Cauliflower has had a major comeback lately. It wasn’t so long ago that it was the lonely last survivor on a party veggie tray, but these days it’s positively sexy. We started roasting cauliflower back when we started this website 9 years ago, and went crazy over the stuff. Roasting makes it tender and almost sweet, and we’ve been using it in recipes for ages. There’s our crispy cauliflower tacos with yum yum sauce, and our Moroccan -spiced cauliflower soup. Basically, we’re junkies. So a cauliflower shawarma recipe? Yes please. And it’s from a cookbook about cauliflower too! Keep reading for the recipe.
About the book: Cauliflower
When we found out our friend Kristin just wrote a Short Stack about Cauliflower, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on a copy. It’s where this cauliflower shawarma comes from. So what’s a Short Stack? Short Stack is a series of small-format cookbooks authored by America’s top culinary talents. Each edition is a collectible, single-subject booklet packed with recipes that offer ingenious new ways to cook our favorite ingredients. The design is spot-on and we’ve seen them in book stores and gift shops. Each subject is written by a different author, and it’s the perfect little gift for someone who loves to cook! Kristin is a dear friend of ours who we first met in person in Seattle, when we both happened to be in the city at the same time. She’s author of the book Modern Potluck (which we featured here) and an overall incredibly lovely person. Her volume is just what we imagined: full of inventive, mouthwatering recipes like Wedge Salad with Buffalo Cauliflower and Bacon and Egg Fried Cauliflower Rice. And of course, this cauliflower shawarma recipe. Order the book: Cauliflower by Kristin Donnelly
Making this cauliflower shawarma recipe
For our recipe to feature, we chose this shawarma pita. We have a weakness for Mediterranean flavors, so this one was right up our alley! Of course, it was fabulous. Roasted, spiced cauliflower is nestled in a warm pita and then smothered in a cool, creamy tahini-yogurt sauce. It was perfect for a light weeknight meal and would go well with a green salad like this one — though we just ate a whole lot of roasted cauliflower instead! To make the cauliflower in this shawarma recipe, you’ll mix cauliflower florets with olive oil, coriander, cumin, and paprika. Then pop them in the oven and roast at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. Once the cauliflower is done, you’ll mix it with chopped cilantro. This cauliflower shawarma recipe is served with a creamy tahini yogurt sauce: which is very easy to whip up while the cauliflower roasts. Simply mix tahini, yogurt, and lemon juice, then whisk in finely grated garlic clove and salt and pepper. It’s similar to our Lemon Tahini Sauce, which you could use if you prefer a vegan recipe.
What is tahini?
What is tahini? It’s a paste made of sesame seeds, typically used in Middle Eastern or Mediterranean dishes. Tahini is perfect for making creamy sauces for salads and tacos, but it’s also fantastic for desserts like cookies or as a replacement for peanut butter for peanut allergies. We use it in many of our vegan recipes as a creamy alternative to dairy.
Looking for more easy dinner recipes?
Outside of this cauliflower shawarma recipe, here are are few of our favorite easy dinner recipes:
Creamy Yogurt Mac and Cheese with SpinachSpiced Chickpea Tacos with Avocado CreamCreamy Vegan Pasta MarinaraRaw Falafel Buddha BowlsRefried Bean Tacos
Did you make this recipe?
If you make this recipe, we’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram and mention @acouplecooks and @kristincdonnelly.
This cauliflower shawarma recipe is…
Vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free bread or pita. 5 from 2 reviews
1 large cauliflower (about 3 pounds) 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon sweet paprika Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 lemon ½ cup chopped cilantro
For the tahini yogurt sauce: (for vegan, sub our Best Tahini Sauce)
¼ cup tahini ½ cup full-fat yogurt 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 small garlic clove Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
Warm pita bread (purchased or homemade), for serving Romaine lettuce, for serving
