Crispy tender roasted cauliflower steak. Served on a bed of creamy sweet potato mash and lentils. Topped with a tangy cilantro-lime dressing and a garlicky tahini sauce. Mmm mm, now that’s what I call a satisfying meal.
As a bonus, this delicious cauliflower entree is packed with nutrients, protein, fiber. It’s perfect for a nourishing weekday meal or a dinner party. The recipe involves a few more steps than usual, but I think the result is well worth the process!
Two sauces may seem like a lot, but they’re necessary for the flavor and I highly recommend making both. Plus, if you follow the recipe, you’ll have leftovers— which is a very good thing, since they taste good drizzled on salads, pasta, rice dishes, toast, basically any savory dish.
📖 Recipe
Roasted Cauliflower Steak with Sweet Potato Purée and Lentils (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Crispy caramelized roasted cauliflower “steaks” served on a bed of lentils and sweet potato puree with a creamy tahini garlic sauce and a tangy chimichurri. Garnished with cilantro and toasted pepita seeds.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Cook
Ingredients
Cauliflower
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp each ground cumin, smoked paprika, and turmeric (optional: add ¼ tsp cayenne for heat)
Sweet Potatoes
- 1 lb (2-3 large or 454 g) sweet potatoes
- 1 tbsp tahini
Lentils
- 1 15 oz (425 g) can cooked lentils*
- ½ tsp each cumin and garlic powder
Tahini Sauce
- ⅓ cup (85g) tahini
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 4–5 tablespoon water
- 1 pinch salt
Cilantro Lime Sauce
- 1 small bunch cilantro (sub parsley)
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ a jalapeño pepper (for heat)
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- ½ the flesh of a medium avocado (sub 1 tbsp olive oil)
- 2 tbsp water
- ½ tsp each salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F (205 C). Slice cauliflower into 1-inch steaks, leaving the large stem at the bottom. (There will be loose florets; you can roast these in the pan along with the steaks).
- Place cauliflower steaks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzle on olive oil and maple syrup, and rub to coat both sides, then sprinkle on salt and the spices. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping once halfway, until tender and browned on both sides.
- In the meantime, steam sweet potatoes until soft and fork-tender. Instant pot option: place steamer basket and water in the base of the pot, add whole sweet potatoes, and cook using the manual setting on HIGH for 15 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally.
- Peel cooked sweet potatoes. Add the 1 tablespoon tahini and mash with a fork (or purée in a food processor) until combined and smooth.
- Prep sauces. For tahini sauce, whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until combined. Add as much water as needed to achieve desired consistency. For green sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor/blender and blend until smooth.
- Combine cooked lentils with spices and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, spoon a layer of sweet potato puree onto plate, then top with lentils, a cauliflower steak, and both sauces. Garnish with chopped cilantro and toasted pepita seeds.
Notes
*I used pre-cooked lentils for convenience, but you can also cook your own from ¾ cup dried lentils. Simply cover with water, bring to a boil over medium heat in a pot, reduce to a simmer, and cook until lentils are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
FAHMIDA AKHTER says
COULD YOU PROVIDE THE NUTRITION FACTS FOR THIS RECIPE.
Karlyn says
Hi! Lentils can surely vary by softness—I’m assuming what you used in this recipe are red lentils?
Alison says
Fabulous! So tasty; the lime & coriander sauce really lifted the flavours ( be generous with the sauces!). My cauliflower wasn’t up to being ‘steaked’ so I just used florets instead. Definitely doing this again.
★★★★★
Guadalupe Gabba says
So delicious, even my carnivore husband said he’d eat this again!
★★★★★