This Roasted Cauliflower Salad Recipe one of my salad obsessions- Smashed Brussels Sprouts!

This recipe requires mastering 2 techniques:

1. How to Roast Cauliflower Until Deeply Caramelized, and;
2. How to Separate Brussels Sprouts into Leaves

Why is it Important to Caramelize Your Cauliflower?

If you’ve ever struggled to get your cauliflower crisp and flavorful instead of soft and soggy, this recipe will change everything. The secret? A blazing hot oven, a preheated sheet pan, and a little steam release magic. This technique guarantees golden-brown, restaurant-quality cauliflower with irresistible flavor.

How to Roast Cauliflower Until Deeply Caramelized:

1. Preheat the Pan
Place a small sheet pan on the middle rack of your oven and preheat to 450°F. A hot pan ensures instant sizzle for crisp, caramelized edges.
2. Prep the Cauliflower
Cut cauliflower into 1-inch florets. Rub generously with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with your chosen spice blend.
3. Roast with Steam Release
Once the oven is hot, carefully remove the sheet pan, add the cauliflower (listen for the sizzle), and return it to the oven. Roast for 26 minutes total, flipping halfway through.
Pro Tip: Once or twice during roasting, carefully crack open the oven door just long enough to release steam (lean away so it doesn’t hit your face). This prevents sogginess and promotes browning.
4. Rest & Serve
Remove from oven and let cauliflower cool for 5–10 minutes directly on the pan. This helps it release naturally without sticking. Serve warm.

Tips for Perfect Roasted Cauliflower
1. Cut florets evenly so they roast at the same rate.
2. Preheat the pan! That sizzle is the magic sauce.
3. Don’t skip the steam release! It’s the difference between soggy and crisp.

Why Separate the Brussels Sprouts into Leaves?

Because we’ve all been there…three bites into a shaved Brussels sprouts salad when you get a tough bite that you must strain to swallow because even the thinnest shavings sometimes contain cumbersome pieces of its core. Smashing Brussels sprouts eliminates that nuisance. 

Tips for Making the Romesco-ish Dressing:

Now that you’ve got we’ve lovely pile of soft Brussels sprout leaves and gorgeously caramelized cauliflower let’s move onto the the Romesco-ish Dressing, which as the name suggests is a versatile Spanish-inspired red pepper dressing that’s naturally gluten-free and packed with flavor. It is ideal for elevating everyday salads into something truly unforgettable and restaurant-quality.  

To make it, you’ll need:

• roasted red peppers
• sherry vinegar
• Marcona almonds
• garlic
• honey
• extra virgin olive oil
• smoked paprika
• kosher salt
• black pepper

Simply blend the roasted peppers, vinegar, almonds, garlic, and honey using an immersion blender or high-speed blender, then slowly drizzle in olive oil and room-temperature water to create a smooth, emulsified texture that’s drizzle-ready.

Caramelized Cauliflower Brussels Sprout and White Bean Salad with Romesco-ish Dressing

Recipe by thesal28_wp

Course: Salads

Servings

2-4

servings

Elevate your salad game with this Caramelized Cauliflower, Brussels Sprout, and White Bean Salad tossed in a Romesco-ish dressing. Roasting the cauliflower caramelizes its natural sweetness and smashing the Brussels sprouts tames their bitterness, while creamy white beans add satisfying heft. The smoky, nutty, and slightly tangy Romesco-ish dressing ties everything together, making this salad perfect as a make-ahead side or a light, flavorful main. Quick, easy, and full of bold flavor, it’s a salad that you won’t be able to stop thinking about after it’s gone!

Ingredients

• 10 brussels sprouts

• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp granulated garlic

• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

• kosher salt

• 1 medium head cauliflower

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 can white beans (1 1/2 cups), I used Great Northern Beans, rinsed/drained

• 1/2 cup marcona almonds, chopped

• 1/2 cup sliced Castelvetrano olives

• 5 fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish

• Romesco-ish Dressing

• Romesco-ish Dressing

• 4 oz. (appx. 1/2 cup) roasted red peppers, drained 

• 3 tbsp Sherry vinegar

• 2 tbsp marcona almonds

• 1 peeled garlic clove

• 1 tbsp honey

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 4 tbsp room temp water

• Kosher salt

• Black pepper

• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Directions

• Place a large sheet pan (18 x 13) on the middle oven rack and preheat the oven to 450° F. Combine the smoked paprika, garlic, turmeric and 1/2 tsp salt and set aside.
• Cut a V-shaped notch from the base of each Brussels sprout to remove the core. Smash each sprout 3–4 times with a heavy pot, separate into leaves, wash, dry, lightly salt, and set aside. Mix garlic, smoked paprika, salt, and sugar. Place a large sheet pan on the middle rack and preheat oven to 450° (F). Cut cauliflower into 1-inch florets, rub with olive oil, and toss with the spice mix.
• Carefully remove the hot pan, add cauliflower (listen for the sizzle), and return to oven. Roast 26 minutes total, flipping once. Key step: once or twice during roasting, briefly crack the oven door to release steam (lean away so the steam doesn’t hit you in the face). This keeps the cauliflower searing, not steaming. Cool the cauliflower for 5–10 minutes. This will allow it to release easily from the pan. Prepare the dressing using the directions below. Coarsely chop the Brussels sprouts and add them to a large bowl with the cauliflower, beans, almonds, sliced olives, and dressing. Season to taste and finish with thyme.
• Romesco-ish Dressing
• Using an immersion blender or a top loading blender, blend together the roasted red pepper, vinegar, almonds, garlic, and honey. With blender running, drizzle in the oil and water, alternating, 1 tbsp at a time, until the dressing is smooth. Season to taste and stir in smoked paprika. 
  

Notes

• I am an independent blogger and product reviews I share are based on my own opinions.  Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and when used to make a purchase I may earn a commission. I link to these products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases.