Salads aren’t just for the warm weather months, but when I get my vegetable cravings in the winter I change up my salads with heartier vegetables and ingredients that have warm, smoky flavors, like roasted vegetables and smoked paprika. This Roasted Cauliflower Salad is actually a play on one of my other favorite salads, Mediterranean Farro Salad. I used the same Lemon Tahini Dressing (because it’s so good that I want to pour it on everything) and spiced chickpeas because I thought they would provide just the right punch to complement the mellow roasted cauliflower. The combination of roasted cauliflower, sweet red onions, spiced chickpeas, and tangy lemon tahini dressing might be my favorite yet!
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Other Salad Greens Options:
Parsley is a great green to use for salads because it’s cheap and the presence is subtle enough to not over power the cauliflower and chickpeas. Baby spinach would also work, as would finely chopped kale, but both will likely be a bit more expensive.
What is Tahini?
Tahini is the star ingredient for the delicious lemon tahini dressing for this salad. If you’ve never heard of tahini, it’s just like peanut butter, but made with sesame seeds instead of peanuts. It has a creamy yet slightly sharp flavor that is totally unique. It’s usually about twice the price of peanut butter, but it’s a valuable ingredient and stays good in the fridge for just about forever (just like peanut butter). You can use it to make gobs of delicious homemade hummus, as well as this amazing lemon tahini dressing. I promise you’ll want more of this dressing.
What to Serve with Roasted Cauliflower Salad
This Roasted Cauliflower Salad is really filling, so it can definitely stand on its own as a vegetarian main dish, but if you want to make something to go on the side, it also goes great with Focaccia Rolls, Herb Roasted Chicken Breast, Homemade Naan, Greek Turkey Burgers, or Creamy Mushroom Soup.
Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower ($2.99)
- 1/2 red onion ($0.55)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- Salt and Pepper to taste ($0.05)
- 1/2 bunch parsley ($0.45)
LEMON TAHINI DRESSING
- 1/3 cup tahini ($1.13)
- 1/3 cup water ($0.00)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice ($0.18)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
SPICED CHICKPEAS
- 1 15oz. can chickpeas ($0.79)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne ($0.02)
- Salt and Pepper to taste ($0.05)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Chop the cauliflower into small florets and place them on a large baking sheet. 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.
- Roast the cauliflower and onions in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then stir, return them to the oven, and roast for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender and browned on the edges. Let the cauliflower cool slightly.
- While the cauliflower and onions are roasting, make the lemon tahini dressing. Add the tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, cayenne, and salt to a blender. Blend until smooth, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas. Add them to a skillet along with the olive oil, smoked paprika, cayenne, 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.
- Pull the parsley leaves from their stems and roughly chop the leaves into small pieces (about 1.5 cups loosely packed, once chopped).
- To build the salad, combine the roasted cauliflower and onions in a bowl with the spiced chickpeas and chopped parsley. Drizzle the lemon tahini dressing over top, and toss to combine. Serve warm or cold.
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Nutrition
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Try this lemon tahini dressing drizzled over all your favorite roasted vegetables!
How to Make Roasted Cauliflower Salad – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preheating the oven to 400ºF. Chop one head of cauliflower into florets. Slice 1/2 of a red onion into 1/4-inch strips. Place the cauliflower and onions on a large baking sheet. Drizzle the vegetables with 2 Tbsp olive oil and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables until they are well coated in oil, salt, and pepper.
Roast the cauliflower and onion for 20 minutes, stir, then return them to the oven and roast for another 10-15 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender and the edges browned. (the sides touching the baking sheet brown fastest, so you’ll see more browning once you give it a final stir).
While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the lemon tahini dressing. Place 1/3 cup tahini, 1/3 cup water, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cayenne, and 1/4 tsp salt in a blender. Blend until the dressing is smooth. Refrigerate the dressing until you’re ready to serve the salad.
To prepare the spiced chickpeas, drain and rinse one 15oz. can of chickpeas. Add the drained chickpeas to a skillet along with 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp cayenne, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir and cook the chickpeas for about 5 minutes over medium heat or until they begin to sizzle and become slightly crispy on the outside. Remove them from the heat. (I like to do this in a non-stick skillet.)
Pull the leaves from about 1/2 bunch of parsley and chop them into small pieces (about 1.5 cups loosely packed once chopped). To build the salad, combine the roasted cauliflower and onions with the spiced chickpeas and chopped parsley…
Drizzle the lemon tahini dressing over top…
Stir to combine, and enjoy! You can enjoy this Roasted Cauliflower Salad slightly warm from the oven, or chilled after storing in the refrigerator.
This has been a great cool weather lunch for my outdoor job. Warm flavours and super tasty. For me, It didn’t make enough for four lunches on its own so I added chopped spinach and 1 cup quinoa (3 cups cooked,) which was perfect. I also followed another commenter and roasted the chickpeas on the lower rack. Delicious, thank you!
Absolutely obsessed!! This is so so good and so full of flavor! For me, the recipe wasn’t super filling as is, so I added avocado and that really did the trick. I would also recommend doubling the cauliflower and red onion for the recipe, especially if you want to meal prep, as both didn’t last me as long as the chickpeas. Sending it everyone I know!
Just gorgeous! Dressing works well with anything! I ate this using salad leaves as wraps – roasted cauli in air fryer which worked perfectly though less cooking time needed: thank you 🌟
Yum! Had Ingredients on hand but subbed parsley for dill and mint. Made a spicy, healthy and satisfying bowl that reminded me of a favorite restaurant. The roasted purple onions are delicious. Will try the dressing on roasted broccoli next.
There was nothing I could have changed to make this any better. Adding a side dish of tabbouleh made it a fantastic, complete meal.
This is a staple for me for lunch meal prep (just store the dressing and chickpea separately).
I make it as written often, but generally double the parsley… I have also used cilantro when available.
I do the chickpeas on their own pan in the oven while the cauliflower/onions roast to be efficient.
So this is absolutely a great recipe however I had two changes. One was adding brussel sprouts. I roasted them whole then when cooled I sliced them. The other was doing the chick peas in my air fryer. I tried the stove top method but could never get them as crispy as the air fryer if not I think oven method is next best. Next day I popped it in the mic just to warm up slightly. Delicious.
Loved this recipe! Layers of flavors were great – the spiced chickpeas and the tahini dressing really added to the salad. Filling on its own. I did serve it with cajun shrimp – everything was ready in 35 minutes. Great weeknight meal!
Definitely going to look for more recipes at budgetbytes.com!
I placed the baking sheet in the oven while it was preheating. This increased the caramelization and cut down on the time. It was one of the best vegetarian recipes I’ve had.
I’ve made this so many times, it’s such a staple for when I don’t know what to make.
I like to double the recipe and add one serving of couscous. I find this makes it more satisfying and then a little goes a long way. You have to fry the chickpeas for a long time – the crispier the better.
I have been roasting cauliflower for years, but have never put it together with the chickpeas and dressing. That was a nice change of pace. What I didn’t care for was the taste of parsley in the dish. I think it may be better with the parsley cooked, or maybe substitute cilantro. The recipe also made way too much dressing for the dish, so I am trying to find other ways to use it up. I preferred it warm. I think kale would be a nice addition.
I recently went vegetarian and this is the first veggie recipe I’ve found and I have got to say…. WOW. This recipe made me feel relieved to know that life without meat won’t be so hard after-all. The way all the flavors come together is absolutely incredible.
This was unbelievably good! I could eat this every day.
On our bi weekly rotation with a bit of salmon or tofu for extra protein. Wouldn’t change a thing!
Absolutely love this recipe. It’s herby, slightly spicy, and delicious. We serve it warm and use it to stuff sweet potatoes for a filling, comforting, and healthy vegetarian meal.
