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If you’ve never made a whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini before, this is the recipe to try! Tender, caramelised, nutty roasted cauliflower is nestled on a bed of creamy garlic and tahini yoghurt sauce before chimichurri sauce is spooned over the top for the perfect vegetarian main course that is surprisingly easy to make – and ready in just an hour!
If you think you don’t like cauliflower, you probably just don’t like boiled, mushy cauliflower that reminds you of a bad school dinner. But this recipe for a roasted cauliflower with tahini, we assure you, couldn’t be further from this. It is the perfect recipe for when you’re feeling lazy but have friends coming over and want to make something delicious. If you want more vegetable-centred dishes, try my Glazed Miso Aubergine or Courgette Gratin.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- The cauliflower takes on this buttery, sweet but salty crust in the oven. It makes a proper showstopper for the table.
- Topped with a garlicky yoghurt, tahini and a chimichurri-style salsa brings the cauliflower to life and transforms it to a flavour packed dish.
- This roasted cauliflower with tahini also happens to be vegetarian, so it is an even better dish to serve to all your friends together!
Ingredients:
See recipe card for the exact recipe with a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Cauliflower – remove thick, ugly outer leaves, but leave any smaller, more delicate ones. Medium-sized cauliflower works bes,t as you need to make sure it fits in the saucepan.
Chilli – for a bit of spice! If you don’t want that, just omit it or substitute chilli flakes in the chimichurri, which is less intense. I use a medium-sized red chilli.
Fresh Coriander – If you hate coriander, sub for more parsley or swap for basil or mint even.
Greek Yoghurt – go for full-fat, thick Greek yoghurt. It makes a difference.
Tahini – a delicious ground sesame paste that has an earthy flavour and creamy texture which makes it perfect for making the most delicious sauce.
Substitutions and Variations
Different sauces: I love this combination the roasted cauliflower with tahini but there is so much potential for other flavours.
- Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours work particularly well. You could sit it on Harissa Yogurt for a spicy, warming feel.
- Garlic butter would be a great way to roast the cauliflower instead of olive oil.
- I’ve done it before on creamy homemade hummus, it was creamy and delicious and uses tahini!
- Garlic Labneh would be divine too if you can find it, or Whipped Ricotta Honey Dip.
Here’s how to make delicious Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini
Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do. You can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.
ONE: Fill a large pot of water and season well with salt and bring to a boil. Place the cauliflower in, cover and let cook for 6-8 minutes, depending on the size. Check to see if ready by poking the stem with a knife, and then remove the cauliflower and place it on a sheet tray to steam dry for around 10 minutes.
TWO: Cover with extra virgin olive oil and season well with sea salt. Return to the oven and let roast for 45 minutes until charred and golden all over.
THREE: Mix together the Greek yoghurt, garlic and lemon juice to make the base. Spread on the base.
FOUR: Pop the cauliflower on top. Drizzle with tahini and chimichurri.
Cut into wedges and enjoy!
Cooking Tips
Parboiling the cauliflower: Keep in mind that boiling cauliflower should be done briefly, just until it’s slightly tender. Over-boiling can turn it mushy and bland.
Seasoning: Seasoning in layers is key here as the roasted cauliflower remains whole so it’s less surface area for the salt to come into contact. Make sure the boiling water is very well salted and rub in a good amount of salt with the olive oil before roasting.
Cooking time: To test the doneness of the roasted cauliflower, insert a sharp fine knife into the cauliflower (I tend to do this at the base) to check how done it is. If it feels tender and goes through with no resistance, you’re done. You could also use a skewer.
Best tahini consistency
How to get extra crispy cauliflowre
Frequently Asked Questions
Since the cauliflower is roasted whole, the main reason might be excess moisture on the cauliflower before roasting. If the cauliflower isn’t dried properly after parboiling, it can become mushy while roasting. Make sure you really allow the full 10 minutes for it to steam dry for best results.
When you are roasting individual florets, there is no need to parboil as they are small enough pieces that they will roast quickly. But in this case, as the cauliflower is roasted whole, we’re parboiling it to reduce cooking time.
Boiling cauliflower for a few minutes before roasting can slightly reduce the overall cooking too.
Yes – simply replace the Greek yoghurt with your favourite plant-based alternative and you can use everything else.
Tahini can seize in the jar sometimes if it’s been sat for a while. You can add to a blender to re-emulsify it. A few spoons of ice cold water can help it smooth out too.
You can par boil the cauliflower ahead of time and then cover and place in the fridge for 24 hours. Then roast when ready to serve for the best texture.
Chimichurri lasts up to two weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge.
I like to serve alongside grains such as bulgur, quinoa, rice, and another side salad for a vegetarian meal. But it’s also delicious alongside grilled meats or fish for more of a spread.
Other recipes you might also enjoy:
If chimichurri is your thing, please try my Crispy Roasted Potatoes with Chimichurri Sauce, Zingy Grilled Chimichurri Chicken or my Simple Tahini Salad Dressing with Parmesan and Lemon. My Tahini and Yoghurt Roasted Aubergine Salad also is a great one, if you like this roasted cauliflower with tahini.
Christmas Recipes
Creamy Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
Smoked Salmon Recipes
Smashed Potatoes with Crème Fraîche & Smoked Salmon
Easy 30 Minute Meals
Duck Bao Buns
Comfort Food
Easy Courgette Lasagne
If you tried this Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a rating or comment and let us know how it went!
Roasted Cauliflower With Tahini And Chimichurri
Ingredients
For the cauliflower:
- 1 medium-sized cauliflower, remove thick ugly outer leaves but leave any smaller more delicate ones
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Maldon sea salt
For the chimichurri:
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 1 red chilli pepper, diced
- 3-4 garlic cloves, diced
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ cup fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 2 cups parsley, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil + more as extra
For the garlicky yoghurt:
- 4 heaped tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 1 garlic clove , crushed
- 1/4 lemon, juiced
To drizzle:
- 2 tbsp tahini
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
- Fill a large pot of water and season well with salt and bring to a boil. Place the cauliflower in, cover and let cook for 6-8 minutes, depending on the size. Check to see if ready by poking the stem with a knife, and then remove the cauliflower and place it on a sheet tray to steam dry for around 10 minutes.
- Cover with extra virgin olive oil and season well with sea salt. Return to the oven and let roast for 45 minutes until charred and golden all over.
- Mix together the Greek yoghurt, garlic and lemon juice to make the base.
- Mix together the shallot, chilli, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes and herbs. Stream in the olive oil, it should be runnier than pesto.
- Remove from the oven.
- Spoon some garlicky yoghurt onto a serving plate and pop the cauliflower on top. Drizzle with tahini and chimichurri.
- Cut into wedges and enjoy!
Notes
Chimichurri lasts up to two weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge. NB: the calorie estimation above assumes that you split the chimichurri four ways equally, when you will likely have leftovers!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I like eating raw cauliflower with a dip; hubby, not so much. I saw this recipe and knew I “had” to get my butt to the grocery store asap! I was kind of disorganized the first time.( I read all the way through, but only when I first saw it; my bad:( )
I boiled the cauliflower till knife tender, patted off wetness as well as I could and popped it into the oven! While that was cooking I made the base and the topping, all the while hubby complaining it was taking too long for something without meat. Once it was sitting in the base of tahini mix, I pull off a piece and dipped it into the other sauce. Oh My!!! Talk about delicious!! Hubby decided to taste it:(….and after 4-5 bites asked about the “rest” of the meal. I told this was the meal. ( I have to admit… I did offer to make him some other dish with meat, so that all of that yummy delicious cauliflower was ALL mine!
The next day there was about 1/4 left…., I ate it and felt so satisfied and it was equally delicious day 2! While the outer part didn’t have quite the same texture, the herbs and all items mixed together for the base and sauce had gained death of flavor. Tomorrow, I’ll be back at the grocery store to get another cauliflower and other items to make this dish again!
This roasted cauliflower recipe looks absolutely delicious! I love the combination of tahini and chimichurri—such a unique twist. I can’t wait to try it out at my next dinner party; it will definitely impress my guests. Thanks for sharing this amazing dish!
This whole roasted cauliflower recipe is a game changer! The tahini and chimichurri combination adds such incredible depth of flavor. Can’t wait to try this at my next dinner party!
This whole roasted cauliflower recipe looks amazing! I love the combination of tahini and chimichurri—such a unique twist! Can’t wait to try it for my next dinner party. Thanks for sharing!
A real show stopper side! Have made this twice. So tasty and something different to the usual cauli-cheese with a roast.
Absolutely delicious. I saw the video of you making this floating around and couldn’t resist making it. Easy and extremely tasty. Absolutely will make this again. And I’ve got plenty of extra Chimichurri for another meal!
Love the this recipe! Ive made this twice