A quick, easy roasted cauliflower salad recipe with orzo and roasted red pepper. Served with a basil pesto tahini sauce

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Easy, Warm Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Orzo and Roasted Red Peppers in a basil pesto tahini sauce. This salad recipe makes me fall in love with cauliflower all over again. Version 2

Cauliflower is my favorite vegetable to eat!

But, I also realize that I use it mostly in Indian cooking

Its one of those veggies that can work in all kinds of cuisines, so, I put it in this orzo salad recipe….

… and I can’t believe how delicious it turned out!

Tips for making these roasted cauliflower salad

– If you have the time, make the basil pesto at home. Use my basil pesto recipe (you can skip the scallions just for this time 🙂 ).

– If you don’t have time, the store bought (affiliate link) vegan basil pesto in a bottle will work so well in this recipe. I recommend staying away from the tube version

– The tahini can also be homemade or get the store bought recipe. If you use the store bought recipe, adjust the water depending on the thickness of the tahini

– Cut the cauliflower florets as small as possible. They will roast faster and its easier to eat with a spoon. I recommend using a (affiliate link) cauliflower cutting knife for a very easy experience.

– You can make the roasted cauliflower salad ahead of time, and add the basil pesto tahini when ready to serve

– This recipe includes a big batch of basil pesto tahini. You won’t use all of it, so, the rest can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks and used in any pasta recipe

– I only used a half of red bell pepper, but, it would be ok to use the whole red pepper. Roast the whole bell pepper, cut it open, de-seed it and then dice them before adding to the salad

– Any leftover bell pepper and cauliflower can be put into a homemade pickles recipe

Why I love this Roasted Cauliflower Salad

I have never tried putting pesto and cauliflower together before. So, when I was experimenting with this roasted cauliflower salad recipe, I fell in love with the combination. I think that explains why I had a string of new and old pesto recipes on my blog.

The part I love about being a food blogger is that I get to experiment with all kinds of ingredients that, instinctively, may not go well together. However, after experimenting with them, they turn into a delicious fusion recipe.

So, trust me, basil pesto and tahini make for a very creamy good fusion recipe. This sauce was perfect way to coat the roasted cauliflower and orzo.

It also made me appreciate cauliflower in a whole new way. I think this is a great way to change up the same old cauliflower

Related: Have you tried my Paneer Pizza recipe.

Other Ingredients to add in this roasted cauliflower salad recipe

– Roasted or steamed broccoli

– Capers (as garnish)

– Red onions (diced)

– Roasted chickpeas

– Butternut Squash

– Arugula, spinach, kale or any other greens (cooked)

Some of my favorite cauliflower recipes

After you have tried this roasted cauliflower salad, I recommend you try some of my other favorites. Which one is your favorite?

– Cauliflower Rice Biryani

– Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup

– Sweet and Sour Vegetables

– Cauliflower curry (fair warning, this was one of my very early recipes. The images are really bad, but, the recipe is delicious 🙂 )

More Orzo Recipes

Orzo is not an ingredient I have used frequently on my blog. But, in my experience, its one of the easiest pastas to work with. So, I am making a note to use it more frequently in my cooking. Being so small, I think orzo can work in many recipes, like orzo soups, orzo salad, as a stuffing, or even as a dessert.

Version One of Roasted Cauliflower Salad



Occasionally, I will go back into older recipes and update them for SEO purposes and just to refresh them, especially the images.

Today’s roasted cauliflower salad recipe got a complete overhaul of the old recipe. I added a few more ingredients to the recipe and removed the turmeric. The updated version is more wholesome and hearty.

This recipe was originally published on August 31st, 2015 at 12:03am. You can see the full old recipe by clicking here to go to the Wayback Machine.

This recipe is so versatile. It works as a quick lunch recipe, main course meal or a side dish. How do you plan to use this roasted cauliflower salad?

P/S: if you try the new roasted cauliflower salad recipe, be sure to rate it below in the comments. I always love hearing about your experiences with my recipes.



