Mediterranean Cauliflower Bowls
on Mar 24, 2020, Updated Sep 18, 2024
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These vegan Mediterranean cauliflower bowls are loaded with nutrition, flavor and texture. They feature roasted cauliflower, quinoa tabouli, kale, olives, pickled red onions and creamy tahini sauce.
Ingredient Notes
Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need to make this salad:
- Quinoa tabouli. This is a simple tabouli salad made with quinoa, parsley, mint, tomato and cucumber. If you’re missing the mint, no problem but it is a nice touch. For an alternative that happens to be grain-free, try this mashed chickpea tabouli salad.
- Roasted cauliflower. The cauliflower is roasted with olive oil, lemon and spices but can be made oil-free by replacing the oil with a splash of vegetable broth for roasting.
- Quick pickled onions. All you need is onions and vinegar.
- Kale. Kale is sturdy so works well for leftovers and meal prep. Spinach makes a suitable replacement but won’t hold up as well as kale for leftovers.
- Olives. I think kalamata olives are best here but green or black olives would also be suitable. Not an olive fan? No problem, just leave them out. You could try some roasted red peppers instead (or add the peppers in addition to everything else!).
Recipe Method
Here’s the flow I would recommend making this recipe:
- Boil water and pour over the sliced onions and vinegar, let those sit for 15 minutes.
- While the onions are soaking, prep the cauliflower and get it in the oven.
- Start cooking the quinoa. While it’s cooking, finish making the pickled onions and set those aside then prep the ingredients for the tabouli.
- Mix up the tahini sauce and prep the kale.
- Once the cauliflower is done, assemble the bowls and dig in!
For the roasted cauliflower, chop up the cauliflower and toss with olive oil, lemon, cumin, coriander, paprika, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper. Roast the cauliflower in the oven until browned and crispy.
This quinoa tabouli is a simple mixture of quinoa, lemon, parsley, mint, lemon juice, tomato, cucumber, salt and pepper. Although simple, it’s full of flavor and very delicious, so it can even be enjoyed on its own for a light and healthy meal.
To make it, start cooking the quinoa while you chop the veggies. Once the quinoa is cooked, mix everything together and season with lemon, salt and pepper.
To make the tahini dressing, whisking the ingredients together until smooth and creamy. No blending needed!
Depending on the tahini you use, you may need more than 3 tbsp of water to reach the right consistency. Start with 3 tbsp and slowly add more until the sauce is thick and creamy but pourable.
You’re almost there! Finish up by prepping the kale. Wash it, tear the leaves away from the thick stems and finely chop them.
Since we’re leaving the kale raw, I recommend massaging it with a small amount of olive oil to help soften it up. If you prefer, gently cook the kale until it turns dark green and is lightly wilted.
If you’re making this for meal prep, wash and chop the kale and make the tahini dressing, roasted cauliflower, and quinoa tabouli ahead of time. Store in the fridge and assemble as needed or divide into 4 containers to grab and go for healthy meals as you need them.
More Healthy Bowls
Loving this bright and beautiful bowl? Here are some more to try:
- Vegan Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls
- Mediterranean Farro Bowls
- Mediterranean Hummus Bowls
- Roasted Cauliflower Burrito Bowls
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to comment section below to leave your star rating and review.
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Mediterranean Cauliflower Bowls
Ingredients
For the Pickled Red Onion
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- pinch salt
For the Quinoa Tabouli
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 3-4 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint, optional, approx. 6-7 large leaves
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1/2 a cucumber, diced
- 1/2 tsp each sea salt and black pepper
For the Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
For the Tahini Sauce
- 4 tbsp tahini
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp water plus more as needed to reach thick but pourable consistency
For the Bowls
- 32 kalamata olives, 8 per bowl
- pickled red onions, about 1/4 cup per bowl
- 4 cups finely chopped kale, stems removed
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, optional
Instructions
- Boil water and add the vinegar, thinly sliced onion and a pinch of salt to a container or jar. Pour enough boiled water over to submerge all the onion. Set aside to pickle for 20-30 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Chop the cauliflower into small pieces and add to a bowl with the spices, olive oil and lemon juice. Use your hands to thoroughly coat each piece. Spread on baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes until tender and browned.
- Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. While the quinoa is cooking, add the rest of the tabouli ingredients to a bowl. Once the quinoa is cooked, add that to the bowl and mix well.
- Add the tahini sauce ingredients to a small dish and stir vigorously until smooth and creamy, slowly adding more water to reach a thick but pourable consistency.
- Massage the chopped kale with the olive oil and optional lemon until softened, about 60 seconds.
- Prepare 4 bowls or containers. Divide all of the ingredients between 4 servings and top each with desired amount of tahini sauce.
Nutrition
Originally published on June 25, 2017.
Just made this tonight for dinner! So good. Every recipe I have tried has been amazing. I am having a hard time deciding what to try next!! Thanks Deryn!
Absolutely delicious! I particularly loved the cauliflower and pickled onions. I am not a big parsley fan so added less and upped the mint and it was great. Thank you!
Was my first time having pickled onions, and am now slightly obsessed. Such a nice flavour filled bowl, reminds me of summer. Also, the cauliflower…SO good!
I seriously love how there are so many different types of protein-filled bowls out there. The eating style simply speaks to me – and its so easy to make adjustments to the components on the fly.
This looks delicious! Such a great meal prep addition to my rotation!
Dumb question… do I just drizzle the tahini sauce over the bowl once assembled? I’ve got everything ready and will report back after I eat!
Yep! Drizzle away!
Great. That’s what I did. Was a delicious meal. I subbed cilantro for parsley and mint and didn’t have kalamata olives, but it was still great.
Quinoa and Tabouli salad sounds like an incredible combination! This bowl looks so delicious and it’s gorgeous, too! I love all the different colors, flavors + textures 🙂