Oven-roasted cauliflower and cherry tomatoes are transformed into a Mediterranean summer side salad, by adding homemade basil pesto sauce and kalamata olives. The basil pesto sauce is easy to make by just tossing fresh basil, pumpkin seeds or pepitas, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper into a food processor. This is a simple recipe that really bumps up the flavor of fresh summer produce.

At the beginning of the year, I noticed that this lil’ ol’ blog of mine is seriously lacking in many recipe areas. Meaning that there are some meals I just don’t make a whole lot of, or else I just don’t seem to blog about. Breakfast is a major one of these areas that is lacking. Don’t get me wrong y’all, I love a good breakfast just as much as the next person, especially if it’s for dinner, however, I usually tend to stick to the basics which just aren’t that exciting to blog about. Also, you can pretty much bet the farm that if I’m up making a breakfast worth getting excited about, chances are that I don’t want to take the time to keep track of a recipe or take photos while doing it. I just want to eat the darn breakfast and fill my belly.

Up until lately, side dishes were pretty few and far between on this blog as well. That’s mainly because I tend to serve the same ones over and over again for parties, which means that I don’t often focus on developing new recipes. I mean really y’all, it’s just me and B.O.B. Bob, and we can only eat so much potato or pasta salad by ourselves before we get totally sick of it, so I tend to hold off on those types of recipes for when I know other people are going to be around to help us eat them. By the way, make sure to check out our Top 10 #CookoutWeek Summer Side Salads if you’re looking for a new twist on an old favorite. Included in the list are potato salads, pasta salads, cole slaws, and salads made using vegetables. Invite a few friends over and try out one of the recipes on the list, that way you won’t be stuck eating it for an entire week by yourself.

Anyway, back to this summer Mediterranean roasted cauliflower and tomato salad. I came up with this particular recipe for several different reasons. First, I had a head of cauliflower that I let sit in my fridge for almost three weeks and if I didn’t use it for something then I was going to end up throwing it away. Thankfully, it still looked pretty much like it did on the day I purchased it, so I count myself pretty lucky in that department. Secondly, I wanted to try making pesto using pumpkin seeds or pepitas to see if B.O.B. Bob would like it. He’s allergic to all tree nuts, which means pesto is usually something that we never have around here. And lastly, I wanted to make a healthy side dish using lots of vegetables, that would also have tons of flavor but wouldn’t yield enough to literally feed the army of a small country.

Well, I’m going to have to say that this recipe turned out to be a real gem; I can totally see myself making this over and over again and never getting sick of it. I’ve eaten it warm, at room temperature, and cold right out of the fridge. I loved it each time, however, I feel it’s best at room temperature, which also makes this a great recipe to take to a summer picnic, cookout, or barbecue. You won’t have to worry about keeping it refrigerated or on ice. It’s not like a big ol’ potato salad loaded with mayonnaise that you have to make sure doesn’t become picnic poison. Also, this recipe is totally vegan, dairy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free, which will satisfy all the special food-allergy-crazies in your life. Now, I can’t help it if they don’t like olives. I can only do so much.

Ingredients:

Roasted Cauliflower & Tomatoes

• 1 Large Head Cauliflower
• 1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes
• 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Divided)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt (Divided)

Salad:

• 1 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves
• 1/4 Cup Shelled, Roasted, & Salted Pumpkin Seeds or Pepitas
• 3 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
• 1/2 Cup Kalamata Olives, Cut in Half Lengthwise

Directions:

Roasted Cauliflower & Tomatoes:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cut the head of cauliflower in half, remove the core, and discard it. Break the remaining cauliflower into small florets. Place the cauliflower onto a baking sheet, drizzle with 2-tablespoons of olive oil, and then sprinkle with 1/4-teaspoon of salt. Toss to combine.
3. Place the tomatoes on a separate baking sheet, drizzle with 1-tablespoon of olive oil, and then sprinkle with 1/4-teaspoon of salt. Toss to combine.
4. Place both of the baking sheets in the oven on separate racks. Roast for 20 minutes.
5. Remove both of the baking sheets from the oven. Set the tomatoes aside to cool. Stir the cauliflower before putting it back into the oven to roast for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and allow to cool.

Salad:

1. Place the basil and pumpkin seeds or pepitas into a food processor along with the olive oil, vinegar, pepper, and salt. Process for 1 minute.
2. Place the roasted cauliflower and kalamata olives into a large mixing bowl. Pour the sauce over both of them and stir to combine.
3. Add the roasted tomatoes and use a spatula to gently fold them into the salad.

Suggestions:

• Try to break the cauliflower into even-sized florets so that they will roast at the same rate.
• After you break the cauliflower down into florets, you may want to rinse it in a colander to remove any dirt.
• Gently fold the tomatoes into the salad last because they will be practically bursting open after they are roasted.
• I use shelled, roasted, and salted pumpkin seeds or pepitas in this recipe because my darling B.O.B. Bob is allergic to tree nuts. You can replace them with pine nuts if you choose.
• This salad is best served at room temperature and will feed approximately 4 to 6 people.

Improvements:

• Fold feta cheese into this salad along with the roasted tomatoes. Fair warning though, if you do choose to add feta, you may want to leave the salt out of the sauce so that it’s not too salty.
• Serve this salad with these Very Dilly Cod and Carrot Bundles.
• Add a few sliced carrots to the cauliflower when it is roasting.

Print

Yum

Oven-Roasted Cauliflower & Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

Roasted Cauliflower & Tomatoes
• 1 Large Head Cauliflower
• 1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes
• 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Divided)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt (Divided)
Salad:
• 1 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves
• 1/4 Cup Shelled, Roasted, & Salted Pumpkin Seeds or Pepitas
• 3 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
• 1/2 Cup Kalamata Olives, Cut in Half Lengthwise

Directions:

Roasted Cauliflower & Tomatoes:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cut the head of cauliflower in half, remove the core, and discard it. Break the remaining cauliflower into small florets. Place the cauliflower onto a baking sheet, drizzle with 2-tablespoons of olive oil, and then sprinkle with 1/4-teaspoon of salt. Toss to combine.
3. Place the tomatoes on a separate baking sheet, drizzle with 1-tablespoon of olive oil, and then sprinkle with 1/4-teaspoon of salt. Toss to combine.
4. Place both of the baking sheets in the oven on separate racks. Roast for 20 minutes.
5. Remove both of the baking sheets from the oven. Set the tomatoes aside to cool. Stir the cauliflower before putting it back into the oven to roast for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and allow to cool.
Salad:
7. Place the basil and pumpkin seeds or pepitas into a food processor along with the olive oil, vinegar, pepper, and salt. Process for 1 minute.
8. Place the roasted cauliflower and kalamata olives into a large mixing bowl. Pour the sauce over both of them and stir to combine.
9. Add the roasted tomatoes and use a spatula to gently fold them into the salad.

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