Roasting cauliflower is the easiest way to turn it into a super tasty treat. Especially when you combine cauliflower chorizo and crunchy roast almonds.
It takes this humble vegetable from average to ah-maz-ing.
I love how the pale colour of cauli makes the chorizo really stand out.
The cauli also packs a nutritional punch just as weighty as broccoli and its other brassica cousins.
With out the ‘healthy’ green colour.
I’ve used oregano in the picture because I was out of parsley. But parsley would be my preference for greenery.
Roast Cauli with Chunky Chorizo
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower (900g / 2lb)
- 2 chorizo (approx 200g / 7oz), sliced into chunks
- 1 tablespoon sherry or wine vinegar
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley or oregano leaves picked
- 2 large handfuls roasted almonds or other nuts (100g / 3.5oz)
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 250C (475F).
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Chop cauli into bite sized little ‘trees’. Place on a baking tray and drizzle with a little oil and a splash of water. Cover with foil and cook for 15minutes.
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Remove foil and scatter chorizo over the cauli. Season with salt. Return to the oven uncovered for 10-15 minutes, stirring once or twice until the chorizo is cooked and the cauli is soft in the middle and browned.
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Combine vinegar with 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl. Season.
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When the cauli is cooked, toss the dressing in. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
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Divide between 2 plates and serve with herbs and nuts on top.
Substitutions Cauliflower Chorizo
pantry-friendly – use frozen cauli. Defrost it first and skip adding the water or covering with foil. Skip the herbs.
vegetarian – Skip the chorizo. Add a pinch of smoked paprika to the dressing. Serve cauli, herbs and nuts with a poached or fried egg or a dollop of cooling ricotta. Some sun dried tomatoes will add colour.
vegan – replace chorizo with a drained can of chickpeas. Add a pinch of smoked paprika to the dressing.
nut-free – serve with hummus, mayo or chunks of avocado.
more substantial – carb lovers – serve with pita bread, steamed brown rice, hummus or cooked quinoa. Tossing in chunks of sourdough at the end so it soaks up the chorizo oil can also be really lovely.
more substantial – low carb – serve with extra roast almonds, walnuts or macadamias. Or chunks of avocado. Or a fried egg. Or mayo. Or chunks of avocado. Or serve with almond ‘hummus’.
nut-free – replace the nuts with extra chorizo. Or serve with toasted breadcrumbs instead.
different meat – any sausage can be used here. Or try finely sliced strips of chicken thigh. If using Mexican chorizo or fresh sausages, just crumble into bite sized chunks instead of slicing. Or chopped bacon.
keto / very low carb – halve the cauli and serve with a bag of baby spinach.
low FODMAP – don’t use cauliflower! A mixture of low FODMAP veg is best. And use sausage that doesn’t contain garlic.
family-friendly – use mild chorizo or plain sausages
different vegetables – broccoli, sliced cabbage, celeriac (celery root), sweet potato, zucchini, eggplant, red bell peppers (capsicum), parsnip, turnip, swede, rutabaga.
different herbs – basil, coriander (cilantro), baby spinach, mint.
more fancy / for entertaining – serve with a green salad or Lime & Tahini Kale Salad or Crispy Iceberg Salad with Almond Crust or these Almond Breads.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
cauliflower – cauli will keep for weeks in a plastic bag in the fridge. Can be frozen but the texture isn’t as good when defrosted.
chorizo – freeze it.
sherry or wine vinegar / almonds – keep in the pantry.
flat leaf parsley– tends to be the most long lasting of the leafy herbs. Should keep for a few weeks in the fridge if wrapped in a plastic bag. For longer periods pop it in the freezer – it will wilt but will still be useable in this dish.
Problem Solving Guide
bland – more salt. more vinegar. Next time use a different brand of chorizo – it should taste amazing! Tossing the cauliflower with a little smoked paprika (1-2 teaspoons) before cooking can help.
too dry – Next time don’t cook as long or use a higher fat chorizo. For now try a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, chilli oil or mayo or hummus.
no oven – boil cauliflower like pasta until tender – about 10 minutes. Drain. Pan fry chorizo until brown then toss in cooked cauliflower and keep pan frying until cauli is well browned. Remove from heat add the sherry vinegar dressing and finish as per recipe.
burning – roasting in a very hot oven like this is great because it’s quick but the risk is burning. Next time add a bigger splash of water to the cauli and make sure you cover it for the initial roasting. For now try cutting off the burnt bits and serving with extra nuts to make up for the missing bits.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the herbs and nuts separately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, warm in a pan with a little oil. Top with nuts and herbs and possibly a little more vinegar if it tastes flat.
More Simple Recipes Similar to Chunky Roast Cauliflower Chorizo
- Tandoori Cauliflower
- Roast Broccoli & Chorizo
- Roast Cauli with Meatballs & Tahini Sauce
- Mexican Roast Eggplant with Green Chorizo
- Spiced Roast Chicken & Cauliflower Salad with Tahini Maple Dressing
- Smoky Cauliflower Taco Bowls
Have fun in the kitchen!
With love,
Jules x
This looks great, thank you!
Thanks Lisa!
I have a microwave/convection oven and the highest temp it will go to is 375 F. How would I adjust the recipe to compensate for my puny oven?
Just cook it at the highest temp for as long as it takes for the cauliflower to brown Cheryl – you’ll get there!
This sounds great, but I would probably use kielbasa instead of chorizo, because Spanish chorizo is not readily available here – all we have here is the Mexican variety (to be expected on the Mexican border…).
Yes that will happen when you’re so close to Mexico Susan! Any spicy sausage will do. Or you could just use Mexican chorizo rolled into little meat balls. )
Made the veggie version with smoked paprika and served with a poached egg. Was delicious!
Oh yay Meriel!
So glad you enjoyed – love the idea of a poached egg with it