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Baked Cauliflower with feta, dill, onions; Karnabahar Mucveri

Baked Cauliflower with feta, dill, onions; Firinda Karnabahar Mucveri

Baked Cauliflower with feta, dill, onions; Firinda Karnabahar Mucveri

Inspired by the delicious Zucchini/courgette fritters with feta; Mucver, as we call it in Turkish, this time I made this wonderful dish using cauliflowers. Rather than frying, I baked the cauliflower florets flavored with feta, dill, onions in the oven. The result has been equally delicious and lighter in flavor, served with a refreshing wedge of lemon aside.

I love cauliflower’s firm texture and you can flavor it easily with herbs, olive oil and lemon juice. During our Culinary tour to Turkey a few years ago, we made the cauliflower fritters with feta and dill at our Aegean style cookery class in Sirince; they were scrumptious with garlic yoghurt aside. Here is also my YouTube video on how to make this lovely Baked cauliflower dish:

Stir in the chopped red onions, spring (green onions), parsley, dill, olive oil and the crumbled feta cheese to the bowl with the cauliflower florets.

Stir in the chopped red onions, spring (green onions), parsley, dill, olive oil and the crumbled feta cheese to the bowl along with the cauliflower florets.

I am happy to report that baking rather than frying works very well in this dish. It is easier, lighter and still packed with flavor. Dill, parsley, spring onions, red onions pack a punch and flavor the cauliflowers very nicely, along with feta cheese. You can add some red pepper flakes to the mixture for a pleasant heat, if you like. There’s also no need to cook the cauliflowers beforehand.

You can serve this baked cauliflower florets with Cacik dip of yoghurt with cucumber and garlic or the Shepherd’s Salad; it would make a delicious lunch or light supper with crusty bread and wedge of lemon aside. Baked Cauliflower with feta, dill, onions, Firinda Karnabahar Mucveri would also accompany grills well – delicious hot or cold.

Baked Cauliflower with feta, dill, onions, Firinda Karnabahar Mucveri

Baked Cauliflower with feta, dill, onions; Firinda Karnabahar Mucveri

If you enjoy wonderful hot and cold mezes, vegetables cooked in olive oil like this dish and more, I have included a large variety of vegetarian courses in my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. Signed copies are now 25 % OFF at this link and delivered worldwide including the US, for a limited time. We also have this seasonal Ozlem’s Turkish Table apron, with the embroidery of my hometown Antakya’s celebrated daphne leaves in the design. It can make a lovely gift, if you like to order here.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

4.8 from 13 reviews
Baked Cauliflower with feta, dill, onions; Karnabahar Mucveri
 
An utterly delicious vegetarian Turkish appetizer, featuring cauliflowers, flavored with feta cheese, onions, dill, parsley. Baking works very well here, the result is a lovely, light vegetarian dish; delicious hot or cold.
Author:
Recipe type: Vegetarian Turkish Appetizers
Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 medium cauliflower (about 850 gr), cut into small florets
  • 180 gr / 6 ½ oz. feta cheese, drained and crumbled
  • 4 tbsp. / 60 ml all purpose (plain flour) – use gluten-free flour for gluten-free version
  • 3 medium eggs, beaten
  • ½ red onion, finely chopped
  • 3 spring (green) onions, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • Small bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped
  • 30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 10 ml/ 2 tsp. red pepper flakes or chili flakes
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Wedges of lemon to serve
  • 22 cm x 22 cm (7”x7”) baking dish recommended
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F
  2. Cut the cauliflower in small florets, wash and drain the excess water in a colander/sieve.
  3. Beat the eggs in a small bowl.
  4. Place the drained cauliflower florets in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the chopped red onions, garlic, spring (green onions), parsley, dill, olive oil and the crumbled feta cheese to the bowl.
  5. Season with salt, ground black peppers and chili (red pepper flakes). Using your hands, combine all the ingredients. At this stage, you can check the seasoning – add more salt or peppers to your taste.
  6. Stir in the beaten egg and flour to the cauliflower mixture and combine well.
  7. Grease your baking dish with 15 ml/ 1 tbsp. olive oil and pour in the mixture to the baking dish.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven (180 C / 350 F) for 25 – 30 minutes, until the cauliflower florets have a nice light brown color on top.
  9. Slice and serve hot with a wedge of lemon and crusty bread aside. Cacik dip of yoghurt with diced cucumber and garlic or Shepherd’s salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and spring onion in lemon juice and olive oil dressing would go well with this delicious dish.
 

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34 Responses to Baked Cauliflower with feta, dill, onions; Karnabahar Mucveri

  1. seniordogsabroad April 7, 2015 at 2:20 am #

    Özlem’ciğim, Thanks so, so much for this recipe. I always used to make mucver but since Mark has some acid reflux, we can’t fry things anymore. This sounds like a delicious substitute. We may even try it tonight! Çok öpüyorum, ailene selam söyle. xoxo J

    • Ozlem Warren April 7, 2015 at 8:58 am #

      Merhaba Jolee’cigim, you are most welcome! We really love this baked version – so easy, lighter, still packed with flavor. I do mucver mostly this way too. Do hope you both enjoy it, afiyet olsun and huge thanks for all your support : ) Bizde cok sevgilerimizi gonderiyoruz, Ozlem xoxo

  2. Peri's Spice Ladle April 7, 2015 at 3:42 pm #

    Lovely new way to cook cauliflower, Ozlem, baking it with cheese like feta would taste delicious. I’ve often found cauliflower is underrated vegetable. Have a great week. xxPeri.

