Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Sauce

Roasted cauliflower and me = BFF. Do you have a good relationship with cauliflower? Have you ever roasted it? If you answer was “no” to the first question, it’s highly probable it was also “no” to the second question. When you roast cauliflower in the oven for a niiiice longggg time, allowing it to get soft and deliciously toasty and caramelized, it is HEAVEN. It is probably my favorite vegetable to roast; it reacts so well to the roasting process.

Boiled/steamed cauliflower? No thank you, ma’am, but throw some in the oven for forty minutes and – GURL – I am SO DOWN.

Especially, especially, essspppecially when you drizzle it with the most fresh, bright, delicious lemon tahini sauce on this beautiful green earth. It’s thick, it’s smooth, it’s creamy, and it’s bright and rich at the same time (thanks lemon/tahini combo!). We are #livingourbestlife over here with this cauliflower + sauce action, friends…JOIN US.

Close up sauce shot, because its gorgeousness deserves it.

Let’s talk details, shall we?

For the cauliflower:

• We load it up with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lots of cumin before roasting it in the oven for forty minutes, removing it and tossing the cauliflower half way through. It comes out browned and PERFECT.

For the sauce:

• We whisk together tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce (coconut aminos if paleo/whole 30), and garlic and whisk away. Then we add a teensy bit of water to thin it out so it’s drizzle-able (word? Now it is), and that’s all there is to it! *Please attempt not to eat half of it with a spoon while the cauliflower roasts* **But we will forgive you if you do**

Scoop some freshly roasted cauliflower onto your plate and getcho drizzle on, girl. MAKE IT HAPPEN. Maybe sprinkle with some red pepper flakes if you’re feeling extra saucy today. Eat and appreciate the fact that vegetables can be SO dang good when you make ’em right. And then go give your oven a nice, loving pat for allowing us the ability to roast things…because roasting is LIFE.

Delicious veggie dishes like this make me happy. I am not a vegetarian – I do eat meat, BUT I also know that a lot of days, I end up eating too much eat and not enough veggies. In a perfect world, my diet would be almost fully made up of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and beans/legumes with only some meat.

Some days that happens, and some days it doesn’t, and I’m totes fine with that balance, BUT – that is why suuuuppaaa tasty veggie dishes like this make me a happy camper because it would be easy peasy to have a giant plate of this cauliflower with a small side of meat and maybe another veggie or side.

I love veggies, but they can definitely get boring sometimes if you get in a veggie rut. For example, if I’m not putting a lot of effort into my meal planning, I can easily end up with boring veggie sides or no veggie sides at all. My main rut veggie is roasted broccoli. I love roasted broccoli, but I get bored of it because we end up eating it pretty dang often.

SO – welcome to my life, roasted cauliflower with lemon tahini sauce! Stay a while. Become a regular dinner occurrence. You are very welcome in our home 👅.

Have a WONDERFUL weekend and enjoy this b-e-a-u-tiful weather (if it’s nice where you are 😊)!

Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Sauce

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Paleo and whole 30 approved

• Author: Annie Chesson
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 3 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the cauliflower

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper

For the lemon tahini sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce (tamari if gluten free – coconut aminos if paleo/whole 30)
• 1/2 half teaspoon of finely minced garlic
• 1 pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tablespoon of water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
2. Place your cauliflower florets on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and your 2 teaspoons of cumin until all the florets are evenly coated
3. Roast for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and toss with a spatula, and roast for another 15-20 minutes, until the cauliflower is very golden brown and tender
4. Meanwhile, make your sauce. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, soy sauce, garlic, and red pepper flakes together in a small bowl. Add water until the consistency is thin enough for the sauce to drizzle off your spoon (1/2 tablespoon was perfect for me!)
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper and you’re ready!
6. To serve, drizzle the sauce on top of the cauliflower and sprinkle with red pepper flakes (optional)

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/3 of cauliflower and sauce
• Calories: 87
• Sugar: 5 g
• Sodium: 86 mg
• Fat: 3 g
• Carbohydrates: 12 g
• Fiber: 6 g
• Protein: 5 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!

In the mood for more yummy veggie recipes? Check these out:

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Roasted Cauliflower Tikka Masala

Rainbow Veggie Rice Noodle Stir-Fry