Cauliflower Polonaise is an excellent example of simple food that injects many flavors.
It may have a Polish name, but it’s French in origin. This boiled and baked cauliflower dish, mixed with breadcrumbs, hard-boiled eggs, capers, garlic, and butter, comes together in no time yet completely bursts with flavor.

The dish is garnished with buttered breadcrumbs and hard-boiled eggs when using “a la Polonaise” or Polish style.
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A big plate of this delicious dish will be all gone before you know it. I will make it again and again.
Finishing it in a Le Creuset, enamel cast iron gratin dish will go from oven to table beautifully.
In this Article
- Subscribe to Giangi's Kitchen!
- Origins of Polonaise Style
- Reasons to Embrace Cauliflower
- Why You Will Love Cauliflower Polonaise
- Here are a few helpful tips for the ingredients needed to make this delicious Cauliflower Polonaise
- Equipment needed
- How to cook cauliflower and not have your house smell
- Cooking tips and step-by-step instructions to create this excellent Cauliflower Polonaise.
- This dish can be prepared the day before you want to enjoy it. To achieve that, here are a few helpful steps:
- What to Serve With Cauliflower Polonaise
- Variations
- More Cauliflower recipes
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storage
- If you enjoy this delicious Cauliflower Polonaise, look at my other recipes.
- VIDEO: COOK ALONG WITH ME
- Cauliflower Polonaise
Origins of Polonaise Style
The origin story of this dish is a bit unclear. People in Poland first made it, but France popularized it around the 18th century.
The French used breadcrumbs instead of parmesan to impart texture since parmesan would melt in this dish.

Reasons to Embrace Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a great vegetable — it’s so versatile. Because it has a mild taste, you can cook it in various ways and be creative with your recipes.
Roasted or baked cauliflower has a beautiful nutty flavor to it. Meanwhile, steam it, and you can mash it up to a smooth consistency and season it for a super-easy side.
If you avoid gluten, carbs, or processed foods, you can use a food processor to grind it. After grinding it, you can use it as a nutritious pizza crust.
You can also slice it into thick slices and roast or sautee the steak-like pieces. Then, you have a whole dinner on a plate.
The options for using this incredible vegetable, to me, are endless.
And not only is it versatile, it’s healthy. Cauliflower is a composite of vitamins C, K, and B, high in fiber, calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium.
Why You Will Love Cauliflower Polonaise
Delicious – This rich dish will potentially make even the pickiest eater fall in love with it.
Versatile – It makes for a great side dish for fish or poultry. But it’s also hearty enough to stand alone as a whole meal.
Easy – This cauliflower polonaise recipe is so simple to follow and make.

Here are a few helpful tips for the ingredients needed to make this delicious Cauliflower Polonaise
This is a quick introduction. Please read the recipe for complete instructions.
Cauliflower: This is, of course, the star of this dish. Choose perfectly green leaves around the base of your cauliflower. Look for closely packed florets, too.
Lemon: Add wedges of lemon to the water while you cook the cauliflower to offset the scent. The lemon actually absorbs the smell of the cauliflower as it cooks. Bonus: the cauliflower can absorb a bit of the lemon’s bright flavor and fragrance.
Unsalted butter: Always use unsalted butter. You want to control the seasoning, and using salted butter will add too much salt and alter the flavor.
Hard-boiled eggs: Eggs provide a textural contrast from the white flesh and chalky yolk, elevating the entire dish. Not to mention, when grated, it melts with the buttery crumbs.
Drained capers: These briny spheres impart just the right saltiness that is integral to this dish.
Garlic clove: The garlic balances well with the soft texture of the cauliflower and eggs.
Italian parsley: Parsley adds a bright bit of color to the dish. It also adds a burst of fresh flavor.

Equipment needed
I only recommend what I use and love.
Large saucepan: to cook your cauliflower.
Large bow and small bowl: l to mix all your ingredients
Gratin dish or baking dish: Roast your cauliflower and bring it to the table.
Grater: for your hard-boiled eggs. Grating them gives it a silkier texture to your dish.
How to cook cauliflower and not have your house smell
No one likes the smell of cauliflower in the house when cooking. Here is a quick and easy technique that my grandmother shared with me:
- Add half or whole lemon to the cooking water to eliminate the smell.
- Cut in half and squeeze some in the water. The lemon juice absorbs the smell.
Your family will never know that you are preparing them cauliflower.

Cooking tips and step-by-step instructions to create this excellent Cauliflower Polonaise.
As with all recipes, have all your ingredients ready before tacking your recipe.
- Start with the cauliflower as per the above instructions.
- Hard boil the eggs, and remove the hard shell. Grate the hard-boiled eggs or chop them roughly into small pieces.
- Melt the butter and add the bread crumbs, grated eggs, rinsed capers, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the cauliflower and mix well.
- Transfer the cauliflower and the mixture into a gratin dish and roast for about 10 minutes or until the top is golden.
The rich flavor combination of garlic, hard-boiled egg, and capers is out of this world. Plus, the breadcrumbs give irresistible crunchiness to the whole dish.
This dish can be prepared the day before you want to enjoy it. To achieve that, here are a few helpful steps:
- Start by cooking the cauliflower; follow the quick tip below to eliminate the small that it gives out while cooking.
- Hard boil your eggs as well. I always keep a couple of boiled in my refrigerator for a quick snack at lunchtime.
- You can go further the day before by mixing all the ingredients except the remaining breadcrumbs (11/2 tablespoon as per the recipe below) and the butter.
- Do bring both of the above to room temperature before the final assembly.
What to Serve With Cauliflower Polonaise
This tasty cauliflower dish goes well with various meals, like roasted chicken, pork chops with caramelized onions, grilled salmon, or lamb. Or, impress your brunch guests by serving it alongside quiche Lorraine or a French onion tart.

