It’s rare that we do side dishes here on WGC. I’m not sure why that is? Should we do more of them? Maybe it’s because I saved a ton of them for my upcoming cookbook but whatever… a few months back we went out to some restaurant and had the most life altering cauliflower dish and it rocked my world. Super charred roasted cauliflower with a tahini dressing that was drizzled on top. Get ready.
It’s part caramelized vegetable with a hint of tahini (which reminds me of that epic vegan caesar dressing from a few months back) and then some extra lemon juice to give it some tang. It’s been on the menu the last 5 nights in a row and I can never get enough. The cauliflower is almost candy like when you roast it properly.
Speaking of roasting it properly… here are the keys to properly roasted vegetables.
1: DON’T skimp on the fat. You need olive oil and plenty of it. If you skimp, the vegetables can taste dried out, and ain’t nobody got time for that,
2: Space. Make sure the veggies aren’t too crowded on your baking sheet when roasting. They need room to breathe.
3: Color. You want to make sure that they get caramelized. That means there needs to be brown bits throughout the veggies when they are done. THAT’s where the flavor lies.
Once you’ve nailed those, you’re good to go. Then just douse this dish with the dressing and then all that’s left to do is wish you the best of luck to not eat the entire thing by yourself before you even sit down to dinner.
Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini
Ingredients
- 2 heads cauliflower
- 1 yellow onion sliced
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 lemon juiced
For the Tahini Sauce
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons water
- kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut cauliflower into medium pieces, toss on a large rimmed baking sheet with the sliced onion, thyme, 4 unpeeled garlic cloves, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until just starting to char, 35-40 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cauliflower with the juice of 1 lemon, toss to combine, and roast until cauliflower is tender, 10-15 minutes longer.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon, oil and garlic. Whisk until smooth. Add the water and continue mixing until pourable and season with salt.
- Drizzle the tahini sauce over the cauliflower and serve with extra lemon as needed.
This sounds AMAZING! I just tried your Whole Roasted Cauliflower recipe this past weekend (DELISH) and this one sounds like another great cauliflower side dish to add to the rotation. I love your side dishes! Can’t wait for the cookbook; I’ve preordered my copy!
Is the cauliflower dish served cold or hot?
hot
This recipe sounds very good! What brand tahini do you prefer?
depends!! I buy the kind from trader joes and whole foods usually
this seems like it would also be good room temp or cooler too…
Always looking for new ways to eat cauliflower! This sounds delicious!
OMG! This receipe is so out of this world amazing ! It was gone in a blink ! Must try
That lemon tahini sounds divine!
What can I serve with this?
I just love roasted cauliflower so thanks for a new option. The onion gets nice and roasty, adding a touch of sweetness. I served it over some spaghetti and fresh spinach. Very easy weeknight meal as a great way to eat your veggies.
made this for lunch for myself. was terrific!
What are you supposed to do with the unpeeled roasted garlic cloves? I originally thought the roasted garlic would be squeezed out and added to the tahini sauce but that calls for raw garlic. Thanks.
pop them out of the skin and EAT THEM WHOLE!! best ever
I’ve seen in other recipes to squeeze out the garlic and add to the tahini sauce. I think raw garlic would overpower the Tahiti sauce. I’m having this for dinner timing and that’s how I’m going out. I’m adding a bit of fresh parsley too and sprinkling roasted pine nuts over all of it.
They are delicious! But are they added to the roasting process to add subtle flavor?
Easy and delicious!
The flavors are great but the tahini sauce needed a lot more water and olive oil than called for in the recipe.
Super Delicious!!! Will save and make this one again and again. We added some massaged purple kale to it and it really made the whole thing practically a one dish salad at that point. But ooooh it was delicious!
The tahini sauce is especially good
Absolutely delicious, easy peasy, will make this again and again. But what is supposed to happen to those 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic?
I was running out of ways to eat cauliflower and this was so good, and such a nice change!
Loveee this one. I make it as an app or as a side dish. Such great flavor!