roasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressing

Welcome to day 10 of our 30-day challenge. Day 10! I wonder how many salads you’ve all eaten in the last 10 days. No complaints here. I happen to love salad. Especially when it’s loaded up with all of my favorites like grilled chicken, roasted beets, yummy baby heirloom tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese. And topped off with some delicious homemade dressing. You get the picture. But really, you need to check out this Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Tahini Dressing.

As much as I enjoy my basic green salad, I never mind switching it up a bit. What I’m offering here is technically considered a salad but it could certainly be enjoyed as a side dish.

roasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressingroasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressing

Roast your cauliflower florets and red onion slices at a high temperature until they are tender with a golden crusty exterior.

roasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressingroasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressing

While they are roasting, prepare the lemony tahini dressing. It’s all thrown together in your blender. Couldn’t be any easier. Let that hang out in the fridge while you toast the chickpeas.

While on the subject …I highly recommend using Soom Pure Ground Sesame Tahini for your dressing. They do typically carry it at Whole Foods, but if you have no luck there it’s usually available on Amazon. The flavor is superior and will definitely shine through. That is actually the only brand of tahini I’ll use when making a batch of my homemade hummus. My family goes crazy over it.

roasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressingroasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressingroasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressing

Before continuing, I must warn you that if you follow the recipe exactly as written the dressing and chickpeas will have some kick. Quite a bit of heat, actually. If you don’t care for that type of spiciness, just decrease the amount of cayenne powder or eliminate it totally. Either way, the outcome will be delicious.

When toasting the chickpeas, be sure to use a non-stick skillet or well-seasoned cast iron pan. Otherwise, they do tend to stick.

roasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressing

It’s time to assemble your Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Tahini Dressing.

When I first discovered this recipe, I thought the flavor and texture combos were great. But the original recipe is featured with parsley as the “greens” component. Being a green salad lover, I just had to up the game and replace that parsley with a combination of baby spinach and arugula. It was a good decision.

roasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressingroasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressing

To build the salad, combine the roasted cauliflower and onions in a large serving dish with the greens and toasted chickpeas. Drizzle a small amount of tahini dressing over top and toss to combine.

You’ll have quite a bit of dressing left over. When serving the salad, offer extra dressing to anyone interested. You’re sure to find a few customers.

roasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressingroasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressingroasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressingRoasted Cauliflower Salad with Tahini Dressing

roasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressing
5 from 1 vote
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roasted cauliflower salad with tahini dressing

Adapted from Budget Bytes

Delicious served as a salad or side dish.

Servings 4 servings
Author Rosemary Stelmach

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 ounce baby spinach
  • 1/2 ounce baby arugula

Tahini Dressing

  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, if needed

Toasted Spiced Chickpeas

  • 15 ounce can chickpeas
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne (optional)
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.  Chop the cauliflower into small florets and place them on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Slice the red onion into 1/4-inch strips and place them on the baking sheet.  Drizzle the cauliflower and onions with olive oil and season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper.  Toss the cauliflower and onions until coated in oil, salt, and pepper.

  2. Roast the cauliflower and onions in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then stir, return them to the oven, and roast for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender and browned on the edges.  Remove tray from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

  3. While the cauliflower and onions are roasting, make the lemon tahini dressing.  Add the tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, cayenne (if desired) and salt to a blender.  Blend until smooth, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

  4. Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas.  Add them to a non-stick skillet along with the olive oil, smoked paprika, cayenne (if desired) and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Stir and cook the chickpeas over medium heat for about five minutes, or until they sizzle and become slightly crispy.  Remove the chickpeas from the heat.

  5. To build the salad, combine the roasted cauliflower and onions in a bowl with the spiced chickpeas and chopped greens.  Lightly drizzle the lemon tahini dressing over top, and toss to combine.  Serve warm or cold with the extra dressing on the side.

Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Tahini Dressing

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Recipe Rating




  • 5 stars
    What a great recipe! Healthy, vegan and my family loved it! Y any chance, can you post the nutritional breakdown or the calories? Thanks!

    • So happy to learn that your family loved this! It really is so different and tasty, right?

      I can give you an approximate nutritional breakdown per serving but keep in mind that it is approximate!

      261 calories, 21 carbs, 18 fat, 9 protein, 162 protein, 10 sugar.