    • Ozlem Warren April 7, 2015 at 7:54 pm #

      Thanks dear Peri, indeed a delicious combination; feta, dill, onions flavor the cauliflower beautifully, I am a big fan of this vegetable, need to post more recipes with it : ) Have a lovely week to you too, Ozlem xx

      • Federica Caruso May 10, 2020 at 7:32 pm #

        Lovely recipe, thank you Ozlem. My husband and I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to serve it to some of our friends when we will be able to invite them safely again and meet our little son Luca ❤️. Warm wishes, Federica

        • Ozlem Warren May 12, 2020 at 11:37 am #

          Merhaba dear Federica, thank you so much for your kind note, I am delighted that you enjoyed my recipe – one of our favourites too. I hope you can get to enjoy with family and friends, soon.

          Just to let you know, I have included a large variety of vegetarian courses in my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. Signed copies are now 30 % OFF at this link and delivered worldwide including the US, for a limited time, if interested, my best wishes, Ozlem https://www.gbpublishing.co.uk/product-page/ozlem-s-turkish-table-hardback

  3. BacktoBodrum April 7, 2015 at 4:06 pm #

    Mmm – this sounds great – I’m going to share it immediately with my daughter who has only just moved into a house with an oven.

    • Ozlem Warren April 7, 2015 at 7:53 pm #

      Glad to hear it BB, I love the ease of preparation and lightness in the flavor, hope your daughter enjoys it too – and happy new home to her 🙂

    • Joan Oddey May 5, 2020 at 1:00 pm #

      Hello Ozlem, I hope this finds you safe and well. I thoroughly enjoyed your baked cauliflower and feta with a few store cupboard replacements. It will certainly be a recipe I shall return to many times. Thank you for your inspirational cooking and bringing Turkey a bit nearer when sadly visiting in person this year seems unlikely.

      • Ozlem Warren May 5, 2020 at 1:41 pm #

        Merhaba dear Joan, thank you so much for your kind note, really glad you enjoyed this baked cauliflower recipe – I tend to add a bit of pepper etc needs using to this recipe too, good to use whatever have you have in hand. And do hope we all return to Turkey, sometime in near future, I am hopeful. In the meantime, I am so glad if recipes can bring a bit of Turkey to you, afiyet olsun, Ozlem x

  4. Helga Anderson April 7, 2015 at 9:36 pm #

    Hallo Ozlem, I have taken three of your cooking classes at CM in San Antonio. Absolutely love your recipes and have prepared delicious meals from many of them. Thank you so much. You make eating so healthy and so much fun.
    Take care,
    Helga

    • Ozlem Warren April 9, 2015 at 12:01 pm #

      Merhaba dear Helga, lovely to hear from you – it is always such a pleasure to return to CM Cooking School, greatly enjoy teaching there and seeing you all. Many thanks for your very kind note, you made my day! It’s a pleasure to share healthy, delicious Turkish cuisine, so glad to hear you are enjoying the recipes. My best wishes, Selamlar, Ozlem

  5. Joyce April 8, 2015 at 8:44 pm #

    what a great recipe i can’t wait to try it!

    • Ozlem Warren April 9, 2015 at 11:56 am #

      Many thanks Joyce, hope you enjoy them!:)

  6. Rob April 10, 2015 at 7:18 pm #

    Hi Ozlem,

    This was lovely – thank you! Even after I accidentally poured about 3 tablespoons of red pepper flakes in when I was trying to shake them out gently… Actually I think the heat might have been about right…

    Just a note – you mention garlic in the ingredients but don’t include it in the recipe.

    Cheers Again,
    Rob.

    • Ozlem Warren April 11, 2015 at 6:19 pm #

      Merhaba Rob, thank you so much for your kind note, very glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe – and that is a generous amount of red pepper flakes that my husband would hugely approve!Huge thanks also for spotting the missing garlic in the directions, I now added. Really appreciated you taking the time and letting me know. Afiyet Olsun : ) Ozlem

  7. Turkey's For Life April 12, 2015 at 9:11 am #

    Mmmm, love mücver and love experimenting with it. Never tried it with cauliflower though as we’re recent converts to this vegetable – 😉 – but will definitely give it a go.
    Julia

    • Ozlem Warren April 13, 2015 at 10:46 am #

      Merhaba Julia, many thanks for stopping by – do have a go at this with cauliflower; it is easy to make and the herbs, spices, feta flavor the humble cauliflower beautifully 🙂 Ozlem

  8. Alan April 20, 2015 at 1:17 pm #

    this a delicious dish and with variations is a great favourite in this house.