Just another thumbs up for the tahini dressing. The cauliflower mixture was fine, but the chickpeas were little blobs of mediocrity.
Love this! I used a hummus instead of making the dressing and it tasted great! Next time I might make it with some rice or another healthy starch as a base. Yum!
Did you use fresh lemon juice? If I use lemon juice concentrate should I decrease the amount?
I did not use fresh lemon juice, but it was not concentrate either. It was bottled juice (made from concentrate but already diluted). If using a concentrate, just check the package for the recommended dilution before adding it to the recipe.
What would be a good substitute for chickpeas? I’ve made this recipe many times and it’s a favorite, but now I can’t have chickpeas!
Lately I’ve been seeing people roast cannellini beans and butter beans in the oven and they turn out more firm, so I bet you could do that with the cauliflower as a substitute for the chickpeas!
This is one of the most delicious things I have eaten this year!! Thank you 😊
This has been quite delicious! I have been reheating the cauliflower and chick peas in my toaster oven before chopping up a bed of spinach. I have some cherry tomatoes and sliced those up and tossed them in cold with the rest. I love that the dressing doesn’t separate after you whip it up. My eight year old was digging the chick peas, I’ll have to make extra for her next time!
Great Recipe! I’m eating the heck out of it right now. I threw some chicken breast on it and it’s a filling and hearty warm dinner salad. Love the lemon tahini dressing.
I liked the chickpeas,but was disappointed with the rest of the salad.
Delicious! I didn’t have fresh parsley on hand, so I added a couple teaspoons of dried parsley to the cauliflower before I roasted it. I slightly increased the amount of dressing and tossed it all with about 3 cups of chopped, fresh beet greens that we had from the beets we got at the farmers market. I could eat this every day!
I love this! So healthy and really easy. I will definitely make the dressing to use on salads and other things. Thank you. I will DEFINITELY keep this in the rotation.
How long will this keep for?
About 3 days in the fridge. xoxo -Monti
Delicious salad. Very quick, easy, healthy, and filling. The textures and flavors are great.
I was seriously doubting the ingredients of this salad and I had to stop myself from adding or substituting from the ingredients, since I don’t like parsley, cauliflower or chickpeas that much, but BOY did I have trust the process!
This salad is magnificent! I ate it as a whole meal and it was scrummy and satisfying.
My only tip is to roast the onions, but cut them into larger chunks.
Adds sweetness and more perfection to the salad.
I was shocked how tasty this was! My husband and I absolutely loved it and it’s so healthy but tastes great. Perfect for lunch too!
Phenomenal. I’m not a big salad person but I went for this one and it was amazing. I added quinoa for some extra whole grains and it was perfect.
So delicious and super easy. My partner who is not a fan of vegetables or salads loves this. I serve it on the side of tuna patties or a chicken schnitzel.
I think next time I make it I’m going to roast the chickpeas in the oven to try and get them extra crispy.
I love this and every time I make it my husband says why don’t you make this more often. Ha. Even my 3 year old likes it. I’ll add roasted radish for some color. Very flavorful and healthy.
This is really good, especially the dressing! It makes great cold leftovers, even for someone who normally hates cold salads (I’m weird, I know). I will say that we found the parsley to be unpleasant and overbearing as a base, but if you substitute in another green (arugula was our favorite) then the dish is excellent.
Best cauliflower recipe I’ve ever tried. Thanks for the great step-by-step photos. Delicious!
Delicious! Used kale instead of parsley and massaged a bit of dressing into it before adding other ingredients, also cooked chickpeas in air fryer instead of skillet. Seasonings we’re perfect, a little kick but nothing too much and wonderfully complemented each other. Will definitely make again!
Great weeknight recipe, healthy and delicious!
I made this yesterday and it was so good! I added some quinoa to add more calories to make up a meal. The dressing was so good, I’ll make twice as much next time , I think
This was delicious! I also added some pomegranate seeds, highly recommend for a little pop of color and flavor
Hi, Does the type of onion matter that much ? Whether I use red, yellow, or vidalia, is it an issue of taste or aesthetics? I prefer to use red, but today I have vidalia. Thanks!
Use what you have! Vidalia is a sweeter onion, but won’t affect results too much. XOXO -Monti
I’ve made this so many times and it’s always amazing! I like to toast the chickpeas in the oven with the veg (in another sheet pan so things aren’t overcrowded.) I also love switching up the herbs in this recipe, mint and cilantro are my favorites. This plus salad greens and your protein of choice makes a delicious and healthy lunch meal prep!
I made this recipe for several times and it was so delicious! Roasted cauliflower and the tahini dressing is a wonderful combo! Light but satiated!
Outrageously good!! I didn’t have red onion, didn’t make any substitution. And I used cilantro rather than parsley. This is the kind of recipe that I’m in danger of overeating!!
Easy to make & a lovely meal
I made this as meal prep for a few lunches this week, and it was so so good! An easy recipe to make ahead of time and so full of delicious flavors, as per usual. Beth never disappoints! Thanks again for another healthy and delicious recipe!
I have made this several times and it is such a great quick and healthy meal. I usually put it on a bed of arugula. Having a Mandela effect happen right now though as I SWEAR there were scallions in this recipe. I’ve always included them. But right now making my shopping list, I guess I just added that part myself! They work! I usually prepare them with the chickpeas.
Haha, nope! There weren’t ever any green onions in this one, but sounds like they’d be great in there! :)
I dont normally review recipes. I’m now on the 6th time making this and feel the need to review how amazing this dish is.
Another AMAZING recipe from Beth. We are such Budget Bytes fans in our household! This was so so delicious and really easy to make. Love that it’s gf and vegan as it is. We added some feta mixed in and tomato & cucumber at the end. Perfection!
Could I use this for meal prep? Like make it all one night and then have it for lunch all week?
Yep :)
This was a lovely salad that I will definitely make again. A good one for when I have vegan guests, too!
Love this recipe! I have been making it regularly for a while. It is so flavourful and hearty that I treat it like a main course. We have it warm for dinner, and if there are any leftovers, cold for lunch the next day – yum!
Love the combination of ingredients, dressing is great as well. I made my own and will use it on other salads. Added quinoa to bulk it up and it’s delicious. Yum
Congratulations👌😋
DELICIOUS ‼️👍
Wow! Your recipes are fantastic, each and every one of them. I cook for my sister as she needs a special diet and has her hands full with a young child, and everything I have made for her using your guidance has been loved and devoured in full. No leftovers.
My husband and I have benefited from your recipes too! Very healthy. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!
Made this last night and finished the leftovers today! Very delicious and hearty.
This was really good. I may have added a little more lemon juice. But other than that it was very tasty
This was SO good and easy! I have since made it with roasted broccoli instead of cauliflower – the crispy edges are delicious with the tahini dressing. I’ve also added crumbled feta, which was a great addition.
Could you freeze this?
I don’t think this one would be a good candidate for freezing.
This was sooo good! Definitely in the regular rotation. Thanks.
This was so delicious! I added toasted almonds and sliced carrots!
I am obsessed with this recipe and cannot get enough of it!!! It is so easy to throw together and tastes great on its own -or lately I have been using it as a baked potato topping. An instant favorite in our house.
So good!! I added some maple syrup to the dressing and a few handfuls of spinach to the salad. This salad has become a firm favourite.
I could not find tahini in either of my local grocery stores (small town problems) could it sub sesame oil in its place?
No, unfortunately you need tahini for this one to thicken the dressing. Tahini also tastes different than sesame oil, despite them both being made from sesame.
In many grocery stores it is in the Jewish food section, if there is one. Look for it near the Hispanic or Asian section, or see if you can find a Jewish grocery store.
Could also use peanut butter in a pinch.
