If you’re looking for the perfect hearty salad that tastes amazing but fills you up then you need to try my Roasted Cauliflower and Kale Salad. It has loads of texture thanks to the perfectly roasted cauliflower and chickpeas, creamy goat’s cheese, massaged kale and crunchy seeds. Everything is tied together beautifully with a lemon dijon dressing.
This salad is inspired by my Golden Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad, which had the internet going wild! If you love a cauliflower salad then you need to try that one out as well! If you want to try out some other kale salads then you should try my Chopped Kale Salad or Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing.
This Roasted Cauliflower Kale Salad is great for meal prepping or preparing ahead of time for a gathering as the kale stands up really well once dressed. The dressed salad will last well in the fridge for around 3 days. It can serve 3-4 as a main dish or 4-6 as a side dish, depending on your desired portion size of course.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Below is a list of all of the ingredients that you will need to make this recipe, including any ingredients notes and possible substitutions. This kale and roasted cauliflower salad recipe uses simple ingredients that are really easy to find at the grocery store.
- cauliflower – I’ve used a medium sized head of cauliflower that weighed around 800 grams.
- chickpeas – I’ve used tinned chickpeas for this recipe to save time.
- extra virgin olive oil – extra virgin olive oil is my absolute go-to olive oil for cooking. For drizzling over the cauliflower and chickpeas before roasting you could swap the olive oil for avocado oil.
- spices – you will need sweet paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin seeds, sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper.
- kale – I’ve used curly kale but you can also use lacinato kale (Tuscan kale). If you don’t love kale or it’s not in season then swap for another leafy green like arugula, baby spinach or mixed lettuce leaves. You will need to use a sharp knife to cut the leaves away from the woody stems and then chop up the leaves.
- pepitas – pepitas are also known as pumpkin seeds or pumpkin kernels. They can be swapped for another seed like sunflower seeds or swap for flaked almonds
- goat’s cheese – I love using a marinated goat’s cheese that is soft and creamy. You can swap for feta if preferred or leave out to make this recipe dairy free.
- Medjool dates – medjool dates can be swapped for raisins, currants, dried cranberries or swapped out all together.
Dressing ingredients
To make the lemon dijon dressing you will need:
- fresh lemon juice
- extra virgin olive oil
- dijon mustard
- honey
- sea salt flakes
Another dressing that would go great with this salad is my Lemon Tahini Dressing.
Optional Extras
If you did want to make this more of a meal you can always add some grains like cooked quinoa or brown rice.
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Food Allergies & Intolerances
Here are some ways to adapt this recipe to suit some of the more common allergies and intolerances. This recipe is gluten free and nut free already.
- dairy free – swap the goats cheese for a vegan or dairy free feta.
- vegan – in the salad dressing use pure maple syrup instead of honey. Swap the goat’s cheese for vegan feta cheese.
How to Make Roasted Cauliflower and Kale Salad
This really is a simple recipe to throw together. Follow the step-by-step guide below to make it perfectly.
First, preheat the oven and grease a large baking dish with olive oil or line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the cauliflower florets and strained and rinsed chickpeas to the dish or pan. Top with olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and toss until well combined and all of the chickpeas and cauliflower is evenly coated in the seasoning.
Place the tray into the oven to roast for 50 minutes.
Add the chopped kale to a large bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil. Use your hands to massage the kale until tender and vibrant green.
Add all of the dressing ingredients to a jar and shake until well combined or add to a bowl and whisk to combine.
Once roasted, tip the cauliflower and chickpeas into the bowl with the kale. Top with the chopped dates and toasted pepitas. Crumble the feta over the top of the salad and then drizzle the salad dressing over. Toss to combine.
This salad can be served warm or cold, it’s completely up to you!
Roasted Cauliflower and Kale Salad
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Chopping Board
- Large Baking Dish or baking tray
- Salad bowl
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets (800 grams)
- 400 gram canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
- Cracked black pepper , to taste
- 4 leaves curly kale, stem removed, roughly chopped
- 3 medjool dates, pitted and thinly sliced
- 120 grams goat’s cheese
- ¼ cup pepitas, toasted
Lemon Dijon Dressing
- 40 ml lemon juice
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- pinch sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan forced. Grease a large baking dish with olive oil or line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Tip the cauliflower florets and chickpeas into the baking dish and top with the olive oil, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin seeds, salt and pepper. Toss to coat all of the chickpeas and cauliflower in the seasoning as evenly as possible. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through.
- Meanwhile, add the kale to a large salad bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil. Use your hands to massage the kale until tender and vibrant green.
- To make the dressing add the lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, honey and sea salt to a jar and shake vigorously to combine.
- Add the roasted cauliflower and chickpeas to the kale. Top with dates, goat’s cheese, pepitas and lemon tahini dressing. Serve warm or cool.
Notes
To make dairy free
- swap goat’s cheese for dairy free or vegan feta cheese.
To make vegan
- swap goat’s cheese for vegan feta cheese.
- swap honey in dressing for pure maple syrup.
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