Variations
Herbs – Add fresh herbs like dill, thyme, or tarragon.
Heat – Use a few dashes of crushed red pepper or cayenne to give it a spicy kick.
More Cauliflower recipes
As you may have noticed, cauliflower is often featured in my recipe collection, and here are a few fantastic recipes that I know you will enjoy.
Cauliflower with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes
Roasted Cauliflower with LimeDressing
Bucatini with Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cauliflower polonaise?
Cauliflower polonaise combines butter and garlic, toasty breadcrumbs, briny capers, and hard-boiled eggs mixed with steamed cauliflower. Roast the dish until it browns and serve it solo or as a side dish.
What is a polonaise in food?
The term “a la polonaise” in food refers to a Polish-style preparation. Be sure not to confuse it with the Polish dance of the same name!
Storage
Refrigerator: Store cauliflower polonaise in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the fridge.
Freezer: Freeze leftover for up to 3 months.
If you enjoy this delicious Cauliflower Polonaise, look at my other recipes.
VIDEO: COOK ALONG WITH ME
Cauliflower Polonaise

Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower, trimmed and cut into large florets
- ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs, devided
- 2 hard cooked eggs
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the cauliflower and lemon wedge. Lower the heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.Drain, blot dry, and transfer to a large bowl. Toss the lemon.
- Stir in with the cauliflower, one tablespoon of the melted butter, 1 ½ tablespoon of the breadcrumbs, and the eggs, capers, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer into a large, oval gratin baking dish.
- In a small bowl, stir together the remaining breadcrumbs and remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, and sprinkle over the top.
- Roast the cauliflower until golden brown on top, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.
Nutrition
Giangi’s Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.
- Course: Classics, Sides, Sunday Night Dinner
- Cuisine: French
- Season: Fall, Winter
- Type: Affordable Gourmet, Videos
Did you make this?
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Originally published on October 9, 2019.
Susan
Earlier in the article, you say “The rich flavor combination of mustard, garlic, hard-boiled egg, and capers is out of this world.” but I don’t see the mustard in the recipe itself. Did I miss something?
Giangi Townsend
I have corrected the recipe to reflect the ingredients correctly.
Enjoy!
ANNA BEARD
I’m sorry if I missed something, but what do you do with the eggs? I’m assuming you chop
them.
Giangi Townsend
Yes, you do or grate them. Thank you for bringing this to my attention and making the corrections to be more precise.
Enjoy!
Katie
Love this cauliflower recipe! Easy to make and incredibly delicious, the whole family has been asking for it again!
Giangi Townsend
Thank you, Katie. I am so glad everyone enjoyed it.
Natalie
I love cauliflower in every possible way. Thank you for this amazing recipe, me and my friends enjoyed it
Giangi Townsend
Thank you, Natalie for your feedback, I am so happy everyone enjoyed it.
nancy
thanks for introducing me to Polonaise. it was tasty and such a cozy baked dish to make
Natalie
What a delicious side. I never used breadcrumbs with cauliflower like this. I’m excited to give this try.
Giangi Townsend
You will enjoy the crunchiness of them.
Enjoy!
Abhi
I’m always obsessed with quick and easy recipes. I appreciate your efforts in coming up with such a quick and healthy recipe.
Giangi Townsend
The pleasure is all mine.
Enjoy!
Gabriela Herrera
This cauliflower recipe is right up my alley flavorful and easy to make.
Giangi Townsend
Thank you and enjoy!
Julie
I also love how you’d blog posts are so helpful giving us so many tips thank you!! ❤️
Giangi Townsend
Thank you, Julie! that is very kind of you. I try.
nancy
SO YUMMY! I love this cauliflower dish. the breadcrumbs makes it so crispy!
Giangi Townsend
Absolutely, and that is the fun of this dish.
Enjoy!
Dusty Weick
I’m making for 60 people tonight where I work at a retirement home.
Giangi Townsend
That is impressive and my hat to you Dusty, that is wonderful!
Nora
Yum! Your recipe reminds me of my childhood! My granny loved to make cauliflower very similarly! Thank you! 🙂
Giangi Townsend
The pleasure is all mine, I am glad it brings back good memories.
Gina Abernathy
I just cooked some cauliflower tonight for dinner. I did not know about the lemon and water to take the smell away. Great tip.
Giangi Townsend
My pleasure, next time right?
Thank you so much for reading my blog
Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady
I’m always looking for new ways to cook cauliflower and this dish looks delicious!
Giangi Townsend
Thank you, it sure is delicious. My family goes crazy over it.
Enjoy!
Megan
So simple, but so flavorful. I love recipes like this. Thank you!
Nora
This looks delicious! Have to try it out soon! Thank you for sharing!
Giangi Townsend
It really is and I am sure you will enjoy it.
Bon Appetit!
Lottie
Looks so yummy and it looks simple to make. Thanks for sharing!
Giangi Townsend
My pleasure. Simple and very savory.
Fabiana
This recipe reads my mind, I wanted to cook cauliflower for dinner and I was looking for a good inspiration…..so thanks for that!! And my husband will thank you for your extra tip to get rid of the bad smell too 😜
Giangi Townsend
The pleasure is all mine. The smell is something that no ones enjoys, happy to share it with the world.
Jeannie
sounds like a good meal to me! I love cauliflower and trying different recipes with it 🙂
Giangi Townsend
This recipe will make you come back for more. Savory and super easy to make.
Enjoy!!
Julie Shipman
Deliciousness.
Giangi Townsend
Thank you Julie. Thank you for reading my blog.