Roasted Cauliflower, Date, Red Onion & Parsley Salad
This Roasted Cauliflower and Date salad might sound like a strange combination, but the flavours work incredibly well together. This is a great make ahead salad that you can enjoy as a packed lunch or take to a barbecue or potluck. It takes just 30 minutes to make and is Whole30, Vegan and Paleo!
If you check my fridge at any point on any day you are guaranteed to find at least 2 heads of cauliflower. I seem to have developed a fear that inspiration for a new crazy cauliflower recipe will strike and god forbid, I will have to walk to the grocery store to buy cauliflower (which is about 40 meters from my front door).
Anyways long story short, this recipe came about from having a fridge full of cauliflower that was starting to go bad. I wasn’t planning on creating something to share on the site, but this turned out so well, I knew you guys would love it.
Cauliflower florets are tossed in paprika and oregano and then baked in the oven until tender and golden in colour.
The cauliflower florets are then added to a bowl along with lots of fresh parsley, chopped dates for a nice kick of sweetness, crunchy toasted pine nuts and thinly sliced red onion. I absolutely love this combination of flavours, it seems like a bit of an odd mix but they taste fantastic when eaten all together. I recommend using medjool dates, but if you don’t have any then raisins would also work.
Everything for the Roasted Cauliflower and Date Salad is then tossed in a light lemon, tahini and apple cider vinegar dressing. I have been trying to create more Whole30 recipes, so I skipped adding any honey, but if you find this too tart, then feel free to add a teaspoon in. That being said I think that the dates are so sweet that the slightly tart dressing is a nice contrast.
Truthfully I am really not sure what to classify this recipe as. I think that it tastes just as good warm and served as a side dish as it does cold and enjoyed as a salad. I will leave this one up to you guys to decide. The leftover are delicious and will last a few days, so make extra if you can, you won’t regret it.
Here are a few other easy salads that you might enjoy…
- Creamy Cauliflower Faux-Tato Salad
- Pesto Zoodle Salad with Prosciutto & Pine Nuts
- Roasted Fennel & Green Bean Salad
- Grilled Zucchini & Asparagus Salad
- Carrot Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
- Asian Broccoli Salad
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Roasted Cauliflower, Dates, Red Onion & Parsley Salad
Ingredients
Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Salad
- 1/3 cup dates, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius)
- In a bowl toss the cauliflower florets in olive oil and then sprinkle with paprika, oregano and salt. Toss the florets with your hands to make sure they are evenly coated. Lay the cauliflower out on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and golden in colour.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, in a bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, apple cider vinegar, tahini, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Once the cauliflower is cooked, remove from the oven and place it in a bowl along with the dates, red onion, pine nuts and parsley. Pour the vinaigrette overtop and toss until all coated. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Absolutely love this yummy recipe! I’m quite surprised at how delicious it is because I am normally not a big cauliflower fan. It’s 5 star in my opinion!
I’ve made this recipe several times now, it’s such a delicious side dish and easy to make!
I’ve been contemplating making this for a while now. As a vegetarian, I found that this salad was filling enough for a weeknight meal on it’s own. It has a very unique combination of ingredients, which all complimented each other wonderfully. This is definitely something that will be in my regular rotation moving forward! Loved it!
We love this recipe! I have brought it as a side dish to many events, and everyone always asks for the recipe. It’s really unique, and so delicious. Anyone who says they “don’t like cauliflower” will be converted from this recipe. Yum!
Delicious! I didn’t have dates. I had frozen ate paste and out som in the dressing. I also added some chopped cucumber. This salad is herbaceous, sweet and spicy. The fresh parsley out of my garden made the taste really pop.
I have made this several times already! It is absolutely delicious! My family loves it and it goes well with just about anything! Thank you for sharing!
Love this recipe. It worked really well with bbqd pork chops, given the sweetness of the dates. Also good with my vegetarian sausages
Wow. Just…WOW. I have never left a comment on any of the hundreds of recipes I’ve found online…but this is my exception!
I started the Whole30 this week and was already bored to death of the usual veggie side dishes I was making…until I tried this cauliflower dish. It was so easy to make but tasted like I bought it from the deli counter at Whole Foods or something. It’s so sophisticated yet a comfort food at the same time. As you can tell, I love this food, hahaha! Thanks so much for sharing it.
You made my day!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
OUTSTANDING!!!! I paired this salad with ground lamb sautéed with cumin, Garlic, turmeric, paprika, salt and pepper 👍👍👍 best combination ever!!!! This salad is out of this world. The dates add the perfect sweetness!
That sounds like such a delicious pairing with the lamb! Thank you for such a kind comment, I am so happy that you liked the salad!
I made this an LOVED it. Such a good recipe. I did not find it too acidic – didn’t add honey, and squeezed extra lemon over each serving. Thanks for such an unusual and yummy recipe. This will be in my regular rotation and have shared with friends.
This is a fabulous recipe! Our family absolutely loves it and I have now added it to our regular dinner rotation. I add about a pound of sautéed chicken (cut into bite-sized pieces) and increase the dressing by 50% so there is plenty. Thanks for sharing!
Yea! So happy that it is a hit with the family!
I’ve been looking for something “different” and I think this will be amazing – do you think I could use almond butter rather than tahini? I just really don’t like the taste of tahini. Thanks!
You could definitely try! Or maybe something like sunflower butter could also work? To be honest the tahini flavour isn’t very strong in the dressing so you might not even notice it.
This is great! My only suggestion is to double recipe. You’ll want enough for leftovers.
Haha great advice! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
This looks yum – do you think you can make it a day in advance?
Yes definitely! The only thing that might slightly wilt is the parsley which you would always hold off adding until right before serving.
Carmen We loved this! Just made it today…the dates were a great addition. Thanks!
So happy to hear that you enjoyed it Leslie!
This is a winner! I added some feta and fresh mint from my garden, and everything just popped.
Oohh I bet the feta and mint were a delicious addition! So happy you enjoyed the salad!
I have not tried yet, though your blend of ingredient taste profile conjures up memory of a German fauxtato salad to which I added chopped Granny Smith apples.
Ooohh Granny Smith apples would be a fantastic addition to this flavour combination!
This is delicious!!
Thank you!!
This is so delicious! We had some left-over sautéed green beans that I halved and added to the cauliflower, and they were a great addition! We served this as a main dish with some roasted beets and a green salad. Our family of 3 (two adults, one child) ate it all! I completely agree with you that the honey in the dressing is unnecessary. Once you take a bite of salad, the dates supply all the sweetness you need. This recipe is a winner. We’ll definitely be making it again soon. Thank you!
Yea!! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this salad Johanna! I love getting comments like this!
This looks incredible….I am vegan, but my doctor just recommended I try the SCD to help with some allergy issues I have, so I will be looking out for recipes like these 🙂
Thanks Chelsea. If you click on Recipes by Diet on my homepage and scroll down there is a whole section of Vegan recipes that are all SCD. Good luck on the diet and let me know if you give any of my recipes a try!