Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with flavorful Romesco Sauce over a bed of simply seasoned lentils. A quick and easy sheet pan dinner – vegan, plant-powered, and full of flavor! With a Video. Love cauliflower? Check out our 33+ Best Cauliflower Recipes!
Oh, mirror in the sky what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changin’ ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life? ~Stevie Nicks
We loved this simple vegan dinner the other night and thought I’d share. Roasted Cauliflower nestles in flavorful Romesco Sauce over a bed of simmered lentils. It’s a nutritious meal, full of flavor and goodness, that comes together quickly and easily. Truly the place where healthy meets delicious!
What I love about this recipe is how the Romesco Sauce ingredients roast simultaneously as the cauliflower. While baking away in the oven, the lentils are simmering on the stovetop, giving you a little hands-off time before dinner. Then it’s just a matter of whizzing up the flavorful sauce and assembling. A tasty, easy, vegan sheet pan dinner.
Fall has arrived and I’ve been enjoying these brisk temperatures. Something about it makes me feel very alive. When you see the falling of the leaves, the wilting of the flowers, the dying off of nature, it’s a good reminder of how precious this life is. I know it will end, and in a way, I suppose it must, for it to mean something. And then the questions begin to surface, like, have I loved deeply enough? Or dug down far enough within myself to fully experience this life, or shed enough of what is not real? Big sigh…
Cauliflower Romesco Video
What you’ll need:
- Lentils: FYI- small lentils cook fastest! I love these black caviar lentils– done in 20 minutes!
- Cauliflower- A whole large head cauliflower
- red bell peppers ( or sub roasted red peppers)
- red onion
- garlic cloves
- almonds (Marcona almonds are nice, or toasted hazelnuts)
- extra virgin olive oil
- red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- tomato paste (or sub-sundried tomatoes)
- salt , black pepper and spices: smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, cayenne
- fresh parsley for garnish
How to make Roasted Cauliflower with Romesco Sauce (instructions)
Step one
Preheat the oven and start the lentils cooking on the stovetop. These are the tiny Black caviar lentils that cook in 20 minutes- a lifesaver on busy nights!
Step two
Slice the Cauliflower into ½-¾ inch slices, then trim the leaves, leaving the stem intact. Place on a parchment paper -lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with spray olive oil. If you prefer, you can also cut into florets.
Step three
Make the quick marinade and brush it over the cauliflower and bell pepper, onion and garlic.
Step four
Roast until the stems of the cauliflower are fork-tender.
Step five
When the peppers are collapsing, make the romesco sauce.
Place the pepper, onion, garlic, almonds, spices, olive oil, vinegar, tomato paste and salt in the food processor and pulse.
Blend until well combined but not too smooth.
Optional: Place it in a pan or skillet over low heat to keep warm, and further deepen the flavor.
Step six
Season the lentils with a little olive oil , and slat and pepper to taste.
Step seven
Assemble! Divide lentils among bowls, divide romesco sauce, then top with the roasted cauliflower. Sprinkle with some fresh herbs and you are good to go.
Storage & Serving Suggestions
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator. The sauce and lentils can be frozen. It is a hearty meal, serve on its own or with something light like a leafy green salad!
Hope you are having a beautiful fall week.
love,
More recipes you may enjoy
- Chili Crisp Cauliflower
- Simple Romesco Sauce Recipe
- Our 25 BEST Lentil Recipes! (Plus how to cook Lentils)
- Zaatar Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Green Tahini Sauce
- Lentil Bolognese
- Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Romesco Sauce
Cauliflower Steaks with Romesco Sauce and Lentils
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 3-4
- Category: vegan, main
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: Spanish
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Romesco Sauce over a bed of simply seasoned lentils. A quick and easy sheet pan dinner – vegan, plant-powered, and full of flavor!
Ingredients
Lentils:
- 1 cup dry lentils (beluga, black caviar lentils, french green lentils, etc- small lentils cook the fastest!)
- 6 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- optional additions: garlic cloves, bay leaves, sliced onion, dried herbs ( thyme, oregano)
garnish: drizzle of olive oil
Sheet Pan:
- 1 extra-large cauliflower
- 1 large bell pepper, halved or quartered
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 4–6 fat garlic cloves
Marinade:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Romesco Sauce
- 1/2 cup almonds (Marcona are nice, or sub toasted hazelnuts, walnuts, pinenuts, etc)
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper each, more to taste
- 1/4– 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or chili flakes- add to taste.
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2–4 tablespoons water (to desired consistency)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 F
If making lentils, place water, lentils and salt in a medium pot, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer gently until tender. See notes for additional seasonings. Drain, drizzle with olive oil.
Sheet Pan:
Spray an extra-large, parchment-lined sheet pan with spray olive oil. ( You may need two if using small pans)
Cut a whole cauliflower into ½-¾ inch slices or “steaks”, and then trim the leaves, leaving the stems. (TIP: leaving the leaves on until after slicing, helps them stay together better while you slice). Place these on the sheet pan.
Slice the onion into 1/2 inch thick rings and quarter the bell pepper removing seeds and place on the sheet pan, along with the whole garlic cloves.
In a small bowl mix the marinade ingredients together, then brush liberally over the cauliflower, getting the edges too. Brush any remaining over the onion, garlic and bell pepper.
Bake in the oven until the cauliflower steaks are fork-tender and peppers are tender and collapsing, about 35 minutes, checking on the garlic, halfway through. Remove the garlic when golden, ahead of time if need be.
Romesco Sauce: Place the roasted peppers, onion, garlic, and nuts in a food processor and pulse until chopped. Add the salt and spices, tomato paste, vinegar, olive oil and a little water. Pulse again until well combined, leaving a little texture. Add more water to loosen it and get it saucier- if you like, or keep it thick up to you. Taste and adjust salt and heat level.
Assemble your bowls. Drizzle warm, drained lentils with a little olive oil, and divide among bowls, spoon romesco sauce on the other side of the lentils, top with a couple of cauliflower steaks.
Scatter with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
Feel free to season the lentils with any additional aromatics: adding garlic clove, dried herbs, bay leaves, to the cooking liquid.
Leftovers can be reheated (baked). If reheating the romesco sauce, stir in another tablespoon of water to prevent it from drying out.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: with ⅔ cup lentils
- Calories: 556
- Sugar: 7.8 g
- Sodium: 641.4 mg
- Fat: 34.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 48.8 g
- Fiber: 12.3 g
- Protein: 19.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Have made this several times now and we all love it. This dish is fancy and creative enough for guests too. ❤️ Thank you. Love your recipes.
Awesome Carmen!
delish…….followed the recipe exactly
Awesome, great to hear!
Love it, but 4-6 garlic cloves are too much for us. We find 2 is plenty.
Great- do what is best for you!
I’m not sure which I appreciated more: the stunning presentation or the delicious flavors. This could have easily been the vegetarian special at a trendy farm to fork restaurant and priced at $34! I’ve become a Feasting at Home “groupie.” Last week I made your moqueca, which was equally impressive and also insta-worthy (plated in a shallow bowl, scattered with cilantro and a wedge of lime).
Thanks so much! Very happy you have been enjoying!
Absolutely in love with this dish but for us I found 1 medium cauliflower yields 2, while the rest of the recipe does yield 4. So this recipe would be perfect with 2x cauliflower and 2x marinade.
Thanks Bowie- appreciate the feedback.
Excellent dish! The romesco sauce was the star….my vegan husband loved. Will make on repeat. I roasted the veggies separately to make the sauce ahead of time. The lentils and cauliflower were easy peasy. Thank you, Sylvia!
Thanks Coralle- glad you enjoyed this!
Wonderful! This was a delicious, healthy, beautiful meal. Will definitely make again!
Thanks so much Donna, so glad you enjoyed!
We were underwhelmed. While it was ok, it wasn’t worth the amount of time and effort it took to cook it.
Sorry about that Karen- what do you think could have made it better?
Did not make the lentils but the cauliflower and romesco sauce were very flavorful. Will definitely make again. I doubled the sauce which ended up being more than I expected but I’m trying to freeze some and will see how it is when I defrost.
Great idea to freeze some sauce Nicola!
This is delicious! Love that sauce! I used urad dal (black gram) instead of lentils, included the suggested garlic and herbs when cooking it, and it went brilliantly.
Perfect Chris- so happy you enjoyed this!
Hi! I am allergic to Bell Peppers (all) what would you substitute for the red peppers in the sauce? I would love to make this recipe. Also like more veggies with my meals, what others would you recommend to go with this meal? Thank you so much!
Hi Shane! You may be able to sub-roasted roma tomatoes here for the bell pepper. To me it is a complete meal, maybe serve with a leafy green salad?
Full of flavor and so easy! Only had red lentils but they worked just fine. Comfort food at its best. Thank you for another delicious meal😊
Thanks, Michelle! Glad you enjoyed this!
This is absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for such a yummy recipe!
This is now a regular dish in our home.
Awesome Jen! Glad you enjoyed this~!
Delicious! My new favourite roasted cauliflower recipe. I’ve never made romesco sauce before; will definitely be making it more often now. Thanks for another awesome recipe Sylvia.
Glad you gave this a go Victoria! It’s fun to try new things!
Just a note to ask, aren’t the roasted red bells missing from the ingredient list in the romesco sauce ingredients? Mentioned in the instructions, but I think missing from the list?
Hi Michele, it is listed under the “Sheet Pan” heading. Easy to miss. 🙂
Thanks! I reread three times before I saw it there. Duh to me! 🙂 Thanks for the always wonderful recipes.
No worries, I do the same thing, ALL the time. 😉
Easy and delicious. Even our picky eater was begging for more.
Love it!
This is unbelievable good!! I doubled the marinade so I’d have good coverage. What a delicious dinner!
thanks so much Karen!
This recipe is just stunning. Thank You very much for Sharing
So happy you enjoyed this Vanna!
Loved this recipe! I recommend doubling the Romesco sauce, it was so tasty I wanted to add it to other meals 🙂
Great idea Devon!
This was amazing! I had never tasted romesco sauce before and wasn’t sure about adding almonds, but it was delicious. I sautéed zucchini as a side and it also tasted great with the romesco sauce. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
Glad you enjoyed Sarah!
Made this tonight. So-o-o-o flavourful, delicious and balanced!!! Ohhh, that sauce…yummy. I can imagine it on other proteins. Since you suggested toasted hazelnuts as an alt for Marcona almonds, I used whole blanched almonds and lightly toasted them to bring out their flavour. That seemed to work really well.
Thanks for all your terrific, inspiring recipes.
Glad you enjoyed this Marilyn!
Absolutely brilliant! Our vegan friend was very happy with it too, and the leftovers we had on the second day were perhaps even better. Thank you do much for your gorgeous recipes 🙂
thanks so much Ina!
10 stars!!! 🙂
Hubby LOVED it, and so did I!
Thanks Christy!
This meal is a new favorite in our house – Thank you! Happy to have stumbled onto your blog – can’t wait to try more recipes from you!
Hi Dana, Great to hear!
This was delicious and so easy. I love a sheet pan meal and this one is exceptional. Just two of us so I cut the Cauliflower in half but may make the other half later this week it was so good.
Wonderful Mary, thanks!