
Roasted cauliflower with veggie bagna cauda
- Published: 30 Apr 19
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
A full-of-flavour cauliflower salad recipe, made with lentils, rice and pickled walnuts, served with a vegetarian bagna cauda sauce.

Or, for something similar but with a Middle-Eastern twist, try our spiced roast cauliflower and barley couscous salad.
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower
- 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- 3 pickled walnuts, chopped, plus 2 tbsp pickling liquid from the jar
- Large handful fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish
- 3 tbsp capers, rinsed
- Grated zest and juice 1 lemon
- 250g pack ready-to-eat black lentils
- 250g pack ready-to-eat brown basmati rice
For the bagna cauda
- 8 fat garlic cloves
- 200ml whole milk
- 1 tbsp brown miso paste
- 30g shelled walnut pieces, toasted in a dry pan
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 50g butter
- 50ml double cream
Method
- For the bagna cauda, put the garlic and milk in a small pan (with a lid). Heat gently until just steaming. Cover the pan partially, then simmer gently for 30-35 minutes until the garlic is tender. Remove from the heat and pour into the small bowl of a food processor with the miso paste, most of the walnuts and the olive oil. Whizz until smooth (or use a jug and a stick blender). Return to the pan and heat gently with the butter and cream, whisking to emulsify. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Trim the cauliflower, setting aside the inner green leaves, then cut into 6-8 wedges. Put the wedges (not the leaves) on a roasting tray, drizzle with a little oil and roast for 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, then toss through the cauliflower leaves. Return to the oven for 5 minutes or until golden and charred.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the pickled walnuts and liquid, parsley, capers, lemon zest and juice and the 4 tbsp olive oil, then season with a grind of black pepper to taste.
- Heat the lentils and rice according to the pack instructions, tip into
a large bowl, then stir in most of the parsley dressing. Spoon onto a serving platter, top with the roast cauliflower, then drizzle over some of the warm bagna cauda and the remaining dressing. Top with the remaining toasted walnuts and extra parsley to serve.
- Recipe from March 2019 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 509kcals
- Fat
- 31.8g (11.5g saturated)
- Protein
- 12.4g
- Carbohydrates
- 25.8g (6.2g sugars)
- Fibre
- 6.6g
- Salt
- 1.1g
delicious. tips
The bagna cauda will keep covered and chilled for up to 2 days.
Bagna cauda is an Italian dip that’s usually made with garlic and anchovies. You could also use it as a dip for crudités, steamed veg or as a pasta sauce.
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