This salad is so good!! I don’t like Tahini so I used a couple of spoons of hummus. If it’s too think I add a little water. Does the trick. I make my own hummus (without tahini :).
I have made this meal as is and in different variations at least 30 times. It is excellent. The lemon tahini dressing is absolutely to die for. Bravo! Oh and I’ve shared it an embarrassing number of times. It’s amazing.
Tasted great but I thought the tahini sauce was too thick and made the dish quite dry.
Wonder if the use of cups as a measure is confusing (is for me) and partly responsible.
Just made it tonight, it was the bomb dot com!
A big hit for the family. I will definitely be making it again. I added pomegranate arils to it which was amazing too. The dressing was so delicious, could use it for a lot of things. Thank you so much!! Joce :)
So delicious! I made some whole-wheat couscous to go with it. My non-vegetarian husband approved!
I love this recipe soo soo much.
I substituted cilantro for the parsley and lime for the lemon, because that’s what I had. It was soo good. I don’t like my salads with too much dressing, so next time I will probably half the dressing amount. I had leftovers the next day with half a can of tuna and I liked it so much I just had the rest of it for breakfast.
If you are keeping leftovers, I recommend preserving some of the dressing to top it off the next day. Thank you, Beth!
Soooo tasty! We added in some spinach and a bit of onion powder to the chickpeas, and oh my gosh…salad heaven. I already can’t wait to have this again!
This was fantastic! I did sub cilantro for parsley, because I don’t love parsley. But this was so good. I added some quinoa and spinach to make it into a vegan bowl meal for dinner. (My cauliflower was super small so it wasn’t quite enough food).
A++++! My non-vegetarian fiance really enjoyed this. The dressing was a little stronger than I expected and fiance commented the cauliflower itself could use a little more spices, so I might adjust the ratios there next time. Total winner, though.
This was amazing! Perfect flavor combination. I’m obsessed with this Mighty Sesame tahini that comes in a squeeze tube, and I used it in this. I kind of want to make this for a crowd, it’s that good.
This was AMAZING. I made it for dinner tonight and it was popular with the whole family, including my almost 2-yo. My 4yo said “you should make this every night!”. I served with quinoa, and a combo of baby spinach and parsley. Can’t wait to make this again.
Having an over abundance of Cauliflower, I tried this recipe. I didn’t have tahini, so used sun butter. It was AMAZING. So flavorful. I had 3 helpings. Sadly there isn’t much left for lunch tomorrow. I guess I’ll have to make it again soon.
Delicious and healthy!
Great side dish, thank you!
Arab-American here. WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THIS!!! Wonderful, brilliant frankly! Roasted cauliflower with taratoor (tahini plus lemon plus garlic plus water) is a staple for fish, cauliflower, falafel. Bravo for making this into a salad with the chickpeas.
Delicious! Thank you 🙂
This salad is fantastic! I always avoided parsley, but this time, I enjoyed it and I will make this salad part of my salad routine. I am eating less meat and more salad and this makes it so easy. Thanks so much for this one!!!
This was amazing! I was never a cauliflower fan, but often receive some purple cauliflower in my CSA box, so was looking for a recipe. I did not have tahini, so instead added a splash of sesame oil to the lemon juice & spices (omitting the water), and it was delicious. Will make this again for sure.
Update: I made this again with the tahini, but liked it better with the sesame oil! Still yummy.
Cut back on the garlic, so you can taste the tahini and lemon…. be careful… otherwise delicious
This is my go-to party salad – unexpected, healthy, so yummy, and can be served at room temp. I have a sharable file for the dressing ingredients (with a link to the recipe) because other guests will ask for it. Come prepared!
Great flavors!
I doubled the dressing, doubled the garbanzo bean portion and added pearl couscous to give it a little more substance for a standalone meal. Will definitely be making this again, thank you for another great recipe!
I made this today for the 4th time and it’s delicious! Last time I made it, instead of using home made tahini, I tried Trader Joe’s tahini, and it was terrible! Home made tahini is the key! Thanks again for this delicious recipe!
Hey Marilee, I work for Trader Joe’s and depending on your region, the tahini is just sesame paste, not a sauce or dressing. I am familiar with the the tahini sauce we used to have in southern California and agree that the recipe here is far better!
Everyone loved it. All the components worked so beautifully together, it looks pretty on the plate and it’s easy and affordable to make. The dressing will definitely be made for all sorts of things as well as when I make this again.
Hi, love this recipe greatly and will make it one of our staple meals! We’re calorie counting though. Do you have the list of calories and nutrients i.e how many grams of protein, carbohydrates, fat, saturated fat, milligrams of sodium for each serve. And lastly how many grams is one serve? This is for 4 servings so I guess the full weight divided by 4. Thank you so much for your time. This will just help greatly with counting the Caroline’s and helping us to lose weight and become fitter l!
We only recently brought on a Registered Dietician to our team. She’s working hard behind the scenes to update the entire recipe database, over 1500+ recipes, with nutritional information. She’s working her way from the newest recipes back and it takes some time to update them all. Stay tuned!
I had a great chuckle over the phase, ‘counting the Carolines’. (It made me wonder too if this new dietician will have that name!)
Fabulous, and that dressing is gold. Used about half for the recipe and the other half is being used all week. Drizzled on avocado toast, cucumber/carrot/tomato salad, dipped baby carrots in it, drizzled on sweet potato cakes, and plan on drizzling it over just about everything I can find to eat!
This recipe is INCREDIBLE and easy to make! The dressing tastes like hummus! And with all those flavors mixed together? Just wow. Definitely one of my favorites now.
I made this salad tonight and I have since let all my friends and family know it is one worth trying. I love everything about it. I made two substitutions because that is what I had on hand…yellow onion instead of red onion. Also, I had no parsley and so made it more of a salad with romaine. It is excellent! I am going to take it to work for lunch tomorrow. I’ll add some roasted sweet potatoes and dried cranberries. I can’t wait…
I LOVED this recipe! The tahini sauce was amazing. To be honest I just used a generic Adobe seasoning salt and olive oil to roast the veggies and chick peas but followed the recipe for the tahini sauce and it was great. I’ve had it alone but it’s really great served on top of farro or with chicken too.
This salad is DIVINE!! And I only use that word when a meal truly deserves it. I also rarely comment on recipes but I had to. You are missing out if you don’t try this salad. The flavor combination is mind blowing.
Thank you Jasmin!!
New subscriber here. OMG! This is seriously the best salad that I’ve ever eaten and I hate garbanzo beans – until now, that is! Thanks, for sharing!
WAHOO! This was in my weekly rotation all summer! Happy to hear you like it too Merrilee.
The salad was easy to make and the taste testing went well. The dressing is in the refrigerator chilling, and I’ll be serving this with dinner in a few hours. Looking forward to eating it with the lemon tahini dressing!
Happy to hear it Michelle!
Just made this last night. Delicious! Lemon tahini is confirmed as my favourite salad dressing right now.
Hooray! Happy to hear it James!
JEFF
I love Budget Bytes! I never have to worry about making healthy family meals with the information and recipes that I find here. Roasted cauliflower is one of my favorites. This dish came together perfectly and I have found that this information here https://bit.ly/2ORCzKy along with a healthy diet has helped me lose weight and keep it off! I hope along with Budget Bytes , the information above will help other people!
P.S. I served this dish with lemon pepper grilled salmon! WOW!
I love that you added cost, so affordable.
Thanks Autumn!
Love love love this recipe. I did make small adjustments….I didn’t have onion on hand so had to omit (but will add in future)..and I roasted the chickpeas with the cauliflower and both came out great. I tossed with “massaged” curly kale that was dressed in olive oil, fresh lemon juice and salt..then topped with the tahini dressing. It was incredible. I cannot wait to add pomegranate seeds to the next batch. This is now a new favorite! Thank you :)
Happy to hear it Theresa!
For crispy chickpeas, should I leave the shell on or pop the chickpeas out before tossing them in the skillet?
You could do either way honestly it’s your preference.
This recipe is great, I’ve come back to it many times with small changes or different applications. I add a handful of golden raisins for a bit of sweetness. I also like to spread this on premade naan or flatbread with some feta for a quick pizza. Also great on a bed of rice or arugula for a filling lunch or dinner. Sometimes I leave out the chickpeas (I just eat them so often as a vegetarian) and the recipe still works great.
Love, love this recipe!
so, so tasty!
Could you use frozen cauliflower florets for this recipe? Thanks!
Yes, that would probably work well! You may need to adjust the roasting time for the cauliflower, but since I haven’t tested it, I’m not sure how long it will need. Just keep an eye on it, stir it a couple times throughout, and take it out when it’s a little browned on the edges. :)
Great recipe- Cauliflower, chickpea, parsley, and lemon, combined with smoky flavor and tahini dressing is a fabulous combination. The only thing I adjusted, and reflects my taste buds and not a recipe problem, is reduced garlic to one clove, added shredded carrot at the end for a finished crunch, and served on a bed of arugula with an extra squeeze of lemon. I actually served mine with tuna steak and was delicious, but I live with vegetarians and could be served as a stand-alone veggie dish.
I’ve been a fan of Budget Bytes forever, so when a friend brought this dish to a potluck dinner party and told me where she found the recipe, I was so excited to go home and make this myself knowing it would be easy to put together (like all Budget Bytes recipes)! Since having it at the dinner party, I’ve made this recipe over 10 times. If you’re looking for something healthy and delicious, definitely put this in your rotation. Low work for high reward!
Can anyone give me a calorie count on cauliflower salad
I roast whatever veggies I have on hand, do the chick peas and the dressing as per the recipe. I then add all that to a bowl of cooked cooled pasta. Viola a pasta salad. I love the taste of the dressing. Delicious recipe. Thanks so much.
I’ve made this recipe three or four times now and it’s always so filling and delicious. This time I added a 1/2 c dry farro cooked in vegetable broth to the salad to bulk it up and it was absolutely delicious! I’ve got to find more uses for the tahini dressing because I absolutely love it.
Cauliflower is amazing and roasted brings the cauliflower to the next level. Love this bowl with all the ingredients.
Very fussy recently turned vegetarian loved it and sodid the rest of the family. I love love love the dressing – any other suggestions on what to pair the dressing with. I read the recipe incorrectly and made double the amount of dressing so would love any suggestions
This recipe is fabulous! I did half parsley and half mint for the greens and it was great. Added some honey to the dressing. Next time I would add golden raisins to balance the spice with some sweetness!
I can’t get over how good this recipe is!! Did not expect that much flavor from some cauliflower and chickpeas, but that dressing…so delicious! It was super filling too. I will definitely be making this again!
D E L I C I O U S !!! Will definitely be making this again. The tahini dressing just brings it all together.
This sounds absolutely delicious but unless I am missing something, I cannot find out how many calories it contains unless I actually weigh and add everything up myself. Anyone know?
She doesn’t post the calories/macros.
This salad is simply, easy, filling, and best of all DELICIOUS! Thanks for sharing. I just made this for the first time but it will definitely be a week night staple from now on!
Love this salad! Thank you!!
Delicious salad which I will continue making even when the weather does warm up!
I have to say how very Israeli this salad is! We love and use all of these things here, and Israelis are sort of obsessed with parsley (petrozelia); it’s everywhere! And it’s funny that someone even suggested sprinkling pomegranate-arguably the most Israeli fruit ever- on top. Looking forward to making it.
Oh awesome!! Sounds like I need to learn more about Israeli food. I think I would like it a lot!
OMG I AM OBSESSED!!! So so tasty! I did parsley/baby spinach combo for the greens. I’m honestly not a huge fan of cauliflower but I I could eat this all day long.
This was YUMMMMMMMM! I’d saved the recipe a while back and finally tried it last night and I think I’ll be making this regularly till the cold weather subsides! The flavor combination is *fantastic*. That hit of smoke from the chickpeas is a delight. I’m not sure I’d bother trying a different green… I found the parsley the perfect fit both for its flavor as well as its sturdiness (holds up for leftovers).
Ate it again for lunch today, cold right out of the fridge, and it’s even delicious like that. One thing I might try next time to contrast the delicious unctuousness of this dish (and for the pop of color), is to sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top to finish. This recipe is a winner! Thank you Beth!
I have made this many times and it’s delicious!! I love your blog, Beth!!
Unfortunately this recipe didn’t turn out well for me. Next time I will cut up the cauliflower a little larger so that it doesn’t soak up so much dressing. It was sort of bitter though, any idea where I could have went wrong?
Tahini itself is slightly bitter, so it might be that you’re just more sensitive to bitter flavors than I am? That’s my best guess. Sometimes a little sugar can help dampen bitterness, so you might try adding a pinch or two of sugar, honey, or maple syrup to the dressing.
The parsley may have given it the bitter flavor? Mine turned out delicious, but I decided I’d sub spinach next time because the parsley was just a little too much for me. But our whole family LOVED it overall!
This is one of my favorite go to vegan meals. Thank you for sharing it!
I love cauliflower, so I decided to try it. It was just delicious! Thanks for the recipe Beth.
This was DELICIOUS!!! Do you know the calories?
No, I’mm sorry, I don’t have the nutritional information.
So delicious! I roasted some potatoes along with onions & cauliflower to bulk up recipe. This is a definite keeper!! Thank you!
Excellence dish! Hearty enough to feed to a meat eater. I added carrots to the cauliflower and it worked. In my opinion, the recipe makes more dressing than necessary. I’m happy for the leftover dressing! Next time I might add some shredded kale.
Absolutely fantastic Beth! With Xmas just around the corner, this recipe is going to be amazing for catch-ups with friends and family… Merry Xmas from downunder!
This is delicious! Adding roasted vegetables is my favorite thing to add to salads! And that tahini dressing is out of this world! I remember you had a recipe for a Tahini Kale Salad, but I can’t seem to find it on your website anymore? I think the tahini dressing was slightly different than this one, and I LOVED that one as well!
I just emailed that recipe to you. :)
Can you email me the recipe as well? LOL
Thanks!
Sent! :)
I made this with a spinach/arugula mix for a nice peppery bite and it came out great. Good recipe, and great site.
I am eating this right now and it’s great!! I put it on some romaine lettuce and kale to make it more salad-y :)
A+++, Beth! Have made this twice now!
Crowd pleaser! Great easy fall dish. I’ve made it with kale and with Italian parsley; i prefer the parsley as it adds a certain brightness. I added a tbsn or so of maple syrup to dressing. Dressing is even better if you make it a day ahead. Thanks for the recipe!
My husband and I are are trying to eat less meat at home so we tried this recipe this week. It was one of the best things I’ve cooked in a LONG time. It’s already on the meal plan for next week. I’d give it 15 stars if I could.
Loved this recipe : ) I never stick 100% to a recipe though and added 1/2 a cubed and roasted pumpkin – which was delicious!!
Is there any substitute that I can use for the parsley that isn’t kale or spinach? Boyfriend doesn’t like either. Or what if I just eliminate the parsley altogether?
You could always just do this like a traditional salad on a bed of crunchy Romaine, if you prefer. :)
LOVE this salad!! Im wondering — the recipe states 4 servings, but how much is an actual serving? 1 cup? Trying to determine calorie count, etc (which I know isn’t published here!) Thanks!
The volume of each serving can vary quite a bit depending on how you cut the cauliflower, so I don’t have an exact measurement.
What could i use in place of chickpeas? My guys don’t like chickpeas.
