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Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas tossed together with maple lime marinated onions. A great nutrient packed sheet pan meal easy to make during the work week.
It’s truly fall because I went to the store and found cauliflower on sale for $2. Seasonal produce especially now is so much more affordable, so I will always take advantage of it. Pairing it with some flavors I love to make everything in the following bowl that much more enjoyable.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Maple Lime Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas
- The oven does all the cooking. Sheet pan recipes always have my heart because they are dump, toss together and place in the oven meals. Simple to make and easy to clean up.
- A balance of great nutrition. You get starch from the grains at the bottom of the bowl for energy, protein from the chickpeas, fiber from the veggies and omega 3 from the walnuts. A truly epic combo.
- Makes eating your veggies more fun. The play on flavors and textures here will make getting the cauliflower and chickpeas in more enjoyable. I’m including some helpful tips here that can help make any veggie packed meal a little more delicious.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Cauliflower: If you aren’t a fan of breaking cauliflower down, try this with a bag of cauliflower florets. Just cut the florets down into smaller equal pieces as needed.
- Chickpeas: I like the texture and consistency of roasting chickpeas for bowls like this. Do note, you can roast other beans or even lentils for this if you prefer. Note that roasting time will vary depending on the size of the bean used.
- Onions: I recommend red onions for this. Make sure to slice thinly.
- Dates: These help add some extra texture and sweetness. I used medjool date, but you can swap for some chopped dried apricots or golden raisins.
- Walnuts: For nut allergies, swap for some pepitas.
- Spices: I used a combination of smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and coriander to help season the various trays.
- Maple Syrup: Feel free to adjust the amount used to match your own personal preference.
- Vinegar: I used red wine vinegar, but a half tablespoon of apple cider vinegar works well too.
- Lime: Fresh is best because we need the lime zest and juice.
How to Make Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas
Preheat the oven to 425F then line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
To one tray add the cauliflower along with paprika, coriander, onion powder, garlic powder and a generous pinch of salt. Drizzle with a tablespoon or more of oil then toss together to evenly coat the cauliflower. Spread the cauliflower pieces out, placing pieces cut side down on the tray. Bake in the oven on the bottom rack for 30 minutes, flipping the cauliflower after 20 minutes.
To the second tray, add the chickpeas and the oil. Toss to coat and bake in the oven for 20 minutes on the middle rack. Remove and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. To the same tray, add the walnuts and spices along with a pinch of salt then toss to coat. Place back in the oven to bake for 10 minutes.
While everything bakes, prepare the marinated onions. Add the onions, garlic, lime zest and juice , maple syrup, vinegar, olive oil, cilantro, dates, and a generous pinch of salt. Using clean hands, toss the onions together until fully coated then cover and place in the fridge until everything is done baking.
Transfer the onion mixture to the tray of cauliflower and toss together to coat.
To assemble, serve the roasted cauliflower over your grain or starch of choice then top with the crispy chickpeas and walnuts. Use any of the dressing left in the bowl of marinated onions to drizzle over top then enjoy.
Expert Tips
- Roast the cut cauliflower florets cut side down. This will help the cauliflower to evenly sear when roasting, which will give you those wonderful charred edges.
- Mellow out the flavor of the onion by soaking it in water. Add the sliced onion to some cold water to soak for 10 minutes. This will draw out some of the super sharp astringent flavors out. As a raw onion hater, this has increased my raw onion consumption significantly.
- Double roast your chickpeas. This will help them get crispier. To do this just do an initial roast of the chickpeas. Remove from the oven and allow the chickpeas to cool before adding the walnuts. Toss together with the spices and then place back in the oven to roast for an extra 10 minutes to crisp up. Allowing the chickpeas to cool a second time will get you more of that crispiness.
- Adjust sweetness to your preference. This recipe uses both dates and maple syrup. If you feel it is too sweet, use less of either of those components. For more sweet, add a little extra maple syrup to the marinated onions to help make this more to your liking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this be made ahead of time?
