Roasted cauliflower... does that sound weird to you? So you've probably never tried it before! Once you taste this gem, you'll want to make it over and over again. It makes a really fast meal from cauliflower and lentils and tastes so good! I bet you will want to make it whenever you find a cauliflower in your kitchen.
Why to roast cauliflower in the oven?
Delicate white cauliflower gets to a completely different level of flavor by roasting in the oven just with a little bit of oil and spices. The roasted pieces crunch nicely and become not only an excellent side dish or appetizer, but thanks to their unique texture, they fit into a variety of sauces or curries. Unlike boiled cauliflower, which overcooks easily, the roasted one has a nice texture after cooking so it doesn't just get lost in the sauce.
In this recipe, I combined it with my favorite small green lentils, tomato sauce with Indian spices and cream. This is a really great combination and at home this happen to be our most popular cauliflower dish (sorry fried cauliflower).
Why is it important to incorporate legumes in our diet?
Legumes are very healthy and we should eat them regularly every week, if not every day. It is an excellent source of plant proteins, they are relatively cheap and, most importantly, very tasty. You just need to know how to cook different types of legumes. Most of the time, they can't be swapped in recipes, and just as it is important for me to be able to cook with different types of meat, so it is just as important for me to be able to cook with different types of legumes.
Why do I love using green lentils?
Green lentils are smaller than usual green or brown lentils and usually they do not overcook! Therefore, they still have a nice crunch after cooking and fit so well in salads or wherever you want to add texture and some protein. They also retain their beautiful green color, although it changes slightly to olive after cooking. It also has a very delicate taste and it contains high amounts of fiber, magnesium, iron and calcium.
What are the benefits of soaking legumes in water?
Even though the green lentils are very small and cook relatively quickly, it is still good to soak the lentils in advance. By soaking, you can reduce the amount of the phytic acid, that the legumes contain. This is basically an indigestible substance for us, but it acts as an antinutrient - it prevents the absorption of nutrients contained in legumes. Therefore, if we soak the legumes for 8 hours or more, phytic acid is mostly eliminated and we can then absorb the nutrients better. Soaking also helps to cut the cooking time by half.
What spices can I use?
I use a lot of spices in this recipe, which is more like "curry" style cauliflower, but this recipe works great with any spices! If you don't like cumin or turmeric, just skip them and add Italian spices, oregano or basil. Add chili peppers to taste or a pinch of cinnamon. Or even just salt, pepper and thyme are enough for an excellent flavor.
How to prepare roasted cauliflower with lentils in tomato-cream sauce?
The best is to start the night before by soaking the green lentils . Add lentils into a non-metallic bowl and water to cover lentils. You can also add a spoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and let soak overnight.
The next step is to roast our cauliflower . Break up the small head of cauliflower into smaller bite-sized pieces. Place them on a baking sheet, drizzle with about 2 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir it well and bake in the oven at 180°C for about 20-30 minutes. Roasted cauliflower has to have brown edges and still has to be firm enough. Meanwhile, cook the lentils, in a small pot with salted water. If you have soaked lentils, they will cook about half the time that is on the package instructions.
Then we prepare sauce. In a large pot, add chopped onion and fry until soft, then add finely chopped garlic, 0,5 tsp of whole cumin, ground coriander, whole mustard seeds, turmeric, ground paprika and pepper and let it fry for another minute. Watch the spices carefully and especially stir the ground ones so that they do not burn, otherwise the whole dish would be bitter. If you find that the spices are burnt - throw away everything in the pot and make a new onion base with the spices.
Add a can of whole tomatoes to the pot with onion base (cut or beat the whole tomatoes with a wooden spoon), add 2 tbsp of tomato puree and 200 ml of water and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the roasted cauliflower, cooked lentils and cream and let it warm up. Finally, add the chopped spinach and stir. Spinach can be fresh or frozen. It's great to always have frozen spinach in the freezer. It is cheaper than fresh and is always on hand.
Serve the roasted cauliflower with lentils in a tomato-cream sauce with fluffy rice or with naan bread or other favorite side dish.
How to store roasted cauliflower with lentils in tomato-cream sauce?
You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. If you want to freeze this meal, separate first the required amount before adding the cream. Then it can stay in the freezer for up to 2 months. Do not freeze the meal with added cream.
TIPS:
- if you have on hand some leftover cooked or roasted potatoes - try adding them in along with the roasted cauliflower
- in the end of cooking, you can also mix in a handful of frozen peas
- use spice that you like - great are garam masala or different curry powders or pastes
- if you tend to cook more of an Indian curry, add also some chopped ginger and a pinch of cinnamon into the onion base
Recipe
Recipe for 6 servings
Roasted cauliflower with lentils and tomato-cream sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 small head of cauliflower (750 g)
- 120 g of dry green lentils
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- can of whole tomatoes
- 2 tbsp of tomato puree
- 100-150 ml of heavy cream
- 200 ml water
- olive oil or ghee for frying
- salt and pepper
- 0,5 tsp of whole cumin, ground coriander, whole mustard seeds, turmeric and ground paprika
- 2 handfuls of spinach (frozen or fresh)
- rice or naan for serving
Instructions:
- Roasted cauliflower: Break up the small head of cauliflower into smaller bite-sized pieces. Place them on a baking sheet, drizzle with about 2 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir it well and bake in the oven at 180°C for about 20-30 minutes. Roasted cauliflower has to have brown edges and still has to be firm enough.
- Lentils: Meanwhile, cook the lentils in a small pot with salted water. If you have soaked lentils, they will cook about half the time that is on the package instructions.
- Sauce: In a large pot, add chopped onion and fry until soft, then add finely chopped garlic, 0,5 tsp of whole cumin, ground coriander, whole mustard seeds, turmeric, ground paprika and pepper and let it fry for another minute. Watch the spices carefully and especially stir the ground ones so that they do not burn.
- Add a can of whole tomatoes to the pot with onion base (cut or beat the whole tomatoes with a wooden spoon), add 2 tbsp of tomato puree and 200 ml of water and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Then add the roasted cauliflower, cooked lentils and cream and let it warm up. Finally, add the chopped spinach and stir.
- Serve with fluffy rice or with naan bread or other favorite side dish.
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