I’m not sure there is an appropriate substitute for the chickpeas in this recipe. I think regular beans would be too soft, and something like cashews would be too hard. If I think of anything else that might work, I’ll let you know, but off the top of my head I can’t think of a good substitute.
Wow!! Just made this salad and it was amazing! Thanks for sharing!!
Looks great and I’m going to make it today. Would it be as good for tomorrow?
Thanks
I enjoyed the leftovers of this salad very much. :)
This was soooo good. Thank you so much for a great recipe!
This salad is so good:)
Great taste! Added quinoa as a filler, to which I added about 4 cups of baby spinach while still hot. A big hit!
this salad was the bomb.com! really unexpected, delicious flavor.
I love this recipe! I made it with one garlic clove and it was so good. Greats for lunches, with salad, or without. Kids loved it too.
I made this recipe, and it was super good! I was skeptical of how much lemon was in the dressing (the juice of 2 whole lemons) and how much parsley there was in the recipe, but it turned out really excellent. When I make this in the future, I’ll probably make the following modifications:
– Add the whole onion instead of half. The onion shrinks down a lot when it cooks, and I don’t like storing ingredients.
– Add the whole bunch of parsley instead of half. Mix it in with the hot roasted cauliflower so it wilts a little bit.
It’s super tasty with some soft boiled eggs!
Cannot find tahini please let me know a substitute
Unfortunately you really need to use tahini for this recipe. I usually find it in a few different places in the grocery store: either by the peanut butter, near the mediterranean ingredients, or the health food or organic section.
I loved this way more than I thought I would. It was really good- maybe I’ll add some pine nuts or pumpkin seeds but honestly very delicious!
I love the recipe but how many calories per serving?
~829 by my calculation!
Sorry about ~610 actually, my Tahini calorie count was off
Hi, the picture of the recipe appears to have maybe another green in addition to the parsley? If only parsley, have you tried it with some lightly blanch kale? Thank you!
It’s just parsley in the photo. :) I think kale would be an awesome filler for this salad!
I am excited to make this salad but I do not have a blender. Is having a blender imperative to making the sauce or could I use another method?
You could probably finely mince the garlic by hand and then whisk the ingredients together in a bowl. :)
I made this for the first time last night, and it was AMAZING!! Shared the recipe with several friends. Such a great flavor combo, and I cant wait to make it again. 5 stars!
I think I would have preferred a more traditional oil based dressing, so I’m going to experiment with that next time, but otherwise this salad was delicious. I served the chick peas and cauliflower on a bed of spinach and kale and it was great. Would’ve been even better wrapped up in a pita.
I’ve made recipes from this site that I did not like too much, but this was simply delicious. It took me a considerable amount of time to make, though. About an hour.
I have lost count of how many times I have made this recipe. It is amazingly tasty and flexible. Currently, I am trying to use up the food in my fridge or pantry prior to moving and I don’t have tahini so instead I substituted 2/3 cup of plain yoghurt and omitted the water. Still an incredible recipe. It always takes me longer to roast the cauliflower but I probably over load my pan and have a small oven.
Is there a Nutritional guideline?
very nice salad i like it
I made this last night, and the salad itself was SO delicious! My family personally thought the dressing was too bitter/acidic, but I’m really happy to read the comments that others loved I’m looking forward to making the salad again. Actually, I thought about it all day and wished I had bought more of everything so we could do a repeat.
I made this for lunches this week and have been loving it!!! That dressing is phenomenal.. what wouldn’t I eat it with? !!!
I’ve been eating both cold and warm. Think I like slightly warmed best! THank you!
These recipes are a blessing, thank you for sharing. Your selections are absolutely delicious.
This was sooo good!! Thank you thank you 😋😋
Hi,
Thanks a lot for the recipe, would you mind elaborating how much cauliflower and onion to use? Your recipe says one head of cauliflower and half an onion but my grocery store has a variety of very different sizes and I am not sure how much to use.
Thanks
Ashok
It’s ver flexible, so you can just pick out an average sized cauliflower and onion from what is available. :)
Could you provide the nutrition facts for this recipe? It looks delicious!
Can I ask if you put the dressing on before you refrigerate if you’re serving the salad cold? Wasn’t sure if it would make it a little soggy?
I would keep it separate, not only to prevent things from getting soggy, but from the dressing soaking in and leaving everything kind of dry.
Made this for dinner last night and WOW! Excellent! With your permission, I’d like to share this recipe on my blog, linking back here to you, of course.
Hi Tracy, I just ask that you do not share the entire recipe on your blog. You can provide a preview and a link back for readers to get the entire recipe, but please do not place the entire recipe on your site. Thank you for asking! :)
Made it. Loved it. I jacked up the dressing with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a pinch of curry. Awesome.
Can this dish be frozen after the ingredients have been cooked and combined?
I don’t think this one will work well frozen, unfortunately.
This was fantastic! The dressing alone is worth the price of admission. I made this almost to the recipe. I forgot to get a red onion, so used the yellow one I had. After roasting with the cauliflower, it was still very tasty. Also added some crumbled feta at the end – yum. Next time I try, I might add toasted pine nuts. Very good and very filling. Definitely adding to the rotation. :)
I’m always looking for a recipe that can accommodate others dietary restrictions but are still enjoyable for everyone. This is exactly that, I love the play on textures between the cauliflower and chickpeas. The parsley gives it a fresh and bright punch. The dressing is tangy but creamy. I make it exactly as the recipe calls, which is a rarity. This is a keeper!
This looks amazing! Is there a dressing alternative you have tried with this or would suggest for someone who is allergic to tree nuts and cannot have tahini?
I think a creamy caesar would also be pretty good, or even some sort of green goddess dressing? I don’t have recipes for these, but those are flavor combos that might be good.
This recipe was awesome… The cauliflower gives the salad a “meaty” texture while the tahini is super savory and nutty. I added a little arugula for a spicy bite (and to stretch it for leftovers through the week). I would definitely recommend!
Damn! Just made this recipe and it is delish! Highly recommended, thanks again for a great result :)
I’ve never had a fail on any of the recipes I have tried on here (Miracle Mac & Cheese, Black Bean Quesadillas, Thai Peanut Chicken). Another one I can add to my regular rotation.
Eating this as I type!
Fantastic recipe! I doubled (okay, maybe tripled) the spices called for. I haven’t been this satisfied with a salad in a while.
I might add bacon next time just for a little extra treat but this salad is perfect on its own!
Had this for dinner tonight and loved it. I was totally prepared to be all, “ho hum, vegetables,” but it was really good, especially with the dressing!
This is one of the best vegetable-based dishes I’ve ever made. It was absolutely delicious. My husband (who dislikes cauliflower) even said he really liked it! Thank you for sharing it!
People think I’m crazy when I say salads are my favorite foods… until I show them recipes like this one!! :D
This was so delicious! Only difference was tahini had red chili’s in it so I omitted cayenne from. Dressing.
Delicious ! Served it in a warm pita with a bit of chopped tomato
This recipe is fantastic, my partner and I loved it. This will go on my regular meal to cook file.
Yum yum in my big fat tum
I just made this and it was amazing! I added in some sautéed kale and it was perfect. I may add some quinoa next time, but the recipe is delicious!
I made this last night and it was so good! I like all the flavors going on. Instead of parsley, I sauteed kale with garlic. I also served it over couscous to make it more hearty. The tahini sauce was perfect drizzled over the top. I also love that it was Vegan so I didn’t have to alter any ingredients. Keep the plant based recipes coming!
Amazing! My husband (meat and potatoes guy) says this is the best thing I’ve ever made. And I make some good food if I do say so myself! I add an extra can of chickpeas and roast in oven, and a little extra onion never hurt anyone. Same amount of dressing. No parsley the first time and served over mixed greens, but using parsley in on future batches.
This was GREAT. A couple add-ons/notes:
– I added a soft-boiled egg on top for extra protein.
– The dressing comes together really easily with just a whisk (I don’t have a blender).
– Whenever I buy a bunch of parsley, I chop whatever’s leftover and freeze it in a plastic bag. My thawed parsley tasted great in this recipe :)
Wow, good to know about the parsley!!
I was shocked at how delicious this was! We aren’t vegans but we made this exactly as it says as a side dish and my 9 year old and I decided it was so good that it was going to be our main course. Very very good hearty delicious recipe. Will be a staple in our house! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for this scrumptious recipe!!!! What is the shelf life on the dressing? I make meals just for myself so I don’t want to waste anything if I can help it. Thank you again
I would say about a week because of the raw garlic. If you were to use garlic powder instead (I do that sometimes when raw garlic is too strong for my stomach), it will probably last a bit longer.
Thank you for another great vegan recipe Beth! I’ve been eating this a lot as cauliflower has been on sale quite frequently lately! I love how easily this is to make and the leftovers are great for lunch!
Yum!! I doubled the dressing for good measure. I loved this and shared with all my vegan/healthy eating friends. Thank you! I will be making it again. Even my 6 year old scarfed it down. I will be making this again.
I made this salad last night and it was very tasty and also hearty. I used chopped up lettuce instead of parsley. I had to roast my cauliflower a little longer and at a higher temperature than called for in the recipe so that the cauliflower would get softer and start browning. I was going to have it with some sort of protein but it was so hearty, I just had that for dinner. I will make it again! Yum!!
Unbelievably good – I agree with others. Didn’t change a thing and loved it. Especially the delicious, healthy dressing. I literally accidentally made a vegan, gluten free dinner and it was HUGE hit. I’ve since made the smoky chickpeas twice, and the dressing for another salad altogether. My problem is that I don’t typically have fresh parsley.
Do you have the calorie count for a saving of this? Thanks!
Beth doesn’t do calorie counts because she hasn’t found a good tool for it and doesn’t want to falsely advertise the nutritional info of her recipes. However, I often create the recipes in the recipe tool in MyFitnessPal and break it into servings, which gives me a pretty good estimate of what I’m eating. I haven’t done so yet for this recipe or would tell you what I found. Hope that that app/site works for you.
My god this recipe is so good! Way better than I expected from just the ingredients. And fast too!
I added a fried egg on my leftovers for breakfast and it really worked with it, too.
Is this salad good leftover?
I love the leftovers. :)
This was a delicious way to get some veggies after the holidays! I mixed in some baby spinach to give it more green and some bulk, and I really liked that addition. I also roasted the chickpeas on a separate sheet for the final 15 mins of the cauliflower roasting time, and it worked great. I love the spice mix on the chickpeas – I might just make them separately for snacks. I didn’t use all the dressing (it makes a lot!), but now I can taste-test the extra dressing with other veggies. Also, learn from my minor mistake – don’t cut the cauliflower florets super small. I thought small florets = more surface area for yummy brown bits, but the smaller florets disintegrate really easily when you mix the salad after roasting. It still tasted great, it just wasn’t as photogenic.
Tasty salad. I added kale and red cabbage as a base with the parsley and then topped with the cauliflower/onions and dressing. I will definitely make this again!
This recipe is unbelievably good and very easy to make. This is my new comfort food.
Made this tonight! WINNER! I added carrots to roast because I didn’t have much cauliflower. Delicious, even a hit with carnivorous hubby.
This recipe was amazing! I love salads but have a harder time with them in the winter. This is the perfect salad for anytime of year, but especially nice for the colder months. I couldn’t believe how well all the flavors and textures melded together. Another great recipe! Thank you for doing what you do!
Delicious! I think I prefer it warm vs. cold, though. And I had no tahini, so I used almond butter and 1/2 an avocado!
I feel like this post is completely disingenuous by not mentioning the prep needed for the tahini. I had no idea what I was getting into and spent over 20 minutes of my cooking process trying to mix it into a paste. I don’t understand how you could go into so much detail and then fail to mention this crucial detail.
There’s always that one person.
I don’t think that’s usual for tahini. I’ve never spent more than about 3 minutes stirring tahini, and once it’s stirred it will stay stirred if you keep the tahini in the refrigerator, so this is a once time task and doesn’t need to be performed every time you make this recipe.
This recipe is amazing! I cannot recommend it enough.
My expectations were high after reading the reviews and it didn’t disappoint. I’m glad you listed this recipe in your best of 2017 post because I’m not sure I would’ve tried it otherwise. It’s funny with the dressing…when I tasted it alone, the tahini taste was strong and I was sure it would be too overpowering. Yet it was wonderful once on the salad. And it’s follong enough to be a main dish!
What is the nutritional content
You can use a resource like myfitnesspal to determine the nutritional content of any recipe :)
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe! Even my meat loving husband and sister in law thought it was incredible. It took some time to make it the first time, but after two times, it’s bevome a breeze.
I love your site and am making the lentil black bean soup as we speak.
Thank you so much !!!
Wow! This was SO good! Even my husband and toddler liked this. I added a tad bit of stevia to the dressing and I didn’t add parsley because I don’t like it. So satisfying! Thanks!
What kind of parsley do you use for this?
I use flat-leaf or Italian parsley.
Made this for lunch today and it was soooo yummy! I substituted spinach for the parsley (because it needed to be eaten soon) and it was right up my alley! Thanks!
What is the nutritional info, please.
You can use a resource like myfitnesspal to determine the nutritional content of any recipe :)
Oh my god, this recipe BLEW ME AWAY. Dear god it was amazing!!!! Keeping it forever, literally made it twice in two weeks, ate it as many meals as possible last week, and now stocking Tahini/all the ingredients for life.
Can’t believe this is vegan and gluten free, I’m neither but am now making this all the time.
THANK YOU!!!
Thank you, Beth! Another recipe to add to our rotation. I can’t believe how sweet the cauliflower and onions got when roasted (I also broiled for a few mins). I also cooked the chickpeas for closer to 15-20 minutes before they got a little crispy. It’s a few steps and takes a bit of time but oh, so worth it! I’d like to make it again soon as it’s gone too quickly, but cauliflower here is $4 a head right now. :(
Thanks for a great recipe! Any reason you couldn’t roast the chickpeas on the same pan with the cauliflower and the onions? Say, for the last 15 minutes?
Probably! I find oven roasted chickpeas have a drier texture than these skillet chickpeas, though.
Delicious!
OMG, this salad is delicious and very easy to make. Love it.
I’ve made this salad numerous times and it has gone down a treat with my friends and family. To bulk up the salad I have served on a spinach salad base with the addition of some ciabatta and sun-dried tomatoes. I always double the dressing recipe because it’s delicious and great for dunking bread into also. I’m so happy I found this! Thank you!
In which section of the grocery store would I find tahini?
It depends on the store, but here are a few places that I’ve seen it: near the peanut butter, in the natural foods aisles, or in the international foods aisles.
This looks like a delicious lunch, and I’m planning on trying it soon. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find tahini in my local grocery store…any advice for an alternative or have you had success making it before?
I think you definitely need to use tahini for this dressing as substituting it would change the flavor too much. If you have a good food processor you can make your own tahini with sesame seeds and some sesame oil. :) Or check to see if you can order it online.
I tried it with my own tahini, and it’s delicious! What an amazing dressing! You have me addicted to chickpeas. Do you have a favorite kind of tahini paste? I think I’m still going to get some rather than having to make it very time.
Thank you! I’m planning on featuring this recipe on a post entitled “Fire-Free Camping Meals” on my blog: inourpond.com
This salad was absolutely divine! Like previously mentioned by a few, it is definitely not enough for 4. I managed to squeeze about 2 1/2 servings out of it.