    • Ozlem Warren April 20, 2015 at 7:14 pm #

      I bet J knocks up some delicious mucvers Alan, selamlar to you both 🙂

  9. Carly April 28, 2015 at 12:54 am #

    Ozlem, I’ve made several of your recipes — this one, a wonderful eggplant one, and a squash stew with ground meat… I absolutely love your recipes! I took a trip to Turkey two years ago and loved the food, and I found your website when I came back.

    I made this one tonight — I think my cauliflower was too big, but it still tastes great. Thank you for your website! Have you thought about a cookbook?

    • Ozlem Warren April 28, 2015 at 9:12 am #

      Merhaba Carly, thank you so much for this kind note, it give me immense pleasure to hear the recipes here enjoyed, really kind of you to let me know. Also delighted to hear you enjoyed the cauliflower bake – I found it works best with a medium sized cauliflower, around 850 gr. And many thanks for asking about cookery book, it is very much in my thoughts and I would love to gather the recipes in a book in near future. And these reminders help greatly 🙂 Many thanks, I will keep you posted. Cok Selamlar, Ozlem

  10. Alev May 29, 2015 at 2:48 pm #

    Hi Ozlem,
    thank you so much for this recipe, I have been doing other things with cauliflower but this one so far is my favorite. I didn’t add red onions, I didn’t have any! I doubled the spring onion instead. And I steamed the cauliflower since I was already boiling beans in a pot. It didn’t came out dry at all, it was perfect!

    Thanks again,

    • Ozlem Warren May 29, 2015 at 5:16 pm #

      Merhaba dear Alev, thank you very much for your kind note – very happy to hear you enjoyed baked cauliflower!:) Became a favorite in our home too, afiyet olsun, many thanks again, Ozlem

  11. jordan September 13, 2017 at 5:52 pm #

    this looks so lovely . what is the best kind of cheese to use here in Turkey.. I recently just moved here ..is it still called feta ?

    • Ozlem Warren September 14, 2017 at 9:19 am #

      Merhaba Jordan, this really is a delicious bake – Turkish white cheese, beyaz peynir would be perfect. I can’t get beyaz peynir easily in England and use feta cheese instead, works well. Make sure the cauliflower is cut into small florets – afiyet olsun! Ozlem

  12. Stan January 17, 2020 at 10:08 am #

    Wow! This was delicious. My partner and I recently became vegetarian and this is the first Turkish dish I have made and my partner and I loved it. It was a hearty and flavoursome dish, especially when combined with the garlic yougurt dip (which was a 2 minute thing to make! Never buying it again! Haha). Thank you so much from all the way over in Australia! I look forward to trying more of your recipes.

    • Ozlem Warren January 19, 2020 at 5:27 pm #

      Merhaba Stan, many thanks for your note – so delighted you enjoyed my Baked cauliflower recipe, a family favourite with us too. Turkish cuisine is based on seasonal produce and great for vegetarians.

      Just to let you know, my cookery book Ozlem’s Turkish Table has over 90 authentic recipes (over 75 % vegetarian) with stunning photography, and stories from my homeland. My book recently got the Gourmand Cook Book Award, the Oscars of the cookery books, which we were delighted. If you like, you can get a Signed copy of my book at the link below, it is now 15 % off and delivered worldwide including USA at the link below:

      https://www.gbpublishing.co.uk/product-page/ozlem-s-turkish-table-hardback

      Thank you and Afiyet Olsun,

      Ozlem

  13. Russell August 20, 2020 at 2:29 pm #

    Thank you again for another wonderful recipe. It was a big hit. I didn’t have a lot of feta cheese so I did a mix of feta and pecorino romano, which worked great. Otherwise, I did not make changes. I might, just because I like the flavor, add a bit of preserved lemon into the mix or perhaps a few capers next time. But, honestly, this is just so good as is.

    • Ozlem Warren August 21, 2020 at 11:54 am #

      Merhaba Russell, thank you so much for your kind note – really delighted that you enjoyed this delicious Baked cauliflower. Adding capers or a bit of preserved lemon is a great idea – I always have them with a squeeze of lemon, adds such a refreshing, tangy flaour. Cok tesekkurler, afiyet olsun, Ozlem

  14. Dilmeran Akgoze January 22, 2021 at 10:25 pm #

    Dearest Ozlem,

    Like everything you make, your background of the recipes, your clear explanations, This recipe is just another gift for people who appreciates delicious, healthy food, who takes pleasure in the made from fresh ingredients.

    Thank you, keep cooking, stay well, safe and happy. I admire you!
    Dilmeran Akgoze.

    • Ozlem Warren January 23, 2021 at 4:04 pm #

      Dearest Dilmeran’cigim,

      Thank you very much for your lovely note – your kind words mean a lot. So glad you are enjoying the recipes here, cok tesekkur ederim. My best wishes and Afiyet Olsun, Sevgilerimle,
      Ozlem xxx

  15. Jenny March 14, 2022 at 4:26 pm #

    Gosh, this was so good we couldn’t get enough of it! Ellerinize sağlık, Özlem hanım.

    • Ozlem Warren March 15, 2022 at 10:32 am #

      Afiyet Olsun, Jenny – so glad you enjoyed it x

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