Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce

This whole roasted cauliflower is coated in a spicy tandoori paste before cooking and then served with a creamy tahini sauce for an impressive vegetarian main course that's healthy too!

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Roasted Whole Cauliflower

This whole roasted cauliflower is so much more flavourful and delicious than I was expecting it to be. I'm willing to admit that I was pretty sceptical about the whole concept before I tried it.

I mean, I love vegetarian food but the idea of cooking a whole cauliflower like this and it being filling and satisfying enough to be a whole meal just seemed like a step too far.

So I was happily surprised when we decided to give it a go (at Will's request) and it turned out super flavourful, thanks to the spicy tandoori paste, and tender after a long roasting time.

So to make this whole roasted cauliflower I followed a method from Minimalist Baker to get the cauliflower fully coated in the paste and get it cooked perfectly.

I mixed together all the tandoori paste ingredients and then poured most of the paste on the cauliflower while it was upside down to get it to run in between all the florets then flipped it over and coated with the rest of the paste.

Then it was simply a case of roasting until cooked through. We had a large head of cauliflower so it took about an hour to get it tender in the middle.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce Ingredients:

• Whole Cauliflower: We used a large head of cauliflower but you could use a smaller one if you prefer, just adjust the cooking time if you get a smaller one
• Tandoori Paste: This paste is made from yoghurt, ground coriander, paprika, cumin, fennel, turmeric, curry powder, garlic, ginger and lemon for a full on flavour explosion!
• Tahini Sauce: The simple sauce served with this cauliflower is simply made from yoghurt (use extra in the dip for this breaded fish), tahini (add leftover to this baked aubergine), lemon juice and garlic

How to roast a whole cauliflower?

1. Prep the cauliflower: Heat the oven and put a pan of water in the bottom of the oven. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, turn it upside down and cut away as much of the stalk as you can while keeping the cauliflower together.
2. Coat the cauliflower with the tandoori paste: Place the cauliflower on a baking sheet upside down, whisk together the tandoori paste ingredients and pour ¾ of the paste over the cauliflower then turn the right way up and coat the rest of the cauliflower with the paste.
3. Roast the cauliflower: Put the cauliflower in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Whisk together the sauce ingredients while the cauliflower is roasting. Serve the cauliflower with the sauce.

How long does it take to roast a whole cauliflower?

Depending on the size of the cauliflower it can take between 45 minutes to an hour to roast a whole cauliflower. You can test whether the cauliflower is cooked by inserting a skewer through the centre, if it goes through easily then the cauliflower is ready to eat.

Want more? Try these other cauliflower recipes!

• Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
• Chipotle Cauliflower Tacos with Greek Yoghurt Slaw
• Winter Vegetable Buddha Bowl
• Biryani with Cauliflower & Chickpeas
• Creamy Cauliflower Soup
• Creamy Cauliflower Curry in the Pressure Cooker
• Roasted Cauliflower Pasta with Zingy Dressing
• Cauliflower Salad with Hummus
• Cauliflower Fritters with Tahini Yoghurt Dip
• Creamy Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry
• Cheesy Cauliflower Steak with Pine Nuts

Recipe

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce

This whole roasted cauliflower is coated in a spicy tandoori paste before cooking and then served with a creamy tahini sauce for an impressive vegetarian main course that's healthy too! 

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 136kcal

Author: Amy Fulwood

Ingredients

• 1 large head Cauliflower

Tandoori Paste

• 180 g Yoghurt
• 2 tablespoon Oil
• 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• ½ teaspoon Cumin
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric
• ½ teaspoon Curry Powder
• 2 cloves Garlic crushed
• 1 teaspoon Ginger chopped
• ½ Lemon juiced
• Salt and Pepper

Tahini Coriander Sauce

• 120 g Yoghurt
• 2 tablespoon Tahini
• ½ Lemon juiced
• 1 clove Garlic crushed

UK Measures - US Measures

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F, place a pan of water in the bottom of the oven. Peel the leave away from the cauliflower then turn upside down and cut away the bottom of the stalk making sure to keep the head of cauliflower in tact. Place on a baking sheet or in an oven proof skillet.
• Mix together all the ingredients for the tandoori paste and season to taste. Turn the cauliflower upside down and pour ¾ of the paste over the bottom of the cauliflower and allow it to run throughout all the cauliflower stalks. Turn the cauliflower the right way up and brush on the rest of the paste as well as any that ran off into the pan.
• Put the cauliflower in the oven and cook for 50 minutes to an hour until tender. While that's cooking mix together the ingredients for the sauce. Serve with naan and rice if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 136 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g14%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Cholesterol 6mg2%

Sodium 55mg2%

Potassium 420mg12%

Carbohydrates 10g3%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 240IU5%

Vitamin C 57.1mg69%

Calcium 95mg10%

Iron 1.1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

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