This is the queen of cauliflower recipes and an opportunity to indulge in dressing a whole roasted cauliflower as a royal vegetable. For me this means covering it with tahini dressing, herbs, dried fruit, seeds, and spices. The combination of flavors makes it a delicious, plant-powered main or side.
I use a two-part technique to make the cauliflower both flavorful and tender throughout: first boil it for several minutes with a generous amount of salt, and then roast with spices and olive oil. This two-step approach softens it throughout and then finishes it with a golden brown glow.
The size of the cauliflower will determine the time needed to both boil and roast to tenderness. If you use a large cauliflower. I've found that one large cauliflower takes about 40 minutes to bake, while two smaller cauliflower heads takes about 20 minutes to roast until tender. By tender I mean the trees are loosening up and can be broken off with just a fork, or gently with a fork and knife.
I've included my favorite thick, creamy tahini dressing, which is also dairy-free, and however you can try another sauce like tahini yogurt sauce, herb ranch dressing, dairy-free ranch dressing, or creamy herb dressing.
I also highly encourage you to add the pomegranate seeds and date parsley gremolata to this mix. They play well off the tahini, salt, and spices. It's a bit of work to finely chop the parsley, and the truth is I usually pulse it in a food processor. I also store the dates in the refrigerator before I cut them. It's easier to dice them into smaller pieces when they're cold (and don't forget to remove the pit!).
Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
Boiling cauliflower
- 1 large cauliflower head or two small cauliflower heads, around two pounds
- 1 teaspoon salt for boiling water
Roasting cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
Toppings
- chopped pistachios or other nuts or seeds, toasted
- parsley, mint, or other herbs finely chopped
- pomegranate seeds
- chopped dates
Instructions
- Add about 4 cups of water and about 1 teaspoon of salt to a large stockpot and bring it to a steady boil. You can be generous with the salt here.
- Trim the bottom of the cauliflower so it is flat and the cauliflower can stand on a plate.
- Place the cauliflower in the boiling water and cover it. Cook for about 10 minutes or closer to 15 minutes if it's a large cauliflower.
- While the cauliflower is boiling, preheat your oven to 450℉.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
- Gently take the cauliflower out of the pot and place it on a plate so the excess water can drain from it.
- Let the cauliflower cool for a few minutes or until the surface is dry.
- Place the cauliflower on the baking sheet and brush or rub the olive oil over the cauliflower and then sprinkle the salt, turmeric, and cumin over it.
- Bake the cauliflower for 40 minutes or until fork tender and easy to separate the trees.
- Prepare any toppings, including the tahini sauce (recipe below), gremolata, and herbs.
- Place the roasted cauliflower on a plate and add toppings.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days and reheat in the oven for a few minutes.
Video
Nutrition
Tahini Dressing
Equipment
- Blender optional
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup tahini creamy, no additives
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove peeled and minced (or diced if you're blending the dressing)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup icy cold water
Instructions
- Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and salt to a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the cold water and whisk for a bit or until it becomes creamy and lighter.
- Store in the refrigerator for a week or so. It will thicken while in the refrigerator so feel free to add a little more cold water and whisk again, or just leave it on the counter to bring to room temperature.
Nutrition
Parsley Date Gremolata
Ingredients
- ½ cup Medjool dates about 5 dates, pitted and chopped into small pieces
- 1 bunch parsley finely chopped, about 1 cup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl and blend with a spoon or spatula.
- Store in the refrigerator for several days.
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