This recipe is best when eaten fresh. However, you can prep the individual components separately and then assemble it when you are ready to eat. Roast your cauliflower and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store the roasted chickpeas in a container with a loosely fitted lid at room temperature to help maintain some of it’s crispiness for up to 2 days. The marinated onions can be stored in a separate airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How can I make this nut-free?
Either remove the walnuts entirely or swap for some pepitas instead.
What are the benefits of using walnuts?
Walnuts provide a significant amount of omega 3s. They can be a great option to use if you feel you don’t get enough omega 3s from sources like chia seeds or ground flaxseeds. Eat them raw or roasted to enjoy the benefits.
How to Serve
The roasted cauliflower and chickpeas can be served over some cooked grains like quinoa or rice, in a wrap smeared with hummus or stuffed in a roasted sweet potato. There is no wrong way to enjoy this. If you are looking for some additional protein to add to this, add some Lemon Garlic Marinated Tofu on top when serving.
More Balanced Plant-Based Bowls to Try
- Crispy Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Orange Miso Black Rice Salad
- Crispy Rice Bowl with Hummus and Roasted Lentils
- Maple Lime Cold Noodle Salad
- Skillet Charred Corn and Edamame Salad
Maple Lime Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 7 reviews
- Author: Catherine Perez
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas tossed together with maple lime marinated onions. A great nutrient packed sheet pan meal easy to make during the work week.
Ingredients
Scale
Smoky Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1–2 tbsp avocado oil
Chickpeas
- 1, 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
Marinated Onions
- 1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced into strips
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1–2 tbsp maple syrup (adjust to preference)
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup cilantro, stems removed and minced
- 1/4 cup medjool dates, chopped
- Kosher salt to taste
For Assembling
- Cooked quinoa or rice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F then line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Make sure to pat the chickpeas dry in a clean kitchen towel before using.
- To one tray add the cauliflower along with paprika, coriander, onion powder, garlic powder and a generous pinch of salt. Drizzle with a tablespoon or more of oil then toss together to evenly coat the cauliflower. Spread the cauliflower pieces out, placing pieces cut side down on the tray. Bake in the oven on the bottom rack for 30 minutes, flipping the cauliflower after 20 minutes.
- To the second tray, add the chickpeas and the oil. Toss to coat and bake in the oven for 20 minutes on the middle rack. Remove and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. To the same tray, add the walnuts and spices along with a pinch of salt then toss to coat. Place back in the oven to bake for 10 minutes.
- While everything bakes, prepare the marinated onions. Add the onions, garlic, lime zest and juice , maple syrup, vinegar, olive oil, cilantro, dates, and a generous pinch of salt. Using clean hands, toss the onions together until fully coated then cover and place in the fridge until everything is done baking.
- Transfer the onion mixture to the tray of cauliflower and toss together to coat.
- To assemble, serve the roasted cauliflower over your grain or starch of choice then top with the crispy chickpeas and walnuts. Use any of the dressing left in the bowl of marinated onions to drizzle over top then enjoy.
Notes
Roast the cut cauliflower florets cut side down.This will help the cauliflower to evenly sear when roasting, which will give you those wonderful charred edges.
Mellow out the flavor of the onion by soaking it in water.Add the sliced onion to some cold water to soak for 10 minutes. This will draw out some of the super sharp astringent flavors out. As a raw onion hater, this has increased my raw onion consumption significantly.
Double roast your chickpeas.This will help them get crispier. To do this just do an initial roast of the chickpeas. Remove from the oven and allow the chickpeas to cool before adding the walnuts. Toss together with the spices and then place back in the oven to roast for an extra 10 minutes to crisp up. Allowing the chickpeas to cool a second time will get you more of that crispiness.
Adjust sweetness to your preference. This recipe uses both dates and maple syrup. If you feel it is too sweet, use less of either of those components. For more sweet, add a little extra maple syrup to the marinated onions to help make this more to your liking.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
★Catherine
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