This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
This roasted tomato chickpea cauliflower salad is a vibrant, mid-winter side dish, made with minimal (and familiar) ingredients. It is vegan, grain-free & high in protein, too.
Lush summer produce is months away, but that doesn’t mean winter vegetables need to be boring. With a bit of ingenuity and (you”ll be happy to know) minimal time and effort, you can fall in love with a plateful of produce, even when bitter winds are blowing and the snow is piled high.
My Cherry Tomato, Chickpea Cauliflower Salad is a perfect example.
The ingredients are familiar and readily available, with nary a bag of iceberg lettuce in sight!
Recipe Benefits
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- High Protein (9.5 grams per serving)
- High fiber (9.6 grams per serving)
- Grain-Free
- Gluten-Free
- No lettuce (great for mid-winter!)
- Easy to prepare
Ingredients
The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.
- Chickpeas (canned, or cooked from scratch)
- Fresh cauliflower
- Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
- Olive oil (or avocado oil, coconut oil, or the oil of your choice)
- Fresh garlic
- Rosemary
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh lemon (the juice and grated zest)
- salt & pepper
Cauliflower, ground in a food processor to couscous consistency, provides the backbone of the salad. Sauté it in a scant amount of olive oil–punctuated with garlic and rosemary–and you have a delicious side-dish on it own! Even children who (think) they do not like cauliflower will love it. But keep adding on the ingredients to make this salad.
Adding to the salad’s mosaic of colors, flavors and textures are cherry tomatoes and chickpeas.
Roast Tomatoes to Enhance Flavor
Cherry tomatoes in winter? I know, bland and hard as rocks. Unless you roast them! A short spell in the oven renders them sweet and unctuous. Yum. Chickpeas roast alongside the tomatoes, becoming crisp-toasty.
Step by Step Directions
Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.
- Preheat oven to 400F (200C).Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arange the cherry tomatoes on one side of sheet and the chickpeas on the other. Drizzle the tomatoes and chickpeas with 1 teaspoon olive oil each; use your hands to toss and coat. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt.
- Roast for 19 to 23 minutes until chickpeas are browned and tomatoes are bursting. Cool slightly or entirely.
- Working in batches, process the cauliflower in a food processor until the pieces have the texture of rice or couscous.
- Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the caulfower, garlic and rosemary. Cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, tomatoes and chickpeas to the cauliflower, gently tossing to combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve slightly warm, room temperature or chilled.
Dig in! This glorious salad will add instant cheer to mealtime, whether at the end of a long, cold, day, or as a lunchtime pick-me-up. It is equally delicious warm, room temperature or chilled.
Happy eating!
Related Recipes
Roasted Tomato Chickpea Cauliflower Salad (High Protein)
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, (from a 15-ounce can, or scratch, drained)
- fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 small head cauliflower, trimmed, cut into pieces
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 1/2 cup chipped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 medium lemon, juiced and zest grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arange the cherry tomatoes on one side of sheet and the chickpeas on the other. Drizzle the tomatoes and chickpeas with 1 teaspoon olive oil each; use your hands to toss and coat. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt.
- Roast for 19 to 23 minutes until chickpeas are browned and tomatoes are bursting. Cool slightly or entirely.
- Working in batches, process the cauliflower in a food processor until the pieces have the texture of rice or couscous.
- Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the caulfower, garlic and rosemary. Cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, tomatoes and chickpeas to the cauliflower, gently tossing to combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve slightly warm, room temperature or chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
Thanks so much for your prompt reply and adding the instructions for making the cauli couscous.. Made this and was absolutely delicious and easy to make. In fact, making it again this week! We loved it!!
Wonderful, Xena!!!
Hi – this look great but I think the instructions for making the cauliflower couscous are missing.
Do you process it first before cooking it in the frying pan with the rosemary and garlic? This wasn’t clear in the directions. Please clarify when you get a moment – thanks!
Oh my goodness, thank you Xena! Instructions have been added. 🙂