Absolutely delicious. The pictures and directions are spot on. I cut up my cauliflower a bit smaller into bite-sized pieces so I didn’t roast quite as long. I served over tossed greens, and sometimes add quinoa to stretch it a bit. I always have some dressing left over which then adds flavor and nutrition to a regular salad. Great job.
This dish rocked! Directions were perfect and the salad was a hit with my guys! I especially loved the dressing and the chewy chickpeas. Thank you!
This is completely delicious, even by the standards of a husband who ‘doesn’t care for cauliflower’. But, and I know you’re petite an’ all that, it’s definitely not four servings… it was perfect for two, with a big piece of salmon on top. :)
Just made this for dinner. Delicious! Added slivered almonds into the pan w/the chickpeas for some crunch. I added a couple handfuls of spinach also. My husband loved it. He said we could eat this once a week. Thumbs up!
This salad was soooo yummy I’m going to start making this all the time! But I would just say it is definitely not 4 stand-along meal servings alone- maybe more like 2, unless you bulk it up with a whoooole bunch of spinach or some grains (lentils worked great!)
Love this recipe!! I don’t care for raw garlic, so I toasted the garlic cloves in the oven til soft and it came out perfect. Made it up over a spinach salad for more greens. Will definitely make it regularly. The dressing is amazing on all sorts of veggies too.
This is a part of my weekly rotation of recipes! Usually I built it as an even bigger salad by throwing it all on a bed of spinach. This mixture of flavors is simple yet perfect! Lemon, tahini, and parsley always blend up as the happiest little family. If you wanna try it out with some different spices omit cayenne/paprika and replacing with turmeric or sumac! mm mm !!!
Awesome suggestion with the change in spices.
Wowww, this salad is SO good! I never comment anything but this is really worth it. Great job with your recipes and website :)
I made it last night. It was incredible. Now I am trying to find anything that I can add your lemon-tahini dressing to! It’s addicting! Thank you!
Here is a time and energy saving tip – just toss the chickpeas with the spices and olive oil and roast in the oven on another sheet pan alongside the veggies. Stir part way through and remove when desired crispness.
Thank you for this recipe, I have made it three times in the last month! All the ingredients are my favorites! I have gotten lazy, though, and I skip sautéing the chickpeas in the spices, and just add those spices to the dressing, and stir in the chickpeas plain. Seems to taste about the same.
I’m single and I have found that if I’m going to be eating a dish like this that I like the leftovers better if I keep the dressing separate and add some to each portion as I eat it. Otherwise, the dressing makes the leftover vegetables too strong. This looks delicious. I had the roasted broccoli recently and am looking forward to trying roasted cauliflower soon.
This was excellent! I had some hummus I needed to use up, so I used that instead of the tahini and water, and reduced the olive oil. Also threw some sliced carrots in with the cauliflower and onions. I liked the shot of color and additional sweetness they added.
Got an _enormous_ head of cauliflower with my CSA share and it’s just DH and I. Found this recipe and it’s just delicious. Even DH liked it and he can be a little picky. GREAT flavors! I’m not sure it will survive to become a cold salad.
I can’t get enough of this. I food prep this just about every week now. I also have some smoked sea salt and use that when it calls for salt and it adds just a little bit of depth of flavor. Thanks for another favorite recipe!
Thanks for the tip about the smoked sea salt. I have some too and think this is a great idea.
This was delicious, I will definitely make it again!!
I want to try it this week but my daughter abhors parsley and cilantro-any other suggestions for a flavorful green? Has anyone tried basil or kale?
If you make it without the greens, it’s basically my lemon tahini dressing which is also amazing!
I made it with Tuscan kale in place of parsley and it was amazing!
AMAZING dish packed of flavor and nutrition. One of my faves. Made 4+ times already and always a hit. I always add WAY more smoked paprika to the chickpeas.
One serious flaw in thiz recipe is…..
Not enough! Seriously it look like loads of stuff but me amd boyfriend destroyed it! Lol
The flavors are fantastic and exciting to eat. Healthy.. but not exactly quick. I made mosy items the night before.
Do yourself a favor amd double the recipie if you want leftovers! It will disappear!
This was super flavorful! I’d probably use one clove of garlic next time instead of two, because the garlic flavor was pretty pungent. FYI, nutrition was not listed for this recipe, but I did my own calculation via My Fitness Pal and it has a great nutritional profile: Assuming 4 servings, it contains: 375 calories; 44g fat; 15g fiber; 20g protein; also high in Potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron!
Any ideas for substitutes for the chickpeas? Looking for a low carb option.
You could always just leave them out.
holy shit this was delicious
Sooo good! Since it’s cheaper and a whole head of cauliflower is waay too much for just me, I used frozen one (didn’t thaw it before roasting it, worked perfectly fine!).
I also used less Tahini in the dressing (it’s too bitter for me otherwise), added minced baby spinach and substituted the red onion, which I didn’t have at hand, with a white one.
Great recipe!
Hi Beth,
I just found this recipe! One of my favorite vegan restaurants has a similar dish that I absolutely love! It is basically this dish (substitute parsley for baby kale and/or spinach) add half tofu / have chickpeas (rest of the recipe is the same – including this AMAZING dressing! They serve it over short grain brown rice. I never thought to make it at home, but now I will!
Also, I have been utilizing your website for many years now. I typically make all our weekly meal plans mostly from recipes on your site! Doing this has allow my partner and I to cut our grocery bill down to about $30 per week while still eating healthy. Speaking of my partner – when we met he was eating microwaved tortillas and cheese or drinking soylent! YUCK! Thanks to your site (especially your fantastic step by step instructions and images) he is able to cook. He even makes me dinner on occasion!
Thanks again for putting together one of the best recipe sites out there! And for continuously adding to it!
– J
Wow!! You don’t know how happy that makes me!! :D $30/week for two is incredible. Great job you two!
Just made this tonight but subbed spinach for the parsley. So, so GOOD! love that it has just the right spicy note. Do you generally use the entire amount of dressing? I found I used 1/2 to 1/3 which means I can make it again with less effort :) Thank you Beth!!!
This is a keeper! I loved the combo of cauliflower, onion and chickpeas with the dressing. I wasn’t a huge fan of the parsley, but my husband liked it. Great flavors! Thanks a bunch! Next time I will add more onions – they are so good!
Hi there!
So just wanted to share some modifications (only as fyi! so feel free to publish or not).
I roasted cauliflower and onions as per recipe, used walla-walla onions (sweeter and less strong), used cinnamon/madras curry powder/paprika to saute chick peas with a bit of olive oil, added cilantro, and pan fried kale with garlic and a bit of olive oil (makes it less chewy to eat).
Dressing lime, shallot minced, salt, and olive oil. Of course, I eyeball all spices (not helpful for people who are trying first time to cook LOL), but I know I give every spice a good shake (probably 2 tsps of each).
And if I had remembered, I would have pan fried a few walnuts and added!! but I forgot ;o(
OMG sooooo yummy.
Enjoy your site sooo much! hope all is well ;o)
Caro
I have made this salad twice a week in the last month and so, it is delicious. Thank you so much for another great recipe!
This was DELISH!!! I added quinoa and made it our main course!! Will be making it again!!
Looks so good, both as a light snack and a nutritious one. Thanks for this.
My only complaint is the that there wasn’t enough! Haha I could have eaten the whole batch just standing at my counter. I didn’t change a thing. Well done, thanks for the recipe! I think I’ll double it next time. :)
How long will this salad dressing remain good?
Probably about 4-5 days.
THX!! Preparing “Greek Week” so your response helps immensely :)
I just simplified by roasting the chickpeas with the cauliflower and onion after I seasoned according to the recipe, delicious!
