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If you’ve never made a whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini and Chimichurri before, this is the recipe to try! Tender, caramelized, nutty roasted cauliflower is nestled on a bed of creamy garlic yogurt sauce before tahini and chimichurri sauce are spooned over the top for the perfect vegetarian main course that is surprisingly easy to make – and ready in just over an hour!
Table of Contents
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 chimichurri cauliflower with tahini, I assure you, couldn’t be further from that. 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-centered dishes, try my Glazed Miso Aubergine (Eggplant) or Courgette (Zucchini) Gratin.
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.
- Topping it with a garlicky yogurt, tahini, and a chimichurri-style salsa brings the cauliflower to life and transforms it into a flavor-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
- Cauliflower – Remove thick, ugly outer leaves, but leave any smaller, more delicate ones. Medium-sized cauliflower works best, as you need to make sure it fits in the pot.
- Chile – For a bit of spice! I use a medium-sized red chile. If you don’t want that, just omit it or substitute red chile flakes in the chimichurri, which is less intense.
- Fresh cilantro (coriander) – If you dislike cilantro, sub it for more parsley or swap for basil or mint.
- Greek yogurt – Go for full-fat, thick Greek yogurt. It makes a difference.
- Tahini – A delicious ground sesame paste that has an earthy flavor and creamy texture. It’s perfect for making the most delicious sauce.
Substitutions and variations
Different sauces: I love this combination with the roasted cauliflower and tahini yogurt sauce, but there is so much potential for other flavors.
- Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors 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.
How to make whole roasted cauliflower with tahini
Here’s a quick visual guide — the full recipe with exact measurements is below.
ONE: Fill a large pot with water and season well with salt, then bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower, cover, and let cook for 6-8 minutes, depending on the size. Check to see if it’s ready by poking the stem with a knife, 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. Transfer to the oven and roast for 45 minutes, until charred and golden all over.
THREE: Mix together the Greek yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice to make the base. Spread it over a serving plate. Also, mix the chimichurri ingredients, then stream in the olive oil.
FOUR: Pop the cauliflower on top. Drizzle with tahini and chimichurri. Cut into wedges and enjoy!
Tips from Margie’s kitchen
- Parboiling the cauliflower: Keep in mind that you should boil cauliflower 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 with. 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 it isn’t dried properly after parboiling, it can become mushy while roasting. Make sure to 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.
Yes – simply replace the Greek yogurt with your favorite plant-based alternative, and you can use everything else.
Tahini can seize in the jar sometimes if it’s been sitting for a while. You can add it to a blender to re-emulsify it. A few spoons of ice-cold water can help it smooth out too.
You can parboil 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 2 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 this Simple Tahini Salad Dressing with Parmesan and Lemon. My Tahini and Yogurt Roasted Aubergine (Eggplant) Salad is also a great one, if you like this roasted cauliflower with tahini.
Christmas Recipes
Creamy Brussels Sprouts Casserole with Bacon (or Pancetta)
Smoked Salmon Recipes
Smashed Potatoes with Crème Fraîche and 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!
Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini and Chimichurri
Ingredients
For the cauliflower:
- 1 medium-sized cauliflower
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
For the chimichurri:
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 1 red chile pepper, diced
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ cup fresh cilantro (coriander), finely chopped
- 2 cups parsley, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more needed
For the garlicky yogurt:
- 4 heaped tbsp Greek yogurt
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/4 lemon, juiced
To drizzle:
- 2 tbsp tahini
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 428°F (220°C/200°C fan).
- Remove thick, ugly outer leaves from the cauliflower but leave any smaller, more delicate ones.Fill a large pot with water, season well with salt, and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower, cover, and cook for 6-8 minutes, depending on the size. Check to see if it's ready by poking the stem with a knife. Remove the cauliflower and place it on a sheet pan to steam-dry for around 10 minutes.
- Cover with extra-virgin olive oil and season well with sea salt. Transfer to the oven and roast for 45 minutes, until charred and golden all over.
- Mix together the Greek yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice to make the base.
- Mix together the shallot, chili, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes, and herbs. Stream in the olive oil; it should be runnier than pesto.
- Remove the cauliflower from the oven.
- Spoon some garlicky yogurt onto a serving plate and pop the cauliflower on top. Drizzle with tahini and chimichurri.
- Cut into wedges and enjoy!
Notes
Make-ahead and storage
To store: Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2 days in an airtight container, but it will turn a little soggy overnight. To reheat: I prefer to eat leftovers cold, as more of a salad than reheating it. Just remove from the fridge 20 minutes before eating to let it warm up a bit. Make ahead: You can parboil 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. You will have leftover chimichurri, but it lasts up to 2 weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge. NB: The calorie estimation above assumes that you split the chimichurri four ways equally, and that you will likely have leftovers!Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a brilliant recipe! I used lime instead of lemon, otherwise I followed it to a (happy) tee!
Thank you – I’ll be following for more…
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!
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