Thursday, February 22, 2024

Butter Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Mint Cilantro Sauce

Butter cauliflower and chickpeas in a bowl with rice, mint sauce, cilantro, and pickled onions.

This Butter Cauliflower Is a New Weeknight Staple.

It’s 5pm. Here’s what you’re doing (and me, too):

  • Roasting some cauliflower
  • Adding a jar of butter sauce
  • And a can of chickpeas, lightly smashed
  • Piling a steamy scoop on some rice
  • And topping the whole thing with mint cilantro sauce

And it’s the easiest little veg-forward number that three out of four in my family love. (Toddler is the holdout.)

The cauliflower is roasty and seasoned to the max, and the chickpeas get just a little bit chunky and creamy when you give them a few good smashed. They’re just a bit TOO round sometimes, ya know?

You can make a butter sauce from scratch, or you can just do as I’ve been doing and buy the KFI brand butter chicken sauce from Costco which comes in a big jar and works like a charm. I’ve also heard via your DMs on Instagram that their Vindaloo sauce is even better. If you don’t have a Costco, any brand of tikka masala or Indian-spiced simmer sauces that you love would work just as well (and you can give it some love with a bit of extra cream or butter).

Nothing will beat a made-from-scratch sauce, I know, I know. But all I’m trying to beat with this recipe is myself from defaulting to a frozen pizza for dinner. End result: a veg-forward dish that makes the house smell great and that comes together effortlessly. That’s what I’m here for.

If you can swing it, a little tangle of pickled onions on top is very nice.

Make This Butter Cauliflower With Me

1

Season and Roast the Cauliflower.

Coat the cauliflower in spices and some avocado oil. Roast in the oven or air fryer till it’s roasty and yummy.

Raw cauliflower in a bowl tossed in spices.

Don’t skimp on the spices!

2

Activate Your Yummy Butter Sauce.

Homemade, with a pureed base of onions, garlic, ginger, spices, and tomato sauce plus cream and butter, is delicious. Or… just use a store-bought sauce! Costco sells KFI brand butter chicken sauce and I’ve been enjoying it as an SOS option.

Butter and cream in a pot with butter chicken sauce.

Here’s a homemade run – nice lil knob of butter and some cream going in!

3

Add Your Chickpeas and Mash.

Okay, you don’t have to mash them. But sometimes chickpeas are just a bit too round. If you can understand that weird sentiment, you’ll probably enjoy a bit of mashing for texture.

Mashing chickpeas in a pot with sauce.

Add chickpeas and give ’em a few good smashes.

4

Add Cauliflower Back In.

Here she comes, looking nice and roasty!

Adding cauliflower to the chickpea sauce mixture.

Those spices did us well.

5

You’re Done! Yum!

I love, love, love this with some kind of a cilantro sauce which is why you’ll see a waterfall of it on my bowl here.

Butter cauliflower and chickpeas in a bowl with mint sauce on top.

A golden mountain of butter cauliflower topped with rivers of mint sauce.

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Butter Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Mint Cilantro Sauce


  • Author: Lindsay
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6

Description

This Butter Cauliflower and Chickpeas is a weeknight staple! Roasty spiced cauliflower, a jar of butter sauce, a can of chickpeas, and a pile of steamy rice with a waterfall of mint sauce on top.


Ingredients

Units

Butter Cauliflower and Chickpeas:

  • 12 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 3 cups)
  • 1 teaspoon each cumin, garam masala, and curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 jar of butter chicken sauce (24.5 ounces) or homemade

Mint Cilantro Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup packed mint leaves
  • 1/4 cup packed cilantro
  • 1/2 cup mayo or plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 small chunk of jalapeño, optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • juice of 1 lime

Instructions

  1. Roast the cauliflower: Toss the cauliflower with the avocado oil, cumin, garam masala, curry powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Roast at 425 / 20 minutes in the air fryer, or 425 / 30 minutes in the oven until nice and roasty and golden.
  2. Make the mint sauce: Blitz everything up until it’s nice and smooth. I like to really blend this one so it’s less chunky and more of a smooth green sauce.
  3. Butter sauce time: Add butter sauce and chickpeas to a large skillet. Smash the chickpeas lightly with a potato masher to give a more interesting texture if you want (I do want). Add cauliflower back in. 
  4. Serve: Serve the butter cauliflower on rice and top with the mint sauce. Add pickled onions if you want. ENJOY!
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Indian-Inspired

Keywords: butter chicken, butter sauce, cauliflower, chickpeas, easy dinner

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Frequently Asked Questions For This Butter Cauliflower

Could I add meat to this?

I think some roughly chopped or shredded boneless skinless chicken thighs could tuck in that sauce nicely with the cauliflower and chickpeas. Or, just go straight for a meat instead of the veggies in the sauce – like these butter chicken meatballs.

How can I make this dairy-free?

Use coconut cream, coconut milk, cashew cream, and/or ghee to make it nice and creamy!

Could you skip roasting the cauliflower and just simmer it in the sauce to cook?

Yes! I will say, I love the roasty bits on the caulfilower and I feel like it adds a lot of flavor, texture, and color. That said, absolutely yes – save yourself some time and just throw that cauliflower right in the pan if you’re not feeling too precious about it.

Three More Cauliflower Favorites

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