OMG what ?!!! Seriously !!! This soooooo good. I can’t stop.
I’ve been making your recipes about once a week for while now, but this is hands down the MOST surprisingly delicious dish. I’m trying not to eat it all since this was supposed to go into my lunches. Anyhow, thanks for providing amazingly exquisite and super easy recipes.
cheers
Yet another wonderful Budget Bytes meal! My boyfriend and eat meals based on your recipes at least twice a week and haven’t had a “meh” meal yet! I added diced sweet potato to roast with the cauliflower and served the salad over some barley I had left over from another meal, and both additions paired well with the rest of the recipe ingredients. I’m looking forward to trying this again soon!
I love the sweet potato idea!!
This was amazing! I just shared it with a friend. The cauliflower didn’t brown quite as well as the above pictures but it still tasted great.
This was great! Made it as written, except substituted cilantro for parsley. Enjoyed it for lunch three days last week! Great way to enjoy cauliflower.
I can’t wait to try this… I want to make it ahead for my lunches this week. Do you recommend heating it up or just eating it cold?
It’s great both ways. I ate it slightly warm when it was first made, then the leftovers I ate cold so that the parsley wouldn’t get “cooked” during reheating. :)
I’m eating this right now and it’s so yum! I added some baked boneless skinless chicken thighs (just olive oil, lemon and some Cavender’s Greek seasoning) and a little feta and subbed arugula for parsley. I’ve spent the last couple weeks doing a lot of eating out and take-out and this was just what I needed!
My SO and I are in LOVE with this. I’m literally eating it right now and can’t wait to go back for seconds. We’ve recently stopped eating meat, and even though I crave a burger every now and then I could eat this salad every day and be satisfied.
Can I substitute hummus for tahini? My local small town grocery store doesn’t stock tahini. Looking forward to making this I am sure it will be a hit with the wife and kids.
Love your site.
Thanks.
Hmm, I don’t think hummus will work quite the same as tahini.
This was fantastic! I also made the Mediterranean Farro salad version, and I liked this one even better.
I have one question- in your pictures, the lemon tahini dressing drizzles nicely over the salad. When I served mine (refrigerated, per your instructions), mine was much thicker and tended to be more of a “glob.” Would you recommend heating up the dressing to make it thinner, or adding more liquid at that point? Thanks!
You can let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to thin out, and make sure to give it a good stir. :) If you need, you can add a touch of water. I like to refrigerate mine to thicken it up just a bit, but you’re right, it does get QUITE thick if in the refrigerator for a long time.
Wow!!! This is fantastic, I love the flavors and texture of this. I served it over a spring mix with a good handful of parsley on top. Thank you for your amazing recipes.
Beth, this salad is SO delicious that we’ve now made it twice in 5 days. Added chicken to it once, too – which was perfect. That dressing is crazy good.
Made this. Followed the recipe exactly. Absolutely delicious! I oven roast cauliflower all the time (with garlic and parmesan cheese) but never thought to make it into a salad. Thanks Beth, for a new idea!
Thanks for the lunch inspiration. I’ve enjoyed this all week. One change is I reduced the garlic amount to one clove (as I often do when making hummus) and it was MORE than enough for me. Next time I’ll get my act together to actually include the onion and parsley but it was great with just the basics.
Cilantro report!
Due to meal planning fail on multiple points (PSA: tahini looks truly vile when it’s gone off in the back of the fridge), I ended up using cilantro in place of parsley. It was delicious and complemented the other flavors well. I might just make cilantro standard operating procedure when I make this dish again…and I will. I certainly will.
Fortunately for the dressing, we had some plain hummus in the fridge. It doesn’t taste as tahini-ish as it should, but it still made a complex and delicious dressing. I am already looking forward to lunch tomorrow.
The sad part is that I work at a grocery store and I STILL regularly have to substitute ingredients in recipes because I forgot to bring home garlic salt from work that day or something. Dang it.
This is deeeeelicious! Spicy and warm with just the right hit of lemon and garlic! My family loved it!
Thanks Beth!
This is such a delicious winter salad! Great flavors, the lemon balances the tahini nicely and the smoky flavors of the cauliflower and the paprika in the chickpeas really makes this dish stand out.
This looks awesome! I love roasted cauliflower, and the tahini dressing and chickpeas put it over the top. Will def be making soon!
http://odessadarling.co
5 stars. Absolutely delicious. My changes were small – I used spinach instead of parsley. I had a bag going bad in the fridge and it needed to be used soon. I already had a head of cauli when I read this recipe but since I live in England and get my veg from the farmers market, it was a little on the small size. I didn’t use all the dressing because it seemed like a bit too much.
I just feed a bite to my work colleague and she is raving about it. I’m sitting at my desk eating this in a wrap and doing a yummy dance in my seat.
Keep it up!
This is hands-down the best salad I’ve ever eaten. SO GOOD!
How well does this hold up in the fridge, I like to prep my work lunches. I make a big batch of something and week it all week.
I feel like it holds up pretty well. That cauliflower is pretty sturdy, even after roasting. :)
Thanks! I am going to make this salad this Sunday.
Did it last all week for you?
Made this and did the whole thing in a skillet – cauliflower and onions first then chickpeas. Delicious and quick! Had some leftover tahini sauce from a recipe earlier in the week so this was perfect. Could see it paired with some lamb or chicken on another day.
Pinned! I just need to buy some cauliflower and parsley to make this!
I have a suggestion for a really great way to treat the onions besides roasting … saw the recipe on a REALLY great website. ;-)
https://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/08/pickled-red-onions/
Hahaha thank you :)
Oh man, this is like all of my favorite flavors in one bowl! I will have to spring for some cauliflower to make this, usually I don’t buy it because it’s expensive.
Thank you!
Going to make this for dinner tomorrow night!! All my favorites in one bowl. Thank you for the great vegan recipe :)
Smitten Kitchen had a very similar recipe to this, but used shredded/grated carrot instead of cauliflower. The dressing was almost exactly the same. And it is DEE-LICIOUS. (It’s just about my favorite way to eat carrots!) Looking forward to trying this version, too.
Oooh, I’m going to have to look that up! I bet this dressing *would* be really good with carrots!
I always love how you seem to deduce exactly what’s in my fridge, even on days when it’s just about empty. I also had some leftover hushwee (spiced ground beef) from yesterday and it fit in perfectly with this. Thank you for yet another amazing dinner.
Oh wow, that does sound fantastic with this!!
What do I need to know about buying tahini? I have seen in in jars at the store, but I have also heard you can buy raw fresh ground….is there a difference?
I’ve never bought the raw, fresh ground kind before (I imagine it would be more expensive). As far as the kind in the jar, all the brands I’ve used have been very similar so I don’t have any specific tips. :)
I just have to say that I am loving your recipes that you post here. They are the kind of food that we love to eat too. I’m planning my weekly menu right now from off your website. I’ve already tried many of your recipes and they never disappoint. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Beth! I have 2 questions about this recipe. Is it ok to fry onions with chickpeas. i just made this recipe and the onions burned in the oven while cauliflower was ok. Also, do you recommend substituting parsley with cillantro ? Thanks a million.
Yes, you could definitely do the onions with the chickpeas if you want a more moist end product. Cilantro would probably go quite well with these flavors. :)
My mouth is watering right now!!! :-)
This looks delicious! I love your blog. It’s the best! I am a mom of 4 who loves quick, simple, healthy, frugal and delicious meals and all of your recipes meet these requirements plus the kids enjoy them. You’re brilliant! Thank you for all your hard work!
I’m in love with smoked paprika! And roasted cauliflower. Can’t wait to try this!
This is such a beautiful salad! I’m pinning this for later– thanks for sharing =)
Nice, this might go on work lunch rotation for next week, maybe with some brown rice in the mix to bulk it up!