Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Romesco and Tahini

Mediterranean

Medium · Hot

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Romesco and Tahini

Thick-cut cauliflower steaks roasted until caramelized, served with a smoky Spanish romesco and silky tahini — because a vegetable this beautiful deserves not one but two sauces to fall into.

Recipe by

Omar Haddad

The Sauce-Is-the-Meal Evangelist

Prep

20 min

Cook

35 min

Rest

5 min

Total

Method

Romesco Sauce

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Halve the tomatoes and bell peppers, place cut-side up on a baking sheet.

Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, add 2 cloves garlic, and roast for 25 minutes until caramelized and blistered.

While peppers and tomatoes roast, toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until golden and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

Transfer roasted vegetables to a blender. Add toasted almonds, remaining garlic cloves, juice of 1 lemon, paprika, cayenne, and salt.

Blend while drizzling in remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust salt and cayenne. Set aside.

Tahini Sauce

In the same blender (or a bowl with an immersion blender), combine tahini, garlic, juice of 1 lemon, salt, and olive oil.

Blend until smooth. The mixture will seize up initially — keep blending. Stream in water tablespoon by tablespoon until you reach a pourable, silky consistency. It should be the texture of heavy cream. Set aside.

Cauliflower Steaks

Reduce oven heat to 425°F (220°C). Slice cauliflower heads vertically into 1-inch thick steaks. You will get 2-3 steaks per head, plus florets from the edges — save florets for another use or tuck them around the steaks.

Brush both sides generously with olive oil, about 3 tablespoons total. Season with salt, black pepper, and paprika.

Arrange on a baking sheet without crowding. Roast for 15 minutes, then flip carefully and roast another 10-12 minutes until deeply caramelized and tender when pierced.

To Serve

Spoon romesco generously onto a large platter or individual plates. Pool tahini sauce alongside in a contrasting swoop.

Lay cauliflower steaks over the romesco. Drizzle with more tahini, scatter toasted almonds and roughly chopped parsley.

Serve immediately with warm flatbread or crusty bread for dragging through every last bit of both sauces.

Nutri-Score

Excellent balance

A–E · lower is better · score -5

Calories

616

per serving

Source of fibre · 11gLow sugar · 9g

Protein

14g

Carbs

29g

Fat

54g

Sat. fat

Fiber

11g

Sugar

Sodium

1227mg

VeganVegetarianGluten FreeDairy FreeMediterraneanWhole30PaleoHeart HealthyAnti InflammatoryDiabetes FriendlyLow CholesterolWeight ManagementHigh FiberPlant ForwardLow Processed Food

Nutri-Score is a general nutritional-balance guide, not medical or dietary advice.

Environmental impact

Low impact

A–E · lower is better · includes estimates

kg CO₂e

0.6

per serving

BCarbonAEU all-round· carbon sets the grade

Water

2.3m³

Land

45Pt

Runoff

0.1g P

Tomato drives 31% of this recipe’s estimated footprint.

Carbon from Poore & Nemecek 2018; water, land & runoff from Agribalyse — modelled averages for comparing recipes, not a measurement of your groceries.

Flavor Profile

Umami

Sweet

Salty

Sour

Bitter

Spicy

Textures

CrispyTenderSmoothNutty

Aromas

SmokyNuttyHerbalGarlicEarthy

Kitchen Equipment

Primary Tool

Blender

Blender Baking Sheet Skillet Chef Knife Cutting Board Mixing Bowl Spatula Measuring Spoons Measuring Cups Vegetable Peeler Parchment Paper Aluminum Foil

Counter FootprintMedium

Techniques

Roasting Blending Toasting

Safety & Storage

Allergen Warning

This dish contains almonds (tree nuts) and tahini (sesame). Both are present in multiple components: almonds in romesco and as a topping, sesame in the tahini sauce. Ensure all serving vessels and utensils are thoroughly cleaned before use with allergen-sensitive individuals.

Cross Contamination

Cross-contamination risk exists due to shared use of the blender for romesco and tahini sauces. Wash the blender jar, lid, and blade assembly completely with soap and hot water between batches, or use separate blending equipment for each sauce.

Handling

When toasting almonds in the dry skillet, maintain constant stirring over medium heat. Almonds can go from golden to burned in under 60 seconds. Use a light-colored or well-seasoned skillet to better judge color change. Remove from heat immediately when golden and fragrant.
When flipping cauliflower steaks during roasting, use a wide spatula and approach carefully. Steaks are fragile after roasting and may break. If steaks are difficult to flip, return to oven for 2-3 additional minutes to allow them to release more easily from the baking sheet.

Cooking Temperature

Cauliflower steaks must reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C) to ensure food safety. Verify with a calibrated food thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the thickest steak. The caramelization on the exterior is a visual cue but not a safety indicator.

Storage

Both the romesco and tahini sauces contain perishable ingredients (garlic, lemon juice, olive oil emulsions) and must be refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or below within 2 hours of preparation. Store in airtight containers. Romesco keeps for up to 5 days refrigerated; tahini sauce keeps for up to 7 days.

High Risk Population

For elderly, immunocompromised, pregnant, or young children: ensure all components are prepared with clean equipment and fresh ingredients. The roasted vegetables (tomatoes, peppers) in romesco should be fully cooled and stored promptly to prevent bacterial growth.

Pro Tips

Technique

Stop rushing the cauliflower — those 15 minutes before you flip are doing the heavy lifting, creating the caramelization that makes people believe vegetables can be the main event. Don't crowd the pan, and don't peek.

Substitution

No almonds? Hazelnuts or toasted bread crumbs work beautifully in the romesco. No problem — the sauce will adapt and still be magnificent.

From the chef

Somewhere out there, someone is roasting cauliflower and calling it dinner. I feel sorry for them — that poor, beautiful cauliflower, naked on a baking sheet with nothing but olive oil and salt. Not this cauliflower. This one gets the romesco, gets the tahini, gets the full treatment. When you put two contrasting sauces on the table, you're not being excessive — you're being hospitable. You're saying: come, sit, drag the bread through. This is how a vegetable becomes a meal worth gathering around.

Omar HaddadThe Sauce-Is-the-Meal Evangelist

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TagsVegetarianVeganGluten FreeRoastedRomescoTahiniCauliflowerSauce ForwardSpanish Inspired

AllergensTree NutsSesame

Source: generated · June 10, 2026