Roasted Cauliflower Salad With Halloumi and Lemon

By Alexa Weibel

Updated May 2, 2021

  • Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Jerrie-Joy Redman-Lloyd.
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Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(3,535)
Comments
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Inspired by Mediterranean and Moroccan dishes, this tangy, earthy roasted cauliflower salad is a satisfying vegetarian meal. Spiced cauliflower, salty halloumi, peppery arugula, buttery avocado and a honey-lemon vinaigrette fill it with contrasting textures, temperatures and flavors. There’s lots of room for substitutions or additions: Swap in orange zest and juice for the preserved lemon, smashed green olives for the avocado or kale for the arugula. If looking to bulk it up, you could toss in some seared shrimp, roasted chicken, pearl couscous or whole grains.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into 1 ½-inch wedges

  • ½ cup olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon Aleppo or ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes

  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander

  • ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

  • 1 small shallot, minced (about ⅓ cup)

  • ¼ cup golden raisins

  • 1 large preserved lemon, seeded, halved, seeded, then very thinly sliced (about 3 tablespoons)

  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon honey

  • 1 (8-ounce) block halloumi

  • 6 ounces baby arugula (about 8 packed cups)

  • 1 large ripe avocado, halved, pitted and diced

  • 1 cup torn fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender sprigs

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

34 grams carbs; 50 milligrams cholesterol; 607 calories; 29 grams monosaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 50 grams fat; 11 grams fiber; 1027 milligrams sodium; 15 grams protein; 14 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees and set a large rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with 3 tablespoons olive oil, the Aleppo, coriander, turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Transfer to the hot baking sheet, spread in an even layer and roast until browned in spots and crisp-tender, tossing once halfway through, 20 to 25 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, stir together the shallot, raisins, preserved lemon, vinegar and honey with 3 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

  4. Step 4

    Prepare the halloumi: Cut the halloumi into ¾-inch cubes and pat dry using a kitchen towel or paper towels. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high. Add the halloumi cubes and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. (You’ll want to be fairly attentive, flipping frequently, as you want to make sure the cubes toast without burning or melting.) Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with pepper.

  5. Step 5

    Toss the arugula with half the vinaigrette until lightly coated and divide among plates or shallow bowls. Top with the cauliflower, halloumi and avocado. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,535 user ratings
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Comments

Kristi

You can easily add the cubed halloumi to the sheet pan with the cauliflower for the last 10-12 minutes of the cauliflowers cooking time! Just coat it in a bit of oil in the same bowl you tossed the cauliflower and spices in (don’t wipe them out). It crisps up perfectly and then there are no extra pans to clean up! For extra credit add torn pita to the halloumi when you toss it with oil and throw it all in the last 10 mins. Sprinkle with Sumac after you take it out of the oven. Delish and easy!

A Gunn

Any advice on searing the halloumi? Mine instantly started melting. I couldn’t leave it on the heat long enough to get the brown shown in the picture. Should I have coated it first with cornstarch or flour or something?

Lee

Very fun to make. Great textures, colorful, and put me out of my comfort zone with new ingredients with the halloumi and preserved lemon. A few tips if you choose to make this dish: use less salt and/or fresh lemon instead of preserved because the preserved lemon adds extra salt. Don't skip out on the raisins, avocado, or couscous for a rounded out dish. Helllooo halloumi :p

rmalak

First time made the recipe as described, except cooked halloumi on roasting pan with cauliflower. Second time, used honey nut squash, again cooked the halloumi on a roasting pan with the squash. added 1t cumin and subbed cilantro for the parsley. Delicious, the dressing is a winner.

JSK

Way too salty as written. Not sure if I will make again, but if I do, I would not include salt in the cauliflower and reduce salt in the dressing, as the salt in the presented lemon and halloumi was plenty of salt for this dish.

Laurie A

This turned out great! Instead of arugula, I used a head of radicchio and bunch of kale. I added chopped pistachios, skipped the avocado, and used fresh lemon instead of preserved. Really satisfying flavors and textures.

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