This recipe for roasted cauliflower will be your go to when you’re looking for a healthy side dish to pair with dinner. Oven-roasted cauliflower is topped with a simple tahini yogurt sauce and sweet pomegranate. It works lovely paired with chicken, fish or even in a rice bowl!
We are already so close to the weekend again. Can I get a woot woot?
Growing up, the most common way we’d enjoy veggies was usually boiled or steamed (for the record, boiled veggies are particularly popular in Newfoundland; it’s called Jiggs Dinner). Have you ever heard of it?
It’s a traditional Newfoundland meal consisting of salt beef and a whole whack of boiled vegetables, like potatoes, carrots, turnips, cabbage, parsnips with pease pudding.
The meat and vegetables are cooked together and the salty beef flavours the veg. Though, I’m I don’t regularly cook Jiggs Dinner, I do enjoy it when my mother or grandmother prepares every so often. These days, I enjoy mostly roasted veggies, like this oven-roasted cauliflower recipe.
What Does Cauliflower Taste Like?
Cauliflower is pretty neutral in flavour and comes in a variety of colours, like orange, purple and green. White, however, is the most commonly found form of cauliflower.
Like most veggies, when cauliflower is roasted it takes on a little more flavour and those crispy, caramelly bits are my absolute fave!
Cauliflower can be enjoyed raw, roasted (like this healthy cauliflower recipe), boiled or steamed.
These days, cauliflower is even used for pizza crusts, meatless wings and as a rice substitute. It’s particularly popular among those who are enjoying a low carb diet.
How To Roast Cauliflower
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Cut cauliflower into florets.
- Place cauliflower florets into a bowl and toss with oil, salt and pepper.
- Spread florets onto a baking sheet and roast.
- Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once.
- Carefully remove from the oven, and serve as is or with a delicious tahini yogurt sauce.
Tahini Yogurt Sauce
While the cauliflower is roasting, get on with the tahini yogurt sauce.
It’s creamy, dreamy and simple to whiz up. Let out your inner artist and drizzle that sauce over the cauliflower.
For this tahini yogurt sauce you just need:
- Greek yogurt
- Tahini
- Maple Syrup
- Stock
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients and drizzle over the oven-roasted cauliflower! Easy, right?
Tips for Making This Recipe
- Cut the florets into roughly equal pieces so they cook evenly.
- If you want a little more (or less) bite to the cauliflower, reduce (or increase) bake time accordingly.
- The darker your sheet pan, the more colour you will have on your roasted cauliflower.
- For easier clean up you can line your sheet pan with parchment paper, but you may not get quite the same colour. No biggie, but it’s something to keep in mind.
More Veggie Sides
If you make this recipe for roasted cauliflower, be sure to leave a comment below.
Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
Oven-Roasted Cauliflower
- 5 cups cauliflower florets, approximately half a head of cauliflower
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, or avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Tahini Yogurt Sauce
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon water or milk, or more (depending on desired consistency of sauce)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- pinch salt
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
Garnish
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a bowl, stir together the cauliflower, oil, salt and black pepper.
- Place cauliflower florets onto a large sheet pan and spread them out in a single layer. Roast 25 to 30 minutes, carefully stopping to turn the cauliflower florets halfway through.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, make the tahini yogurt sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt, tahini, maple syrup, water, garlic, salt and black pepper until well combined.
- Transfer the roasted cauliflower to a serving dish. Drizzle tahini yogurt sauce over the cauliflower and sprinkle with pomegranate arils. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Cut the florets into roughly equal pieces so they cook evenly.
- If you want a little more (or less) bite to the cauliflower, reduce (or increase) bake time accordingly.
- The darker your sheet pan, the more colour you will have on your roasted cauliflower.
Nutrition (estimate only)
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Emily Leary
I love roasted vegetables and cauliflower is one of my favourites. Your recipe sounds so tasty and perfect to add a mid-week vegetable dish, topped with that delicious tahini yogurt sauce!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Emily! Cauliflower is a fave in our home too 🙂
Eileen Kelly
Yum, roasted cauliflower is amazing and topping with Tahio Yogurt Sauce and enjoy! This is so delicious!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Eileen 🙂 It really is tasty!
Sharon
What a wonderful winter side dish! The sauce looks so good, a great addition to the cauliflower.
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Sharon 🙂
Vanessa Vickery
This looks amazing and the great recipe for the gut cleanse I am doing. I would need to sub the greek yoghurt as we cannot have dairy. Do you think coconut yoghurt would work instead?
