Cauliflower Sorrentino
New Year + lots of similar goals. I still want to cook a lot (duh), and continue my goal of saving 52 new recipes on my little site. Dishes that I’m proud of, that I would make again just for us or for company, and continue my quest of building my own repertoire of family meals. So there’s the fun cooking stuff, and then there’s the “make myself a better person” type of resolution. In my case, it’s continuing to work on caring less about what other people think + not constantly trying to please the outside world. The way I am packaging this one up as a resolution is worrying more about myself - prioritizing my own wants + opinions instead of being guided by “what someone else will think.” Doing more to make myself happy, spending way less time on social media (like maybe scrap it all together), and just not being afraid to say/do/just be myself. I think I am at a better place with this one now than I’ve ever been. The self conscious girl that lives in a prison of her own worries + doubts is still very much alive, but I feel her taking a backseat a bit more. 2026 is the year to stay rooted in the reality that I have a wonderful support system in my own home who loves the person I am + that I too like the person I am, so why would I try to be anyone else? So yes - we’re on the continued quest to shed a little self doubt + live life for myself, and I am ready to see where it leads in 2026.
As far as kitchen things + cooking goals in 2026, a new phrase has been coined here a the Zehner house - “you can cauliflower that!” A play on my previous approach to cooking, which was you can make anything with cauliflower. A mindset I use when looking at recipes for inspo - purposely not filtering out the meaty ones + instead just knowing I can adapt. I just like the ring to this newest adaptation, and of course I have Jordan to thank for coming up with that. He just blurted it out when we were talking about our New Years Day dinner plans, and I told him “that one’s going to stick!”
So in the spirit of “you can cauliflower that” comes our first cook of the New Year - Cauliflower Sorrentino. Taking a classic chicken dish + subbing in cauliflower for an almost meat free dinner experience. Big cauliflower steaks get breaded + baked, and then assembled to make this big + delicious Italian casserole style meal. The prepared cauliflower is topped with prosciutto (lord knows I’m not skipping the prosciutto), eggplant, and a lot of cheese. Then it’s all baked with a vodka sauce. Fun, sauce-y, delicious, and an ideal Italian meal in my book.
Find a nonna you can trust
I love Italian cooking. Love love love it! The best thing I stumbled on this holiday season was a bona fide nonna blog filled with a whole slew of Italian treats. From the Italian cookies that became staples in our household this Christmas to some fun main dishes (including this one) - point being I found myself an Italian lady with experience in the kitchen and I wasn’t going to take it for granted. It’s no surprise that this authentic nonna isn’t whipping up vegetarian friendly twists on the classic - she’s a traditional girlie. The almost meat-free twist is my specialty. She laid out the basics for me! How to cook the eggplant, how to assemble, and gave some visuals to guide me in regards to the ideal level of cheesy-ness. So though I drifted from a traditional chicken dish to and took the “you can cauliflower that” approach, I followed all of the instruction and give this dinner the authentic Italian check of approval.
Make your own sauce. Always!
I got the recipe from a Nonna, and I was going to cook like one. Which means making my own sauce! I think buying a jarred sauce, even at the most premiere of specialty grocers, is like the biggest sin for an Italian woman. So we get the San Marzano tomatoes, we dust off that big skillet, and we get to sauce making.
In this case, I went for a vodka sauce. Lots of tomatoes, a little bit of spice, lots of olive oil and a touch of cream. It’s perfection! I made sure to put plenty of sauce down in the base of my baking pan - enough to go about half way up the cauliflower, and then I top each cauliflower piece we a couple generous spoonfuls. The cauliflower will finish cooking with the sauce + cheese, absorbing all its flavor + seasoning. So it’s important the sauce is fresh, flavorfu, and dialed in with all the basil and spices.
Bread that cauliflower
Admittedly - cauliflower can be a little dull. You need to spice it up! Whether it’s with a yummy sauce (which you have here), a vibrant seasoning, or another secret weapon…..
Best thing you can do to make your cauliflower feel a little more exciting - bread it! Dredge it an egg wash + then coat it in panko, and enjoy. It’s a simple little step that spices up the cauliflower. Also, it crisps up so nicely in the oven. No fryer needed.
A fun meal to make + a fun first meal of 2026 for just Jordan and I. It set the tone for a quiet, special night in to kickstart the new year, and it was perfection.
For the vodka sauce
2 tbsp EVOO
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt + pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 c. vodka
1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
pinch of sugar
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 c. heavy cream
For the cauli sorrentino
1 eggplant, thinly sliced
1 head of cauliflower, cut into cauliflower steaks
2 eggs
1 c. panko
prosciutto slices
1 c. shredded mozz
1/4 c. grated parmesan
For the polenta
1/2 c. dried polenta
1 c. water
1 tbsp butter
salt + pepper
2 tbsp parmesan
Start by making your sauce. Place a large skillet of Dutch oven over medium heat + add the EVOO. Once the oil is hot, add in the garlic + toast for 1-2 minutes. Add in the tomato paste, a pinch of salt + pepper, and the red pepper flakes. Stir + continue to cook on low heat for 2 minutes. Add in the vodka to deglaze the pan, letting the vodka simmer until reduced by half. Add in the tomatoes, sugar, and basil, stirring everything together and bringing the mixture to a low simmer. One simmering, cover the pan and reduce the heat to low, cooking the sauce on low heat for 30 minutes. Stir in the cream, taste, and a continue to cook on low heat for another 10 minutes. You can then turn off the sauce until you’re ready to assemble the sorrentino (or store it in the fridge overnight).
Next, preheat the oven to 350 + line a large baking pan with parchment. Lay the eggplant in a single layer on the baking sheet, brushing the eggplants lightly with EVOO + sprinkling each with a bit of salt + pepper. Bake the eggplant for 15 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through.
Now time to prep the cauliflower steaks. Dip the pieces of cauliflower in the egg wash then press firmly into the panko. Place the cauliflower steaks on a parchment lined baking tray. Spray the panko coated cauliflower with an olive oil spray. Roast the cauliflower for about 20 minutes. The panko should be lightly browned when you remove the cauliflower from the oven. Totally fine for the cauliflower not to be fully tender.
Next, make the polenta. Bring the water to a boil + slowly add in the dried polenta, whisking the entire time. Move to using a spatula, reducing the heat to low, covering the pot + stirring regularly. Continue to cook for 25 minutes. Stir in the butter + cheese. Season the polenta with salt + pepper and give it a taste test. Keep the butter on low heat until you’re ready to eat.
As the polenta cooks, assemble the sorrentino. Start with spreading 1 heaping cup of the sauce on the bottom of a large baking tray. Don’t hesitate to add in a bit more to create a thin layer of sauce that covers the bottom of the whole pan. Lay the cauliflower steaks on top of the sauce. Top each piece of cauliflower with one piece of prosciutto + an eggplant slice. Spoon an additional couple of tablespoons of sauce over each assembled eggplant piece. Sprinkle the parmesan + mozz over the top of the whole thing. Bake the sorrentino at 350 for 10-15 minutes - the sauce should be bubbling + cheese on top lightly browned.
Serve the sorrentino by placing a spoonful of the polenta on a plate + then topping with a whole piece of cauliflower. Serve hot + enjoy!
