A simple roast cauliflower salad with a jolly sweet pepper salsa. This one is a feast for the eyes as well as the tummy!
Roasting Cauliflower
Roasting cauliflower is one of those culinary tricks I wish I’d known donkey’s years ago – it transforms this wonderful vegetable from 1970s school dinner fodder into something really rather special. It also works on sprouts and has converted many people from sprout haters to lovers of the miniature cabbage!
There is no need for par boiling when prepping cauliflower for roasting. This also means that your house will not smell of old brassicas and you won’t be transported back in time to the school canteen! Simply toss the florets in a little oil, add your chosen flavourings and roast them in a hot oven for about half an hour.
Roast Cauliflower Salad
I’ve paired creamy white cauliflower along with the impossibly beautiful Romanesco in this delicious Christmas Salad recipe. Romanesco cauliflower always makes me gasp – the intricacy of its florets is just astounding and they are allowed to really show off in this dish rather than being hidden in a smothering sauce.
But when you stop to look even that everyday cauliflower, so familiar it barely gets a second glance, is simply beautiful.
Romanesco has a more delicate flavour than the cauliflower and they complement each other well. Both respond to roasting by sweetening up a little while keeping their crunch; no soggy offerings here!
Chuck in some edamame beans for added crunch, some spring onions, ground coriander and plenty of salt and pepper and you have a roast cauliflower salad which allows all the flavours of the veg to shine! Serve it up with my zesty sweet pepper salsa and you have a super salad suitable for all seasons!
Some Alternatives For A Tasty Roast Cauliflower Salad
If you don’t like certain elements in a recipe like this it is easy to chop and change to make it fit you and your tastes. You could:
- Swap edamame beans for peas or mangetout.
- Use fresh parsley instead of coriander. If you are making it in spring or summer use mint for a fresh flavour combination.
- Slice some red onions instead of spring onions or leave the onion out completely if you’re not a fan.
- Add in some steamed, boiled or roasted baby new potatoes to turn this from a side to a main.
- Cooked puy lentils, butterbeans or chickpeas add protein and make for a more filling salad option.
- Add cumin seeds before roasting for a spicier kick.
Salads For All Seasons
Don’t leave salad season behind in the summer, bring it with you through autumn and winter and on into spring! This one makes a lovely Christmas side dish, just look at all these lovely festive colours!
The salad possibilities are endless and I have lots more up my sleeve (which makes life difficult to be honest, no one wants salady sleeves!) Try:
- Three Grain Salad with Roasted Pepper Dressing
- Orange, Fennel and Avocado Salad
- Black Quinoa and Spiced Chickpea Salad
- Beetroot Salad with a Zingy Christmas Dressing
You could also take a peep at my Salads for All Seasons Pinterest board. It’s full of fabulous salad recipes to eat throughout the year.
More Roasted Cauliflower Recipes
Check out these fabulous vegan roasted cauliflower recipes from my fellow food bloggers:
- Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Black Sesame Yoghurt Sauce by Strength and Sunshine
- Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Mac and Cheese by Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
- Paprika and Cocoa Roasted Cauliflower by Tin and Thyme
- Hummus Roasted Cauliflower by Amuse Your Bouche
- Roasted Spiced Cauliflower Steaks with Pomegranate by The Vegan Larder
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Roast Cauliflower Salad with Sweet Pepper Salsa
Ingredients
SALAD
- 300 g white cauliflower broken into florets
- 300 g romanesco cauliflower broken into florets
- 100 g fresh or frozen edamame beans cooked if fresh, defrosted if frozen
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 spring onions trimmed and chopped
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- pinch of salt
- black pepper
SALSA
- 1 small red onion peeled and diced
- 1 red pepper deseeded and diced
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1-2 small red chillis chopped
- small bunch of fresh coriander roughly chopped
- juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/390F
- Toss the cauliflower and romanesco in 1 tbsp of the olive oil, spread evenly on a baking tray and roast in the hot oven for 20 - 30 minutes until browned and just tender but still crunchy.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together spring onions, 1 tbsp olive oil, the ground coriander, a pinch of salt and some black pepper.
- Add the cooked cauliflowers straight from the oven and the edamame beans, stir through and leave to cool.
- Make the salsa by combining all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Serve the cauliflower salad at room temperature topped with extra chopped coriander and small bowls of the salsa on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
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Yummm! Roasted cauliflower and edamame are two of my absolute favourites!
I love that we can get edamame in the frozen aisle now, they are such fab little beans!
Oh this looks great! I adore roasted cauliflower and it sounds amazing in this.
I love the colours so much, vegetables are absolute beauties aren’t they?!
This is my ideal salad! It looks utterly delicious and I know just what you mean about wishing you’d discovered roasted cauliflower soon. It improves it about a million times doesn’t it. Thanks for linking to my alfredo sauce x
It really does, it’s like a different vegetable! Thanks Mandy 🙂
Oh yes, absolutely gorgeous festive colours Chris and it sounds delicious too. Must admit, I’m trying to leave Christmas thoughts til December, but you’re not making it easy 😉