Cauliflower Steaks with Harissa Chickpeas
Cauliflower is a great plant-based staple, and roasting it brings out its natural sweetness and depth of flavour. In this Cauliflower steaks with harissa chickpeas recipe, thick-cut sections of cauliflower are paired with harissa-spiced chickpeas for a satisfying, flavourful dish that’s easy to prepare.
The harissa adds warmth and a hint of spice, while the chickpeas provide texture and protein, making this a well-balanced meal.
Simple yet packed with flavour, this is a great option for a quick dinner or a light lunch.
What you need to make Cauliflower Steaks with Harissa Chickpeas
- cauliflower
- olive oil
- cumin
- lemon
- chickpeas
- rose harissa or harissa paste
- garlic
- coconut yoghurt
- tahini
- maple syrup
- coriander
- mint
Substitution and Ingredient Notes
Cauliflower: The main event! Each cauliflower head makes around 2 large cauliflower steaks but you’ll of course have lots of cauliflower florets left over that are too small to create a ‘steak’ or some extra pieces to enjoy. Roast them alongside the steak, freeze them, or use them in one of my other cauliflower recipes: Cauliflower Dahl, Vegan Broccoli & Cauliflower Myers, Cauliflower & Potato Curry.
Olive oil: You’ll be using olive oil for cooking the cauliflower and also for the yoghurt dressing. For that reason I’d recomend using extra virgin olive oil. But you can substitute for regular olive oil.
Cumin: Cumin adds a lovely curry flavour. You could also use paprika, smoked paprika, or garam masala.
Chickpeas: Chickpeas are my personal favourite but you could substitute for a white bean like cannellini, butter or white kidney beans.
Rose harissa or harissa paste: I used rose harissa and it is lighter in spice, so if using harissa, just reduce the amount down.
Lemon: This can be swapped for lemon juice from a bottle, or lime!
Coconut yoghurt: I used Coco Collaborative coconut yoghurt as the coconut works so nicely with the warmth of the cumin and harissa but you could also use any other unsweetened plant based yoghurt.
Maple syrup: You can swap this out for agave syrup!
Coriander & Mint: Or basil and parsley could work great with this too!
Seeds: Any crunchy seeds will make a delicious topping such as pumpkin, flax, sunflower.
How to make
Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan. Remove the outer leaves, trim the bottom of the core and slice down the middle.
Cut a 2cm slice of cauliflower from each half of the cauliflower keeping the core intact to get two large cauliflower steaks. Then cut the remaining ends into smaller steaks or florets to either roast alongside or keep for another use.
Add the cauliflower to a large baking tray lined with parchment, and, on both sides, drizzle over the olive oil, sprinkle the cumin, squeeze the lemon and season with salt and pepper.
Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and carefully turn the steaks and extra florets. Roast in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until crisping up and tender.
After you turn the cauliflower, add the chickpeas, along with the olive oil, garlic, harissa, lemon and salt and pepper to a frying pan and mix through.
Cook over low to medium heat until your cauliflower is ready, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, while the chickpeas and cauliflower are cooking, mix together the yoghurt dip ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
When the cauliflower is ready, remove from the oven.
Add a spoonful of yoghurt dip to each of your plates and smooth out with a spoon, top with the cauliflower steaks and any extra florets, and finish with the harissa chickpeas on top.
Finish with a little extra coriander and some a sprinkling of mixed seeds.
Serving Suggestions
Although these cauliflower steaks are a satisfying meal in their own right you can pair with some additional sides if you’re after something heartier. Either add a bed of cooked grains (rice, quinoa, couscous) some crusty bread, focaccia, doughballs or one of my sides:
Fancy more dinner recipes?
- Vegan Sausage Rosti
- Carrot & Bulgur Stuffed Peppers
- Spicy Courgette and Sweetcorn Fritters
- Winter Vegetable Gratin
- Greek Inspired Jackfruit Stew
Did you make this Cauliflower steaks with harissa chickpeas recipe? Please rate and review the recipe below, and leave me a comment! I love to hear your feedback, and if you’re enjoying my recipes. Make sure to take a photo, tag me @MadeleineOlivia and tag it #MadeleineOlivia.
Cauliflower Steaks with Harissa Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tin of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 1 tbsp rose harissa (or 1 tsp harissa paste)
- garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Yoghurt dip
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 200 g coconut yoghurt
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 handful coriander (finely chopped)
- 1 handful mint (finely chopped)
- sea salt
- coriander
- mixed seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan.
- Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower, trim the bottom of the core and slice down the middle. Cut a large slice of cauliflower on either side to get two large cauliflower steaks, and then cut the remaining ends into smaller steaks or florets as these will fall apart.
- Add the cauliflower to a large baking tray and on both sides drizzle over the olive oil, sprinkle the cumin, squeeze the lemon and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and carefully turn the steaks and extra florets. Roast in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until crisping up and tender.
- After you turn the cauliflower, in a frying pan and add the chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, harissa, lemon and salt and pepper and mix through. Cook over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until your cauliflower is ready.
- While the chickpeas are cooking, mix together the yoghurt dip ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- When the cauliflower is ready, remove from the oven. Serve up a spoonful of yoghurt dip to each of your plates and smooth out with a spoon, top with the cauliflower steaks and any extra florets, and spread over the harissa chickpeas. Finish with a little extra coriander and some a sprinkling of mixed seeds.
Notes
- Make sure to reduce the amount of harissa if not using rose harissa, as this will make it a lot spicier!
- You can try a different bean such as a cannelini or haricot to vary things up!
- I'd recommend using coconut yoghurt over other alternatives as they are often sweetened and change the taste of the dip.
Nutrition
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2 comments
Janice
I am making this for the second time since last week. Even my skeptic cauliflower family loves it!!!thank you so much for this easy and fun recipe.
MadeleineAuthor
So happy to hear this Janice. It’s such a good one for cauliflower skeptics! x