for everyone.
Oil– Use good quality olive oil. I always use avocado oil and olive oil blend for roasting vegetables, but use what you prefer. When tossing everything together at the end, you will want some good quality olive oil though, it enhances the flavor. How do you know good quality olive oil? It should be fruity and a bit peppery not bland, bland is bad. Don’t let your oil sit around for a while it does go bad.
Suggested Drink Pairings– Hot Honey and Basil Gin Fizz, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Champagne/Sparkling Wine, Rosé or Orange Wine, for red go with Sangiovese or Pinot Noir.
Vegan Option– While it won’t be quite the same, use a combination of vegan cream cheese, vegan mozzarella and dairy free milk to make a sauce and then toss the gnocchi and cauliflower in this mixture. Make sure to add extra pepper. Also make sure your gnocchi is vegan.
Roasted Cauliflower with Burrata and Gluten Free Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 head Cauliflower
- 1 package Gnocchi (enough for 4 people)
- 1/4 cup Capers
- 2-4 balls Burrata (1/2-1 per person)
- 1-2 cloves Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Lemon Zest
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil, plus more for roasting
- Salt
- Oil for roasting
- Pepper
- Fresh Basil, Garnish
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 425oF
- Cut the cauliflower into florets and toss with oil and salt. Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- While water comes to a boil and the cauliflower is roasting, finely dice the garlic clove(s). Sprinkle a pinch of salt onto the cloves of garlic and using the flat side of the knife press onto the garlic and pull it towards you. This will take a couple rounds, when the garlic spreads out too much, scrape it up into a mound and keep smashing. You want a really fine paste since this will be raw.
- Once garlic is pasted, place it a bowl with 3 tbsp olive oil, a pinch more of salt, 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper and 1/2 tsp of lemon zest. Stir to combine.
- After the cauliflower has roasted for about 8 minutes bring a pot of water to a boil. After 15 minutes of roasting, pull out the cauliflower, it should have beautiful brown bits all over from roasting. Add the capers to the pan and toss. Then place back in the oven for 5 minutes.
- At this point the water should be boiling. Cook the gnocchi to package or recipe instructions. Remove from water and set aside.
- Remove the cauliflower and the capers from the oven and let cool slightly. Add the gnocchi and the garlic and lemon oil and toss everything together.
- To serve, place a burrata or half a burrata bowl on a plate. Scoop some cauliflower, capers and gnocchi around it. Garnish with fresh basil and serve with the Hot Honey and Basil Gin Fizz.
