Why is my roasted cauliflower mushy?

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.

Should my cauliflower be boiled before cooking?

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.

Can I make this recipe plant-based/vegan?

Yes - simply replace the Greek yoghurt with your favourite plant-based alternative!

Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Tahini And Chimichurri

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This delicious Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini 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.

Author: Margie
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
Method: Oven
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

For the cauliflower:

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

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 clove garlic crushed
1/4 lemon, juiced

To drizzle:

2 tbsp tahini

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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.

Find it online: https://desertislanddishes.co/whole-roasted-cauliflower-with-tahini-and-chimichurri/