Mediterranean Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

Warm cauliflower salad with sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and crispy chickpeas all tossed in a miso dressing. It's all in a cast iron skillet.

Mediterranean Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

A warm Mediterranean salad of roasted cauliflower, feta cheese, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and crispy chickpeas. It's hearty enough to be a vegetarian main dish, and delicious enough to eat every day. If you air fry the cauliflower and pan fry the chickpeas, this is a 30-minute meal.

Course Vegetarian entree

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword Mediterranean cauliflower salad

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 483.5kcal

Author Susan Pridmore

Equipment

Ingredients

Salad

1 large head cauliflower
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt or ½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 ½ cups cooked chickpeas or roasted chickpeas if you have them on hand
3 cloves garlic minced
½ cup thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes
⅓ cup halved kalamata olives
¼ cup diced red onion
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram or oregano *or 2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley see Ingredient Notes

Oregano Dressing

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt or ⅛ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Salad

Preheat the oven to 400° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.
Remove any leaves and excess stalk from the bottom of the cauliflower head. Divide into florets that are the size of 1 to 2 bite pieces. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and half of the salt and pepper, and arrange on one of the prepared baking sheets.
Roast for about 30 minutes, flipping over once, halfway through roasting, until tender and starting to brown.
Alternative: If you have an air fryer, cook the cauliflower at 400˚F for 10 - 15 minutes.
Toss the cooked chickpeas with the remaining olive oil, salt, pepper, and all of the paprika.
Spread on the other prepared baking sheet, and roast for about 20-25 minutes until lightly crispy. Don't worry if some of them begin to spit.
Alternative: Pan roast the chickpeas in the skillet over medium heat until lightly charred.
Pro tip: The above steps can be done up to 5 days ahead. Store the cauliflower and chickpeas in the refrigerator until needed.
In a medium skillet over medium high heat, add the remaining tablespoon olive oil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted chickpeas, and roasted cauliflower. Sauté until warmed. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Top with the olives, red onions, feta cheese, and fresh marjoram (or oregano or parsley), and toss with ⅔ of the Oregano Vinaigrette (below).
Serve the remaining Vinaigrette on the side.

Oregano Dressing

Whisk together all the of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. This can be made 2 weeks ahead and refrigerated.

Nutrition