Spice rubbed cauliflower steaks, roasted and served on top of a lentil salad, with a drizzle of tahini dressing.
This dinner can be completely made ahead, except for the cauliflower steaks, making this a great weeknight dinner, or for a dinner party.
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Cauliflower steaks is one of my favorite easy dinners. I've made pesto cauliflower steaks, and simmered them in balsamic tomatoes. Sometimes, I just baste them with browned butter in a skillet and top them with gremolata breadcrumbs.
And sometimes I make them with a warm lentil salad.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minutes meal or less.
There are 3 components to this recipe. For the all of the ingredients, measurements and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
Cauliflower Steaks
- Cauliflower
- Herbs and Spices - salt, pepper, Ancho chile powder and parsley, or you could make a chipotle spice rub to keep on hand.
- Pumpkin seeds - I use roasted pepitas that I make myself.
Lentil Salad
- Lentils - French green lentils are great in this salad because they hold their shape, but you can use brown lentils if you prefer them.
- Sherry wine vinegar
- Garlic
- Tomato - I like to use cherry tomatoes, and cut them in half.
- Green onions
- Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Tahini
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
- Maple syrup
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🔪 Recommended Equipment
- Baking sheet - for roasting the cauliflower steaks
- Parchment paper
- Chef's knife
- Small skillet - to roast the pepitas (pumpkin seeds).
- Electric pressure cooker or medium pot - to cook the lentils
- Whisk
📝 Instructions Overview
Detailed instructions for making this cauliflower steaks and lentil salad recipe are in the recipe card below, but here's a quick overview!
Step 1
Roast the cauliflower steaks. Assuming you'll cook the lentils in an electric pressure cooker, such as the Instant Pot, start this recipe by slicing the cauliflower head into steaks and roasting them.
If you plan to cook the lentils on the stovetop, start them cooking before roasting the cauliflower steaks.
Step 2
Sauté pepitas. While the cauliflower steaks roast, pan roast the pumpkin seeds (pepitas).
Step 3
Make the lentil salad. Cook the lentils in an electric pressure cooker and drain. Whisk together the lentil salad dressing ingredients and toss with the warm lentils, tomatoes and scallions.
Step 4
Whisk up the tahini dressing. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the lemon tahini dressing.
Step 5
Assemble. Spoon some warm lentil salad on each plate and top with a cauliflower steak. Drizzle with the lemon tahini dressing, and top with pepitas and chopped parsley.
⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
This recipe looks more time consuming than it is, but because there are 3 separate parts to it (cauliflower steaks, lentil salad and dressings), you may want some tips to simplify it.
- Purchase lentils already cooked or cook them up to 5 days ahead of time, and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. I cook mine in the Instant Pot, but you can cook lentils on the stove top too.
- Use Umbrian lentils in place of the French green lentils. They are similar, in that they hold their shape well when cooked. But they cook up much faster. If you're unfamiliar with them, check out this Umbrian lentils recipe!
- Make the lentil salad dressing ahead of time.
- Eliminate the lemon tahini dressing, or make it up to 1 week ahead of time, and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. You can also purchase a tahini dressing already bottled.
- Pan-roast the pumpkin seeds (pepitas) ahead of time.
🥩 For the Meat Eaters at the Table
Add slices of sausage to the warm lentil salad
📝 Final Notes
If you want to roast an entire head of cauliflower, you must check out this whole roasted cauliflower, Middle Eastern style, with a spicy sauce and served with tahini sauce.
And here's another type of veggie steak - roasted cabbage steaks, rubbed with garlic.
Cauliflower Steaks with Lentils
Equipment
- 6-Quart Electric Pressure Cooker, such as the Instant Pot for cooking the lentils
Ingredients
Cauliflower Steaks
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or ⅛ teaspoon table salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
- ¼ teaspoon Ancho chili powder, or smoky paprika
- ¼ cup roasted pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas
Lentil Salad
- 1 cup dry French green lentils (to make 2 cups cooked)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided (½ teaspoon sea salt)
- 3 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Roma tomato, chopped
- 3 scallions white and light green parts, thinly sliced
Lemon Tahini Dressing
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
- 2 large garlic cloves smashed and minced
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prep the cauliflower. Remove the leaves of the cauliflower using a sharp knife, and trim the bottom of the stem. Turn the cauliflower upside down, and slice the steaks through the central stem. For a large cauliflower, you may be able to cut 3 or 4 (½" - ¾" thick) steaks. For a smaller cauliflower you may only get 2 steaks that stay intact.
- Ready the cauliflower for roasting. Arrange the cauliflower steaks on the baking sheet, and rub the olive oil over the both sides of the cauliflower steaks.Lightly sprinkle with salt, pepper and Ancho pepper powder.
- Roast the cauliflower. Roast for 20 minutes for ½" - ¾" steaks, or 30 minutes for 1" steaks, or until they reach the tenderness you prefer. Flip the steaks once during roasting.
- Cook the lentils. While the steaks roast, cook the lentils. I cook mine in the Instant Pot. To do this, pour 3 cups of water into the inner pot of an electric pressure cooker, and add the dry lentils plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Seal the pressure cooker, and cook on high for 6 minutes. Perform a natural release, and drain.If you cook lentils on the stove top, here are some directions for cooking them.
- Roast the pumpkin seeds. Pan roast the pumpkin seeds if you don't have them on hand. The link here, provides great directions for easily doing this.
- Make the lentil salad. Whisk together the sherry wine vinegar, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, and garlic. Whisk in the olive oil. Place the warm lentils in a bowl, and add the tomatoes and scallions. Toss with the dressing.
- Make the Lemon Tahini Dressing. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Serve. When the steaks are done, serve them over the warm lentil salad, and top them with the lemon tahini dressing, and roasted pumpkin seeds.
imsen
Girlfriend . . .yum! This is a great weeknight dinner. It came together quickly, and the earthy flavors and differing textures make it more than the sum of its parts. My husband loved it, and I will definitely make it again.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so glad! And thanks so much for letting me know how much you guys liked it!