Spiced Roasted Cauliflower & chickpea bowl

This healthy recipe is packed with fibre, plant-based protein and natural sweetness from the roasted vegetables. The dish is topped with toasted almonds and pumpkin seeds and plenty of fresh parsley and mint which add freshness and crunch. This dish is hearty without feeling heavy.

A drizzle of Greek yogurt lemon herb dressing ties it all together. If you want an entirely plant-based dish, swap Greek yogurt for a dairy free alternative. Either way, it's a healthy and nutritious bowl of food.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• Recipe ingredients
• How to make roast cauliflower & chickpea bowl
• Recipe variations
• Serving suggestions
• Useful hints and tips
• FAQs
• Pin the recipe
• Additional recipe suggestions
• Roasted Cauliflower & Chickpea Bowl Recipe

Recipe ingredients

Find the full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.

• Cauliflower - I used a medium sized cauliflower to serve 2 as a main dish or 4-6 as a vegetable side.
• Onion - a sliced red onion adds a mild onion flavour, but you can use any colour onion.
• Peppers - I use sweet romano red peppers, but any colour bell pepper would work in the recipe too.
• Garlic - I used 2 cloves of garlic in this recipe, keeping them in their skin so they don't burn. Once roasted they are added to the yogurt dressing.
• Chillies - I use red finger chillies in this recipe. If you prefer your food milder, deseed the chillies or leave them out altogether.
• Olive oil - I used regular olive oil to roast the vegetables and to coat the chickpeas.
• Seasoning - I season and flavour both the vegetables and the chickpeas with fine sea salt, ground cumin and smoked paprika.
• Chickpeas - for ease I used a can of chickpeas, which I drained and washed.
• Nuts/seeds - I used toasted flaked almonds and pumpkin seeds to top the dish, adding both flavour and crunch.
• Fresh herbs - I stirred fresh mint and time through the dish before serving, adding a little extra as garnish.
• Yogurt dressing - I made the dressing with Greek yogurt, lemon zest and juice, fresh parsley and mint, roasted garlic cloves, and seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

How to make roast cauliflower & chickpea bowl

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180CFan/390F. Line the baking tray with kitchen foil.
• Cut the cauliflower into florets, place on the baking tray and add the red peppers, onion, garlic and chillies.
• Pour over 2 tablespoons of olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin and smoked paprika. Mix together, ensuring the vegetables are covered in the oily spice mixture.
• Place the tray into the oven for 20 minutes.
• Place the chickpeas into a bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin and smoked paprika. Mix together, ensuring the chickpeas are covered in the oily spice mixture.

• Remove the baking tray from the oven, add the chickpeas to the tray and stir to combine. Return the tray to the oven for a further 20 minutes.
• While the vegetables and chickpeas are roasting in the oven, place the flaked almonds and pumpkin seeds into a dry non-stick pan over medium high heat. Gently toast the nuts, moving them around the pan, and taking care not to burn them.
• Once toasted, remove the nuts from the pan to stop them cooking, and place into bowl for serving later.

• Take the tray out of the oven, set on board. Remove the 2 whole garlic cloves, peel off the skin, and set aside.
• Now sprinkle over the fresh mint and parsley and stir through the vegetables and chickpeas and serve into bowls.

how to make yogurt lemon herb dressing

• Place all the ingredients (starting with one clove of garlic) into the bowl of a food processor or blender, and blitz until smooth.
• Taste the dressing and adjust the flavours by adding more lemon, herbs, garlic and seasoning to taste.
• Drizzle the dressing over the cauliflower and chickpeas.
• Finish with a scattering of the toasted almonds and pumpkin seeds, and a little extra fresh herbs, and serve immediately.

Recipe variations

• Vegetables - swap in broccoli, romanesco, squash, sweet potato, any colour bell pepper, mushrooms, courgette (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), green beans.
• Chickpeas - swap chickpeas for any other canned bean, try butter beans, cannellini beans, red kidney beans or black beans.
• Spices - use any combination of spices to season the vegetables and chickpeas. 
• Chilli - for a spicier dish leave the seeds in the chilli, you can also add some dried chilli flakes. For a milder dish, remove the seeds from the chillies, or leave them out altogether. However, the cool yogurt dressing does help balance spice.
• Fresh herbs- you can use any combination of fresh herbs in this recipe, try adding chives, basil, dill, savoury or tarragon.
• Plant-based/vegan - for an entirely plant-based and dairy free meal, swap the Greek yogurt for a plant based alternative.

Serving suggestions

As a main dish, I serve it as it is, you could also add some warm quinoa, couscous or brown rice for a more filling meal. Or serve with some fresh green salad, try my Lettuce Salad with Fresh Herbs.

It also works well as a vegetable side, serve it alongside grilled meat, seafood or baked halloumi. It works really well with my Lemon & Paprika Chicken Kebabs, or Bacon Wrapped Roast Pork Fillet.

Leftovers work really well for an easy lunch next day. Stuff warm flatbreads or pitas with the roasted vegetables, a handful of leafy greens, and drizzle over some of the yogurt dressing.

Useful hints and tips

1. For the best flavour ensure the vegetables and chickpeas are completely coated in the spicy oil mixture.
2. Drain chickpeas and dry in a sieve to remove as much moisture as possible, before adding the olive oil and spices. Moisture is the enemy of crunch!
3. When toasting the nuts and seeds don't walk away from the pan as they can burn really quickly. Instead keep them moving around the pan. Once toasted, remove from the pan and place into a bowl to stop them cooking.
4. Allergy advice: gluten free, egg free, soya free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

FAQs

Pin the recipe

Additional recipe suggestions

If you like this recipe then try some of my favourite plant-based recipes:

• Roast Pumpkin Salad with Corn
• Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Harissa
• Easy Chickpea Curry with Spinach
• Easy Vegetable Stir Fry
• Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce