If you've never made a Whole Roasted Cauliflower before this is the recipe to try! Tender, caramelised, nutty roasted cauliflower is nestled on a bed of creamy garlic and tahini yogurt 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!
Are you ready to step up your vegetable game and transform a humble cauliflower into a masterpiece? 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 Sauce, 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.
The cauliflower takes on this buttery, sweet but salty crust in the oven and it is topped with a garlicky tahini yoghurt and a chimichurri-style salsa.
Cauliflower, often underrated, holds incredible potential. Its mild taste and versatile nature make it a great base for creativity and new flavours. Whilst we've kept the cauliflower simple here so its buttery flavour shines, we've paired it with two delicious sauces to level it up.
This recipe also happens to be vegetarian, so it is an even better dish to serve to all your friends together!
Oven-roasting cauliflower is also good for you: it retains more nutrients compared to boiling. Cauliflower is rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibre, making it a nutritious vegetable to include in your meals!
A few more sauce options for your Whole Roasted Cauliflower
While we LOVE this combination of punchy Argentinian chimichurri sauce and creamy tahini, roasted cauliflower has so much potential for other flavours - Middle Eastern, Indian and Mediterranean flavours work particularly well. Here are a few ideas for how to serve it:
- Harissa Yogurt
- Garlic Yogurt
- Garlic Butter
- Whipped Feta
- Hummus
- Muhammara (a delicious Middle Eastern roasted red pepper, walnut and pomegranate dip)
- Coriander and Mint Sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
If you're roasting individual cauliflower florets, overcrowding on the baking sheet is the culprit as they can steam instead of roast, leading to a mushy texture. But with this recipe, 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 yogurt with your favourite plant-based alternative!
Step-by-Step Video
A few recipes you might also enjoy!
- Crispy Roasted Potatoes with Chimicurri Sauce
- Easy Cheesy Butternut Squash Gratin Recipe
- Hummus with Roasted Vegetables and Tahini Sauce
- Roasted Aubergine Salad with Tahini and Pomegranate
- Simple Tahini Salad Dressing with Parmesan and Lemon
Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Tahini And Chimichurri
This delicious Whole Roasted Cauliflower recipe can be ready in less than an hour! Tender, caramelised, nutty roasted cauliflower is nestled on a bed of creamy garlic and tahini yogurt sauce before chimichurri sauce is spooned over the top for the perfect vegetarian main course.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2-4 depending on the size of the cauliflower and what you want to serve it with 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 x medium-sized cauliflower – remove thick ugly outer leaves but leave any smaller more delicate ones
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Maldon sea salt
- 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
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil + more as extra
- 4 heaped tablespoon Greek yoghurt
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- ¼ lemon, juiced
- 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
This recipe will make more chimichurri than you need but it keeps in the fridge in a jar for 2 weeks and is amazing on grilled meats and fish.
Leave a Reply