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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 Whole Roasted Cauliflower, 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 recipe 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 best as you need to make sure they fit in the saucepan.
Olive oil – I favour a regular olive oil here over an extra virgin one or your finest one, as it’s being roasted at a high heat so there’s no need to use your expensive stuff.
Shallot – this is less potent than a white onion which makes the chimichurri more balanced. In a pinch, red onion would work.
Chilli – for a bit of spice! If you don’t want that, just omit it or substitute for chilli flakes in the chimichurri which is less intense. I use medium sized red chillis.
Garlic – 3-4 cloves makes this recipe very punchy with garlic. I love it that way and think it needs it but adjust to your taste.
Red Wine Vinegar – this adds a sharpness to the chimichurri. White wine vinegar works too but I prefer red. It tends to be slightly less acidic.
Chilli Flakes – again, this adds heat but if you don’t like heat, only use these and not fresh chilli.
Fresh Coriander – peppery and bright, this gives great flavour to the chimichurri. If you hate coriander, sub for more parsley or swap for basil or mint even.
Fresh Parsley – herbaceous and fresh, this adds brightness to the dish. If you don’t like parsley, swap for more coriander or basil/mint.
Greek Yoghurt – go for full-fat, thick Greek yoghurt. It makes a different and sits nicely at the bottom of the dish.
Lemon – the citrus acidity lifts the whole dish, since the cauliflower is salty and the roasted.
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 of punchy Argentinian chimichurri sauce and creamy tahini, roasted cauliflower has 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. Otherwise, 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: we parboil it for just 6-8 minutes until tender so that it spends all the time in the oven getting golden and gorgeous.
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.
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 – also making it weeknight friendly! Keep in mind that boiling cauliflower should be done briefly, just until it’s slightly tender. Over-boiling can turn it mushy and bland: we parboil it for just 6-8 minutes until tender so that it spends all the time in the oven getting golden and gorgeous.
Yes – simply replace the Greek yoghurt with your favourite plant-based alternative!
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.
Vegetarian Dishes
Feta Saganaki
Easy Baking Recipes
Plum Yogurt Cake
Easy Dessert Recipes
San Sebastián Cheesecake
Lunch Recipes
Torta Pasqualina
Made this recipe and loved it?
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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!
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