Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Goat Cheese, Cranberries & Pepitas
Roasted cauliflower florets with dried cranberries, goat cheese and roasted salted pepitas all tossed in a tangy Champagne vinaigrette.
Equipment
- 1 Large baking sheet
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 1 head orange cauliflower
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. lemon pepper
- 1/2 cup roasted & salted pepitas (can use pistachios or pecans)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup shredded or thinly slice radicchio
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- salt & pepper to taste
Champagne Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup Champagne vinegar (or Prosecco vinegar)
- 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (+/- depending upon your tastes)
- 1/8 tsp. white pepper
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 small shallot finely diced, and sautéed if you prefer it cooked
Instructions
Salad
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Clean and cut the head of cauliflower into florets. Toss with olive oil and season with lemon pepper, or salt and pepper.
- Lay the florets out onto the prepared baking sheet. Roast for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cauliflower is just beginning to brown and is knife tender, but still al dente. Remove from oven and cool. This step can be done a day or two ahead of time.
- Meanwhile, make dressing (recipe below) and clean and tear Romaine into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
- When ready to serve, toss roasted cauliflower with cranberries, pepitas and goat cheese. Toss in vinaigrette and serve over a bed of romaine.
Champagne Vinaigrette
- Finely dice shallots. If you like them raw, then add them with the rest of the ingredients to a container with a tight fitting lid. If you prefer to saute or even caramelize them, then cook them in a little bit of olive oil, until desired doneness and then add them to the remaining ingredients. Shake well.
Notes
This salad is versatile, and can easily be used as a side dish without the romaine lettuce. We like to roast the cauliflower a day or two ahead of time to make it easier to assemble the salad when you’re ready to eat.
We prefer a slightly tangy salad dressing, so we like to go light on the olive oil, but if you prefer it a little less tangy, then simply add more olive oil, a tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired taste.
We also like our shallots cooked, so we like to saute them in a frying pan, or even cook them in the microwave to mellow out the sharp flavor. Then we add them to the dressing.
This salad is also great with pistachios or toasted pecans in place of the pepitas and you can also substitute feta for the goat cheese, if you prefer that sharper taste.