Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini
A special roasted cauliflower inspired by Sara Forte’s new cookbook. It’s wildly delicious - loaded with herbs, dates, nuts, roasted red onions and tossed with a tahini dressing.
I’ve roasted cauliflower a thousand different ways, but this version, from Around Our Table by Sara Forte, quickly became a weeknight staple after the first time I tried it. A big head of cauliflower is cut into florets that are tossed with a spiced oil and roasted in a hot oven. Red onions and bits of dates are introduced along the way and the whole situation is tossed with lots of herbs, arugula, pine nuts, sesame seeds, and a creamy tahini dressing. It’s wildly delicious.
Many of you know Sara from her o.g. food blog Sprouted Kitchen. Or maybe you’re a member of the SK Cooking Club? She’s beloved for good reason, creating wholesome, doable, family-friendly recipes while keeping it real. I told her I’d be gifting the book to all the busy parents in my life, and meant it. Here's a look at her new book, a few of the beautiful spreads, etc.
Her husband Hugh did all the photography for the book. You'll recognize his style from their beautiful site. I've always loved how fresh, natural, and unfussed their food always looks. Their projects always have family photos paced throughout. I remember (years ago) Sara told me, over lunch one day, that she always wanted her home to be the landing pad for her kids and their friends. That always stuck with me, a wonderful, genuine aspiration. 
You can see a couple examples of the gorgeous photo spreads below. And the table of contents above.
Roasted Cauliflower: Part of An Impromptu Dinner Menu
This roasted cauliflower anchored a fantastic (and simple to throw together) dinner spread when Wayne’s parents visited a couple weeks back. I made the roasted cauliflower (recipe below) the day prior and then threw together a few other easy wins for dinner the next night. Aside from the cauliflower, no component took more than five minutes of active time to make, and there wasn’t a bit left for leftovers in the end!
- A Big Pile of Roasted Potatoes: I cut little potatoes in half, tossed them in a bit of olive oil and roasted them in a hot oven until tender. Whisked a bit of spicy bomba chile paste into some olive oil, and drizzled that over the potatoes on a big plate. Finished with lots of toasted sesame seeds and slivered basil.
- Mustard Lentils: I covered (dried) French lentils with about 3/4-inch of water and simmered until the lentils were very tender. Then, the cooked lentils were tossed with a generous dollop (2+ tablespoons) of strong French mustard and a couple glugs of Camino red wine vinegar, and a splash of good olive oil. Seasoned with salt and pepper. Topped with canned, roasted cherry tomatoes (in oil), and slivered basil.
- Hard Boiled Eggs: I split each egg in half, sprinkled with spices( I used za’atar, but use any fave savory spice blend). Salt to taste. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini: Recipe below. Serve at room temperature.
More Cauliflower Recipes
- Simple Weeknight Cauliflower
- Pickled Cauliflower
- Chickpea Cauliflower Korma
- Beer-Roasted Cauliflower with Pasta
- Simple Cauliflower Soup
- Rainbow Cauliflower Rice Bowl
- all cauliflower recipes
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Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini
Have fun experimenting with this one. Play around with the herbs you use, and be sure not to skimp. I love cilantro and use it in place of the parsley Sara calls for in the recipe. Same goes for the nuts - Sara suggests pine nuts (which I love), but toasted almond slices are also wonderful & I tend to keep them on hand. Same goes for pistachios. Enjoy!
- 1 large head of cauliflower (about 3 pounds / 1.4 kg)
- 4 tablespoons / 60 g extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 of a small red onion, sliced into thin half-moons
- 4 ounces / 113 g Medjool dates, pitted and torn into small pieces (about 7 dates)
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/3 cup / 7g roughly chopped cilantro (or flat-leaf parsley)
- Handful of baby arugula
- 1/2 cup / 10 g mint leaves, divided
- 1/4 cup / 30 g toasted pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons / 30 g toasted sesame seeds
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Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C.
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Cut the cauliflower florets away from the core and tear them into smaller pieces. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, coriander, cumin, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Pour it on the cauliflower and toss well to coat, adding more oil if needed to be sure all the cauliflower is coated. Spread the cauliflower in an even layer and roast it for 20 minutes.
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Add the onions and dates to the baking sheet and toss them in together with the cauliflower and roast for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is browned on the edges.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the vinegar, tahini, and honey along with 3 tablespoons / 45 ml of warm water and mix to combine.
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Add the cauliflower mixture and chopped cilantro and toss to coat. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Add the arugula and half of the mint and toss again.
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Garnish with the remaining fresh mint, pine nuts, and sesame seeds. Serve warmish or at room temperature.
Serves 4.
Adapted from Around Our Table: Wholesome Recipes to Feed Your Family and Friends by Sara Forte (Hardie Grant, 2024)
Related Recipes
Pickled Cauliflower
Step by step instructions for how to make quick pickled cauliflower. Cauliflower is combined with slivered onions, mustard seeds and dried chiles and covered in a hot vinegar. The florets are tangy with a kiss of salty sweetness and super good!
Cauliflower Soup
This is the simplest of cauliflower soups. And it is so incredibly good. The ingredient list is shorter than short, and if you have a great yellow curry paste on hand (or even just a good one), it is worth making.
Beer-Roasted Cauliflower with Pasta
Poach a whole head of cauliflower in an olive-oil dappled, chile-spiked, beer-based broth, then wedge it & roast it until golden-crusted and butter tender.
Instant Pot Chickpea Cauliflower Korma
An Insta-friendly riff on the Chickpea Cauliflower Korma recipe in Jennifer Iserloh's The Healing Slow Cooker - chickpeas, cauliflower, combined with a not-shy simmer sauce.
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Comments
Absolutely delicious – even without the pine nuts and sesame seeds. I could have devoured the entire bowl.
So happy you enjoyed it Beverly!
Wow, this was fantastic! I had two medium-large heads of cauliflower and I decided to go ahead and roast both. So glad I did. I could have polished off the whole batch by myself. Finger licking good! I was nervous about adding dates to the sheet pan. I thought they might stick/burn. No problem there and they just got better somehow. I did scale down the oil a bit and scaled up the spices to suit my tastes. I had a little of parsley, mint and cilantro and used them all. So good! Thank you Sara and Heidi!
Yes! I love how the dates concentrate and sort of caramelize as they bake down as well!
This was a perfect accompaniment to Roman-style chicken cacciatore meal. From the brightness of the herbs and perfectly balanced dressing to the surprise bits of sweet date, everyone loved it.
Heidi! It looks so gorgeous! Love how romantic you can make vegetables look. I appreciate your kind words my friend. Your influence is always on my mind in the kitchen and I’m flattered to be part of yours in some small way. That dinner spread sounds delicious. xoxo
xo Sara! Huge congratulations on a beautiful, thoughtful, inspired book.
I cooked this tonight – it was absolutely beautiful Heidi. Thank you, Ele, Australia
Fantastic Ele! So happy you enjoyed it.
101 cookbooks is amazing. We’re always looking for new recipes to try with the family. And the healthier the better. There’s so many wonderful choices here. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Bryan!
This is arnabeet taratour, a classic Lebanese dish. The cauliflower is often fried but my mom always baked it. The tahini sauce is both rich and bright. Great combo. Been eating this for 40 years.
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