Girl Heart Food
I bet that would work just perfectly! Hope you love it 🙂 Thanks Vanessa!
Julie
I love tahini. LOVE tahini. We put it on/in everything from appetizers to meat marinades to all our desserts. This is so up my alley – can’t wait to slather it on cauliflower now, too!
Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo! Thanks Julie 🙂
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
Yum, I love cauliflower!! This is my kind of recipe, looks so easy, healthy and yummy! Pinning to try this week!
Girl Heart Food
Love it too! Thanks Sam – enjoy 🙂
Nicoletta Sugarlovespices
Love cauliflower! And as Italians, we like to roast our veggies, so this is just perfect. Full of flavor and incredibly healthy.
Girl Heart Food
Same here – so yummy! Thanks Nicoletta 🙂
Shannon
I’ve never heard of a jigg’s dinner before. Definitely sounds like something I would enjoy! I love a large helping of vegetables especially if it includes roasted veggies like your tasty looking cauliflower. Thanks for sharing!
Girl Heart Food
It’s a classic Newfoundland dish and so yummy! I bet you would 😉 Thanks Shannon!
Renee Gardner
I can always use another cauliflower recipe and I think this one is just the ticket! Sounds delicious!!
Girl Heart Food
Yay! Thanks Renee 🙂
Anna Hettick
Ok, I see Tahini everywhere lately and I’ve never had it! This Tahini Yogurt sauce looks so good on the roasted cauliflower though! Just might have to give it a try!
Girl Heart Food
Yes! So yummy! Hope you love it, Anna 🙂
Shelley
Oh, Dawn! I’m so excited about this recipe! I absolutely adore roasted cauliflower, and the unique tahini-yogurt sauce here sounds phenomenal! Plus the sweet-tart little flavor bursts from the pretty pomegranate arils! Brilliant! Bonus – it’s so darn easy, too – perfect easy on busy weeknights! Yay!
Girl Heart Food
Yay! So happy to hear that, Shelley 🙂 It’s a favourite for sure!
Courtney
Roasting cauliflower is my favourite way to prepare it. Love all the flavours in this sauce! It sounds like a topper for roasted cauliflower!
Girl Heart Food
Love it too! Thanks Courtney 🙂
lauren
Yes yes yes! Roasted cauliflower is THE BEST. I have a head in my produce drawer and now I know what to do with it. Thank you!
Girl Heart Food
So yummy, right?? Thanks Lauren – enjoy 🙂
Gloria
Oven roasted cauliflower is the BEST. Love the sweetness it produces, along with a little savoury char as well. This looks like the perfect side dish, or fun appetizer with that sauce.
Girl Heart Food
It is! Those little brown, crispy bits are my fave 🙂
Sylvie
It looks delicious! When it comes to oven roasted veggies, Im a sucker for butternut squash with a little bit of balsamic vinegar to help caramelise. So yum!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Sylvie! Yum! Gotta love butternut squash too 🙂
Kay
I LOVE roasted cauliflower! My sister and I are obsessed with roasting it after rubbing it in harissa at the moment. We are eating so much we’re worried we willget bored of it but this Tahini yoghurt dressing sounds incredible and like it could mix up things a little for us. I can’t wait to give it a go! Thanks so much 😀
Girl Heart Food
Yum! Harissa sounds awesome with it! Hope you enjoy this one. Thanks Kay 🙂
Thao @ In Good Flavor
I love roasted vegetables, especially broccoli and brussels sprouts. This looks delicious!! I can eat the whole sheet pan in one sitting. I never heard of jigg’s dinner, but it sounds really good!
Girl Heart Food
Love those too!! I did eat this whole pan of cauliflower for lunch, lol. It was too good 😉 Thanks Thao!
Matt
Looks delicious! Yogurt sauces are seriously some of the best out there! Never thought to try with roasted veggies. Great recipe!
Girl Heart Food
They totally are 🙂 Thanks Matt!
Jolina
Another delicious dish Dawn! Roasting veggies is awesome, brings out their natural sweetness. And that tahini sauce YUM. We love roasting veggies too but we also sometimes steam them and dunk them in sauce (which I realize might defeat the purpose of eating HEALTHY veggies LOL but I’m eating them!). Happy Sunday!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you so much, Jolina!! Hahaha – I hear ya 😉 Have a wonderful week!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
Roasting brings out the very best in vegetables. Those little browned bits look tasty. I love the pops of red from the pomegranate!
