Roasted cauliflower salad with Mediterranean spices is a perfect side dish. It has bright colors and flavors, thanks to fresh vegetables and a zesty lemon yogurt dressing.
We love our salads big and bold. From our Mediterranean salad with a zesty dressing and Turkish white bean salad with red onions and sumac to our potato salad that’s packed with herbs, there are many ways to flavor a salad. This spiced roasted cauliflower salad is a great way to use up cauliflower and make a delicious side dish. Read through for step by step instructions and how-to video.
No more boring cauliflower
Cauliflower: you either love it or hate it. If you love it, you’re going to love this delicious roasted cauliflower salad with Mediterranean flavors. And if you’re not a big fan of cauliflower, you’re just might change your mind once you try this recipe.
In this dish, cauliflower is flavored with delicious spices such as cumin, turmeric and paprika plus extra virgin olive oil for perfect balance. Roasted to perfection, it’s then mixed with other delicious ingredients to make a hearty salad. To give it a nice finish, this salad is served with a zesty yogurt lemon dressing.
The flavors work very well together in this salad and even picky eaters should be satisfied. You might be surprised by how much flavor and color you can add to the humble cauliflower.
The ingredients
Cauliflower - We use a head of cauliflower for this recipe. Make sure the cauliflower you have is fresh and doesn't have any brown spots. If the cauliflower has a few brown spots, simply cut them out and use the rest.
Spice mix - A combination of cumin, coriander, paprika, cardamom, turmeric and Aleppo pepper makes the cauliflower very tasty. Instead of this spice mix, you can use seven spice blend as well.
Chickpeas - I used canned chickpeas for this recipe, you can also cook chickpeas from scratch.
Herbs - A mix of green onions, cilantro and dill brightens up this salad.
Red onions - They add sweetness and color to the salad. You can also use pickled red onions.
Hard boiled eggs - This is optional, but I love the addition of eggs to this salad to make it heartier.
Olives - I used a combination of Spanish green olives and Kalamata olives for this recipe.
Pine nuts - Toasted pine nuts are used to add a bit of crunch and richness.
3 things to know about roasting cauliflower
Roasting is my favorite way to serve cauliflower. It enhances the flavor and gives it a very nice texture. There are a few notes to keep in mind when roasting cauliflower:
- Roast at a high oven temperature: To keep the cauliflower crispy and juicy, it’s best to roast it at 400°F or 425°F.
- Stir: It’s important to stir the cauliflower halfway through roasting to make sure it’s crisping on all sides.
- Arrange in a single layer: To have nicely cooked cauliflower, make sure they’re in a single layer and not overlapping. Also, it’s best not to overcrowd the pan, same as we do to make Mediterranean roasted vegetables.
How to roast cauliflower
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Slice the cauliflower vertically into “steaks”. Place them on the baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, mix cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, cardamom, Aleppo pepper and olive oil to make a paste.
- Spread this spice mix over the cauliflower pieces. Flip and spread the rest on the other side.
- Roast the cauliflowers in the oven for 20 minutes. Flip them halfway through so they cook evenly.
Delicious spiced oven roasted cauliflower salad
To make this into a colorful and tasty salad, place the roasted cauliflower on a platter and top it with cooked chickpeas, hard boiled eggs, green and black olives, red onion and an abundance of herbs such as dill, cilantro and green onion. For extra crunch and flavor, I top the salad with some toasted pine nuts.
The dressing
This salad is served with a zesty yogurt sauce that’s made with yogurt, lemon juice and olive oil plus spices such as paprika, thyme and salt. The tanginess of the dressing complements the flavors in the salad very well. You can also serve it with our classic tahini sauce.
What to serve this dish with
You can serve roasted cauliflower salad as part of an appetizer spread with hummus, muhammara, baba ganoush and some fresh homemade pita.
I love serving this salad as a side for dishes such as kibbeh, Kofta kebab, Mediterranean garlic chicken or chicken gyros.
How to store
Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. You can serve it cold or at room temperature.
More Salads recipes
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Mediterranean Roasted Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
Spice mix
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ tsp cardamom
- ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- 4 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
Roasted cauliflower salad
- 1 large head of cauliflower sliced vertically
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas canned or homemade
- ⅓ cup green onions chopped
- ⅓ cup cilantro chopped
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- ½ cup olives green and black, chopped
- ½ red onion sliced
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
Lemon yogurt dressing
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 lemon juice of
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, cardamom, Aleppo pepper and olive oil.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Place the cauliflower pieces on the baking sheet and spread half of the spice mixture on them. Flip and spread the rest on the other side. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Flip halfway through to make sure they cook evenly.
- Place roasted cauliflower on a platter and arrange the chickpeas, green onions, cilantro, dill, hard boiled eggs, olives and red onion on the salad. Heat a pan over medium heat and toast the pine nuts for 2-3 minutes until golden on all sides. Add them to the salad.
- Mix yogurt, lemon juice, salt, paprika, thyme and olive oil in a small bowl and drizzle over the salad.
Video
Notes
- To keep the cauliflower crispy and juicy, it’s best to roast it at 400°F or 425°F.
- It’s important to stir the cauliflower halfway through roasting to make sure it’s crisping on all sides.
- To have nicely cooked cauliflower, make sure they’re in a single layer and not overlapping. Also, it’s best not to overcrowd the pan, same as we do to make Mediterranean roasted vegetables.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.
Ashley
This looks incredible!!!! So pleasing to the eye, I can't wait to make this for my summer club soon!
Anita
I was just wondering what to do with my cauliflower, and now I know what to do! Thanks for this lovely salad recipe.
Jordin
This salad looks so delicious and easy to make! I can’t wait to try this salad for summer!