Roasted Cauliflower Salad

Name: Roasted cauliflower salad
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 3-4 cups - arugula; 1.5 cup lentil (cooked); 1 head cauliflower; 1 red onion; 1/2 cup parsley; 1/4 cup tahini; 1/4 cup cold water; ¼ cup lemon juice; 2 cloves garlic; 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper; 3 tablespoon olive oil

This incredible Cauliflower salad has roasted meaty cauliflower florets, fresh arugula, onion, and lentils with a creamy Tahini dressing. Very simple ingredients and flavors but tastes amazing.

Roasted cauliflower salad with lentils, drizzled with tahini dressing

A simple yet hearty Cauliflower salad tossed in a creamy honey mustard dressing. With lots of peppery arugula, roasted cauliflower, cooked lentils, fresh parsley, and onion, this salad is a good balance of texture and flavor. Lentil takes care of the protein content, making it filling.

When I made this salad for the first time, I was not sure whether my family would like it but It was surprisingly taken well by my daughter and she even talked about the salad a month later. So definitely this cauliflower salad is a win.

What I love about this salad is, that you can have it all around the year to get your share of veggies. If you like cauliflower, then roasted cauliflower will only make you love this humble veggie even more. Even for my Cauliflower curry, I never miss the step of roasting it a bit before adding it to the coconut sauce.

Ingredients for Cauliflower salad

There are only 5 main ingredients for the salad. But the good news is, you can have your own variations.

Cauliflower – A whole head of cauliflower. Look for one that is firm, with no spots, and closed tight florets.
Arugula– The peppery arugula works really well in this case. Alternatively, you could use assorted salad greens.
Red Onion– for some crunch.
Lentils – Cooked French lentils. It adds protein and body to the salad
Parsley– A touch of fresh herb in a salad is always welcome. You could also add some chopped green onions.

For salad dressing

Salad dressing is nutty, lemony, and well-balanced with a touch of maple syrup/honey.

Tahini- you will easily get tahini in supermarkets.
Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice. You would need a whole lemon
Dijon mustard
Olive oil
Garlic- I have used a clove of garlic, but you could substitute it with garlic powder.
Salt and pepper

Ingredients for creamy lemon tahini dressing.

How to make ( Roasted Cauliflower Salad)

Roast Cauliflower- Roasting cauliflower brings out the sweetness and flavor in the salad. Those tiny little brown caramelized patches are to die for. Season the florets with oil, salt, and pepper. Bake until tender but still have a crunch to it.

Soak onion – To cut down the sharpness of onions, especially while adding them to salads, soak sliced onions in ice-cold water for 15 minutes. This will bring down the sharpness while still maintaining the crunch.

Make Creamy Tahini Dressing – The dressing can be made in advance. Loosen the tahini by adding some cold water. Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix.

Assemble- Before assembling make sure the cauliflower florets have cooled down, otherwise, the greens will wilt.

Variations – Make it your way

You can also add chickpeas along with lentils or substitute entirely with chickpeas. For extra crunch, add roasted chickpeas.
Add other veggies like cucumber, bell peppers.
Crumbled feta gives that burst of saltiness and goes well with the rest of the ingredients.

With cauliflower, greens, and lentils, this is a wholesome salad, you can serve it as a light lunch. This is also perfect for meal prepping. Mix everything except the dressing. Divide the salad in individual containers and pack the dressing separately.