Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Zaatar and Tahini Sauce– a healthy vegan side dish bursting with Middle Eastern flavors! Easy and delicious! Paleo and Keto friendly!
In this easy recipe, Whole Roasted Cauliflower is drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with Zaatar Spice then roasted in the oven until tender and golden. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and drizzle with Everyday Tahini Sauce. A healthy, delicious vegan side dish you will fall in looooooooooove with!
You can trim the stem of the cauliflower and keep it upright for added drama, or simply slice it off for easier roasting.
After seasoning the cauliflower, pour a cup of water in the pan and cover tightly with foil. Roast in a 425F oven for 45-55 minutes, depending on the size.
You can also cut the cauliflower into steaks or break into florets….but if wanting to try something different and fun, roast the cauliflower whole in the oven, allowing the crust to get a little crispy and golden.
Remove the foil, then bake another half hour until deliciously golden and crispy.
Top with fresh herbs like parsley and/or dill.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce
Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Zaatar Spice and Tahini Sauce– a healthy vegan side dish bursting with Middle Eastern flavor. Easy and delicious!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: side dish, vegan side dish
- Method: roasted
- Cuisine: middle eastern
Ingredients
- 1 whole cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon zaatar spice ( or try dukkah!) ( or try a mix of coriander, cumin and optional sumac)
- 1 cup water
- 1 Batch TAHINI SAUCE ( go to recipe)
- Garnish with fresh herbs – parsley, dill and or mint, sprinkle with optional aleppo chili flakes, drizzle with this optional Tahini sauce!
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425F.
Trim the cauliflower – either cutting off the stem (easier) or leaving it intact, trimming and slicing the bottom so it stands up strait.
Place it in an oven proof skillet. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil all over the cauliflower, sprinkle with salt and Zaatar spice. Pour one cup of water into the bottom of the pan.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45-55 minutes. Smaller cauliflowers heads will take 45 minutes. Use your best judgement. 🙂
Make the Everyday Tahini Sauce! Follow link to recipe.
Very carefully take the foil off, minding the hot steam (it will burn!). Drizzle with a little more olive oil, place back in the oven for 30 minutes, perhaps rotating halfway through. At this point it should be deeply golden, but if not, continue roasting until it is, another 10-15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh herbs, optional aleppo chili flakes, and either drizzle the tahini sauce over the whole thing right in the pan, or cut it up, like a cake, into wedges and serve the tahini sauce on the side.
Enjoy!
Keywords: whole roasted cauliflower, roasted cauliflower with tahini sauce, zaatar cauliflower, roasted cauliflower with dukkah, roasted cauliflower with Zaatar Spice, how to roast a whole cauliflower.
I can’t wait to try this. What would you recommend to have with it?
You could serve it with a big salad, or the Sauteed Greens with Basmatic Rice? So many options!
How do you make the sauce?
Follow the link to the Tahini Sauce Recipe. 🙂
Can i prepare the whole roasted cauliflower with dukkah spices instead of zaatar spice because of its unavailability during the lockdown. TIA.
★★★★★
Yes, love it!
I overcooked the cauliflower, but the family loved it. The tahini sauce is soooo good.
★★★★★
Yay Karen!!! I think I just saw it on Instagram? Looked great!
So good. Loved the presentation of keeping it whole and roasting upright
★★★★★
Glad you liked it!
If i could give this 10 stars I would. Exquisite.
★★★★★
Everyone loved this. Simple, and tasty!
★★★★★
Whoaaa, this looks AWESOME! And those photos are jaw-dropping gooooorgeous!!
Woaaa, that’s one goodlooking cauliflower right there. Impressive flavors and the tahini sounds so delicious in the dish.
This is the most epic looking cauliflower dish. Sounds delicious too!
This is so impressive and different! I can tell it is delicious too! Pinning 🙂
Neat!! This sounds awesome!