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. Here's how to open and de-seed a pomegranate. 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
- ½ cup parsley finely chopped
- 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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