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
- ¼ 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.
Notes
- 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.
- Space. Make sure the veggies aren’t too crowded on your baking sheet when roasting. They need room to breathe.
- 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.
This is my go to dish when cooking a vegetarian meal. But I also make it whenever I’m trying to show off for a dinner guest. It’s so easy, and crazy delicious!
Loveee this one. I make it as an app or as a side dish. Such great flavor!
I was running out of ways to eat cauliflower and this was so good, and such a nice change!
Absolutely delicious, easy peasy, will make this again and again. But what is supposed to happen to those 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic?
The tahini sauce is especially good