Roasted Cauliflower Kale Salad

When I want a fast, healthy meal, this salad is my go-to recipe. I dress it up with fresh citrus juices, seasonal veggies, and my favorite nuts & cheese.

Roasted Cauliflower Kale Salad in bowls

When I’m not in the mood to cook (and yes, that happens), our dinner often looks something like this roasted cauliflower salad. While there are a lot of salads on this blog, I probably don’t post as many kale salads as I actually consume. I love them because they’re hearty and filling and are pretty much a blank canvas for any seasonal vegetable. Plus, they’re great to pack away for lunch the next day.

Kale might be “so last year,” but it’ll always have a special place in my heart.

Roasted Cauliflower Kale Salad

How to Make This Roasted Cauliflower Salad

This is a basic recipe that you can customize however you like – I like to serve it with soup or sometimes with a piece of salmon on top. You can get creative with what you mix in – I often add a little feta cheese, roasted sweet potatoes, chickpeas and/or a scoop of hummus or cashew cream. The options are endless.

Roast your cauliflower until it’s browned and caramelized on the edges. Massage your kale with olive oil, salt, and citrus. I like to squeeze a bit of lemon and orange – I think the tangy/sweet combo helps to offset the bitterness of the kale. I usually don’t bother to make a separate “dressing,” I just mix everything together in one bowl. Taste and adjust from there, and enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower Kale Salad

5.0 from 7 reviews

Roasted Cauliflower Kale Salad

 
This roasted cauliflower salad is great for packing for lunch. It's flexible, too - toss in your favorite nuts, cheese, or seasonal veggies!
Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Serves: 2 as a main
Ingredients
  • 3-4 cups cauliflower florets
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • One bunch of kale, stemmed (about 5 packed cups)
  • A few squeezes of lemon
  • A few squeezes of orange
  • ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • Salt & pepper
  • ¼ cup hemp seeds, toasted chopped almonds, or pine nuts
a few add-on ideas: (choose 1 or a few)
  • Crumbled feta cheese
  • Shaved Parmesan cheese
  • Dried currants or cranberries
  • Chickpeas (or a protein of your choice)
  • Roasted sweet potatoes (roast w/ the cauliflower)
  • A scoop of hummus or cashew cream
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. On a baking sheet lined with parchment, toss the cauliflower with olive oil, salt & pepper. Spread cauliflower evenly on the baking sheet and roast until golden brown (usually 20-30 minutes).
  3. Tear your kale into pieces and place it all into a large bowl. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper and use your hands to massage the leaves until the kale becomes tender and wilted (the volume in your bowl will reduce by about half). Add a big squeeze of orange, a big squeeze of lemon, a bit of dijon mustard, and use your hands to work it all together. Taste and adjust - if it's bitter add orange, if it's bland, add more seasonings. What you add will depend on the bitterness of your kale (I find that I add different amounts each time). If it's still too raw-tasting, let it sit for 20 or so minutes (at room temp), and the flavors will develop a little more.
  4. Toss in the roasted cauliflower, a sprinkle of hemp seeds and some freshly cracked pepper. If the kale is still too raw-tasting, add some of the suggested add-ons to offset the amount of kale in your salad.
  5. Store extra kale salad in an air tight container in the fridge (it's great for lunch the next day).
Notes
If you're new to kale salad, or if your kale is especially tough or bitter, try mixing in a few handfuls of softer baby salad greens.

 

33 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Susan
    03.11.2024

    This is so good and I love how customizable it is. I added harissa powder to the cauliflower for a little heat, and some shredded beets and carrot for a little colour. Making it for the second time in a week….

  2. Adriana
    11.03.2017

    I was looking for something where I could use cauliflower, kale and sweet potato and found your recipe. It is so good, I try to have kale once every week at least so I’m always looking for different ways to serve it. I added the roasted sweet potato, a few lentils I had on hand and goat cheese. Thanks for sharing.

  3. Valerie
    05.31.2017

    This was a great dinner salad! I added brussel sprouts to make it a bit heartier. This salad also kept well for lunch the next day!

  4. Cheryl Wood
    02.24.2017

    Dear Love & Lemons, Good Job!! You 2 are so cute!! I made your Kale & Roasted Cauli Salad last night, put pepitas and tiny halved grape tomatoes in it, served it with Oktoberfest Sausages – for my Hubby’s Birthday!! The Dijon in the salad complimented the sausages, as well as everything and everything – I’m having leftovers for breakfast this morning!! Keep up the good work!! xx, C.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      02.28.2017

      Hi Cheryl, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  5. sarah.a. from sarahlikesgreen.com
    04.10.2016

    obsessed with this salad. have made it a few times and each time so good.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.11.2016

      I’m so glad it’s a favorite 🙂

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.