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4.75 from 12 votes

Roasted Cauliflower Orzo Salad

This delicious Roasted Cauliflower Orzo Salad is packed with delicious Mediterranean ingredients, and is delicious served warm or cold.  Feel free to sub in your favorite ingredients!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: pasta, vegetarian
Servings: 8 -10 servings

Ingredients

Roasted Cauliflower Orzo Salad Ingredients:

  • 12 ounces uncooked pasta (I used orzo)
  • 2 large handfuls fresh baby arugula
  • 1 batch roasted cauliflower (see below)
  • 1 cup Kalamata olives pitted and halved
  • 2/3 cup roughy-chopped sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
  • 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
  • half a small red onion thinly sliced
  • 1 batch lemon vinaigrette (see below)

Roasted Cauliflower Ingredients:

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

Lemon Vinaigrette Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons finely-chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper

Instructions

To Make The Roasted Cauliflower Orzo Salad:

  • Cook the pasta in a large stockpot of generously-salted water until it is al dente, according to package directions.  Drain pasta and rinse under cold water for about 20-30 seconds until no longer hot.  Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, roasted cauliflower, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled cheese, pine nuts, red onion, and vinaigrette.  Toss until evenly combined.
  • Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

To Make The Roasted Cauliflower:

  • Heat oven to 400°F.
  • Add the cauliflower to a large mixing bowl, drizzle evenly with olive oil, and toss until combined.  (You can also do this directly on the baking sheet.)  Turn the cauliflower out onto a large baking sheet, and spread out in a single layer.  Season evenly with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper.
  • Bake uncovered for about 25-30 minutes, or until the cauliflower is lightly browned and tender.  Remove from the oven, and set aside until ready to use.

To Make The Lemon Vinaigrette:

  • Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl (or shake in a mason jar) until completely combined.