Combi Steamed Za'atar Cauliflower Steaks

Zaatar cauliflower steak on a plate with a fork and knife in a landscape view.

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Combi Steamed Za'atar Cauliflower Steaks

I adore these thick 'steaks' of cauliflower rubbed with olive oil and Middle Eastern Za’atar spice blend. You can make this dish with florets of cauliflower too, just reduce the cooking time to suit.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Keyword: cauliflower, cauliflower steak, roasted cauliflower, zaatar

Servings:

Calories: 171kcal

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower large
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp zaatar Middle Eastern spice blend; see notes
1/2 tsp flaky salt optional, if your Zaatar blend contains salt you can skip it

Instructions

Preheat your oven to Combi Steam, 450°F/220°C, 50% (medium) humidity. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Use a sharp knife to slice lengthwise through the cauliflower core, cutting it into 4 thick steaks. You might have some extra florets left from the very edges of the cauliflower head; set those aside for another dish. Put the cauliflower steaks onto the lined baking sheet.
1 head cauliflower
Drizzle half the olive oil over the steaks, then sprinkle half the zaatar over the top, rubbing it in so it'll stick to the oil. Flip the steaks over and repeat the oil and zaatar on the other side. Sprinkle with salt if using.
4 Tbsp olive oil, 4 Tbsp zaatar, 1/2 tsp flaky salt
Cook the steaks, turning once about halfway through cooking, until they're tender all the way through and beginning to brown and char on the very edges. This will take about 15-20 minutes depending on how thick you've cut the steaks.
When the steaks are cooked, remove them from the oven and serve immediately.

Notes

If your head of cauliflower isn't very big, be warned that you may only get two decent steaks from it, with a whole lot of chunky bits of floret either side. You'll need to allow for this and buy an extra cauli if that's the case.
You can absolutely do the olive oil and Zaatar tossed with cauliflower florets instead of steaks. Bite-sized florets will only take about 10-12 minutes to cook through.
Zaatar: this is a traditional Middle Eastern spice blend that varies a little from country to country and family to family. It's fantastic stuff that's good to sprinkle on all kinds of roasted vegetables, eggs, fish and chicken. The critical elements are dried thyme, sumac, sesame seeds and salt. You can make your own, using this recipe I've made several times now, or you can buy it ready-made online.

Nutrition