Sheet pan cauliflower shawarma with hummus
Warmly spiced roasted cauliflower, red onion and chickpeas piled over hummus with a lemony tahini yogurt drizzle and warm pita.
- 45 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $3.54 a serving
- 620 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 head cauliflower, large
- 1 red onion
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup hummus
- 4 pita bread
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1¼ tsp salt, divided
Each serving has about 620 calories, 27 g protein, 77 g carbs and 25 g fat, and costs about $3.54 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No red onions? White onions or yellow onions work.
- No plain Greek yogurt? Plain yogurt or sour cream works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
- No pita bread? Flour tortillas work.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Cut the cauliflower into bite-size florets and the onion into thin wedges.
the chickpeas dry.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
On a large , everything with the oil, cumin, paprika, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, garlic powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Spread it out in one layer.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
until the cauliflower is and tender and the chickpeas are , 25 to 30 minutes, stirring once.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 27 min
Meanwhile, stir the yogurt, tahini, half the lemon’s juice, of salt and 1 to 2 tablespoons water into a sauce you can .
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
Dolly’s tip: Tahini seizes up and looks curdled at first. Keep stirring in water a spoon at a time and it turns silky.Warm the pitas in the oven for the last 3 minutes, right on the rack.
Timer: 3 min
Spread hummus on each plate, pile the cauliflower and chickpeas on top, with the sauce, squeeze over the rest of the lemon and scatter parsley. Serve with the warm pita.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
