Oven Roasted Cauliflower (Middle-Eastern Recipe)

This amazing recipe with roasted cauliflower and chickpeas is for sure one of the best and easiest ways to prepare this beautiful vegetable. Perfectly tender cauliflower and spiced crispy chickpeas, this dish is packed with Middle Eastern flavors and nutrients!

Cauliflower is a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine and that is for a good reason. It is so versatile and easy to prepare.

I absolutely love this easy recipe and shared it with so many people along the way. Because once you tried it you will want to do it again and again. This is my favorite way to prepare cauliflower, I hope you will enjoy it too.

Why make it

• Plant power at its best. This dish is packed with nutrients, minerals and all the good things.
• This roasted cauliflower recipe is gluten-free.
• Easy and quick to prepare. Simply mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, toss them on a baking sheet, bake and enjoy some seriously delicious flavours!
• It is vegan. This one is for you my vegan friends.
• A perfect salad to bring for a BBQ with friends.
• Can be enjoyed on its own as a main course.
• Makes great leftovers and can be prepared for lunches ahead of time.
• Simply delicious!!!

Ingredients notes

A large head of cauliflower, cut into florets. See below for how to cut the cauliflower.

Chickpeas. Tinned chickpeas are fine for this recipe. But if you would like to spend some time and cook chickpeas from scratch, you can learn how to cook chickpeas here.

Health benefits of cauliflower

What if I told you, you can take a pill, only 3 to 4 times a week and this pill will dramatically reduce your chance of getting breast, colon, prostate, and ovarian caver? Would you take it?

What if I told you that cauliflower does just that? It is true. Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that should be called a super-food. Various studies have shown that the bioactive components of this cruciferous vegetable can have beneficial effects on biomarkers of cancer-related (breast, colon, prostate, and ovarian cancer) processes in people.

Additionally, cauliflower helps to detoxify your liver. Pretty amazing isn’t it?! 

And yes, cauliflower is naturally gluten-free.

Step by step

• Preheat the oven to 200° (400°F)
• Wash the cauliflower, dry it with a paper towel and cut it into small florets. See below for how to do it easily.
• Place the cauliflower into a large bowl.
• Rinse the chickpeas and add them to the bowl with the cauliflower.
• Now add the extra virgin olive oil, ground cumin, ground coriander and pinch of sea salt, toss them with your hands to combine, or use a big spoon. Make sure everything is evenly coated with spices.
• Line a baking tray with some parchment paper and transfer cauliflower and chickpeas onto the tray. Spread it out evenly, so that the pieces are not jam-packed. We want the cauliflower to roast, not steam. If you have too many vegetables, spread them on two trays.
• Bake for 30 minutes tossing them at the 15-minute mark. All ovens are different and cooking time might vary. Cauliflower turns golden brown and chickpeas have a crunchy texture when they are done. It might take a little longer.
• Remove from the oven, sprinkle with some fresh coriander leaves and serve!

How to cut cauliflower

1. Cut the cauliflower head in half.
2. Place the halves on a chopping board and cut them in two halves again, so you have four quarters.
3. Now cut the core of each quarter.
4. Pull the cauliflower florets apart.

How to serve

• This roasted cauliflower is packed with fibre and plant protein and can be a dish on its own. Serve with some fresh herbs, feta cheese and lemon wedges and enjoy.
• It is delicious with tahini dressing.
• Try it with hummus and gluten-free pita bread.
• It is a perfect healthy side dish for chicken or fish.

Try serving it with one of these easy dinner recipes:

Variations

• Use dukkha instead of ground spices.
• Use lots of chopped fresh parsley, coriander (cilantro) and fresh lemon juice to add some fresh notes to it.
• Add some cayenne pepper to the spice blend to add some heat to the dish.

How to store

If you happened to have some leftovers, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Enjoy it cold or reheat it in a frying pan or microwave.

How to freeze

You can freeze roasted cauliflower and chickpeas if you like. Allow the vegetables to cool down completely. Place it on a small baking tray and freeze until solid. Place the frozen cauliflower and chickpeas in a Ziploc bag. Make sure to remove any excess air before sealing. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.

How to reheat frozen cauliflower

Place frozen cauliflower and chickpeas on a baking tray and bake at 200'C for 20 minutes.

More healthy recipes:

Watch how to make it

Oven Roasted Cauliflower - Middle-Eastern Recipe

Elena

This simple recipe will change the way you see cauliflower forever. Take this humble vegetable to another level by roasting it with middle eastern spices. Enjoy!

Print Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Middle eastern

Servings 4 serves as a side dish or 2 as main

Ingredients

  

• 1 large cauliflower head chopped or torn into small florets
• 1 tin of organic chickpeas drained and rinsed.
• 4-5 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
• 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons of ground coriander
• teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup chopped fresh coriander/cilantro leaves
• Lemon juice from the fresh lemon optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 200'C (400'F).
• Toss the cauliflower florets and chickpeas in a large bowl with olive oil, ground cumin, ground coriander and sea salt.
• Transfer the cauliflower and chickpeas to a baking tray, lined with parchment paper.
• Make sure the cauliflower florets are not too crowded on the tray.
• Roast for 15 minutes. Take the tray out of the oven, toss the cauliflower and bake for another 15 minutes, until the cauliflower looks nice and golden. The roasting time might vary depending on your oven.
• Transfer roasted cauliflower and chickpeas into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves and some lemon juice, and serve!
• Enjoy!
• Store any leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy the next day.

Notes

To make perfectly roasted cauliflower, roast it at a high temperature. I recommend roasting it at 200'C (400'F). However, feel free to turn it up to 220'C (430'F) if you think your oven is not very hot.

Make sure the cauliflower florets are not too crowded on the tray. If you place them too close to each other, cauliflower and chickpeas will be steamed, not roasted. Use 2 trays if the cauliflower head was big.

Cut the cauliflower into smaller pieces. It will roast faster and caramelise more.

See how to cut cauliflower into florets in the post above.

Keyword cauliflower, cauliflower with chickpeas, roasted cauliflower