Girl Heart Food
It totally does! Thanks Kathy 🙂
Katherine | Love In My Oven
I’m a HUGE fan of roasted veggies too!! I grew up eating vegetables the same way you did! Also, I’m so intrigued by all of these fun Newfoundland classics. I really need to come visit!! Love this dish my friend – pinned!! Have a great weekend! XO
Girl Heart Food
You really do!!! Thanks Katherine! Have a great weekend too! XO
Riz - Chocolates & Chai
Roasted cauliflower was my FAVOURITE vegetable growing up…I’ve never tried it with tahini, and I think it’s time to change that. Thanks for the inspo!
Girl Heart Food
It’s pretty delish! Thanks Riz 🙂
Marissa
We are all about roasting veggies these days. I’m swooning over that tahini yogurt dressing and the sweet pop of pomegranate seeds in this!
You’ve got me interested in that jigg’s dinner too – never heard of it, but it sounds like I’d love it.
Cheers to a wonderful weekend, my friend!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Marissa!! I’m sure you would love it! Have a lovely weekend too 🙂
Nicole
I can never get enough roasted cauliflower! Next time I roast some, I’ll definitely be trying your yogurt sauce. That sounds right up my alley! Happy weekend, Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Nicole!! Happy to hear that 🙂 Have a great weekend too!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
Roasted veggies are my favorite! Although I did grow up eating mostly steamed. But the caramel-y parts on the roasted ones are the best right? I like to let mine stay in the oven longer than they should so every piece is just one sweet caramelized bite. And now I’m adding cauliflower to my shopping list :). Have a great weekend, Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
Totally the best!! Thanks Kelsie! You too 🙂
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
I’m with you Dawn. Definitely trying to increase my veggie consumption this month! And I can totally relate to the boiled veggies. That’s all we ate growing up. Now I’m all about the roasted veggies! And this roasted cauliflower looks great! I’m definitely trying the tahini yogurt sauce. It sounds so versatile. Happy weekend!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Leanne! That sauce really is! Happy weekend to you too 🙂
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
Oven roasted veggies are my favorite Dawn! This cauliflower looks delish and I LOVE that sauce. Can’t wait to try!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Mary Ann! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Sarah
I’m so on a cauliflower kick right now! I roasted a whole head the other day (which was a much bigger pain than I thought- an hour and a half!!!), and we could only eat half of it.. So I turned the rest into soup! This sounds delicious too- tahini is an amazing idea!
Girl Heart Food
Whoa! I beet it tasted awesome, though!! Thanks Sarah 🙂
Milena | Craft Beering
I am with you, Dawn! Best way to eat cauliflower is roasted, then charred on the grill or in a hot, hot pan, then pickled. But roasted is my favorite:) I will try mixing tahini in my yogurt sauce next time, sounds delicious. Cheers to cauliflower and the weekend!
Girl Heart Food
Grilling sounds pretty awesome too! Yum!! Thanks Milena! Have a fantastic weekend 🙂
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
I love what roasting does to vegetables. Like healthy candy 🙂 And that tahini yogurt sauce is perfect!
Girl Heart Food
I hear ya!! Haha – true! Thanks Jennifer 🙂
Tracy | Baking Mischief
Love this! I’m not usually a cauliflower person, but all roasted up like this and with yogurt sauce, it looks so good!! And I’ve never heard of jigg’s dinner, but if I’m ever up that far north, I’ll totally have to try it! 🙂
Girl Heart Food
You definitely would have to!! Thanks Tracy! Hope this recipe changes your mind about cauliflower 😉
David @ Spiced
Roasted veggies are totally how we roll around here, too, Dawn! They’re just so easy and delicious. And there’s something magical that happens when you roast cauliflower. It turns buttery with those crispy brown little bits on the edges…oh yeah, I’m craving this recipe now! And that tahini yogurt sauce sounds like an easy way to boost the flavor!
Girl Heart Food
Definitely! Now, you’re making me hungry, lol! Thanks David! Have a great weekend 🙂
[email protected]
Wow! You’d think there was a sale on tahini! You know what they say…great minds think alike; they must crave alike too! 😉 I adore oven roasted cauliflower and your sauce puts it over the top! Have a great weekend, lovely! XOXO
Girl Heart Food
Haha! Right?? Thanks Annie! You too! XOXO