Mexican meals are a favourite in my household as we love the DIY aspect — you can mix and match a bunch of different sauces and condiments that come together to make delicious dishes. Needless to say, we love tacos, and these Mexican taco-seasoning roasted cauliflower tacos are my current favourite.
Roasted cauliflower, if you haven’t tried it yet, is delicious — it’s got beautiful browned edges, crispy bits, and a crunchy bite to it. Cauliflower takes a long time to roast so you can easily leave it in the oven for a good 20-30 minutes while you do other things in the kitchen or around the house. If you really want to speed up the process, you can parboil the florets, but I prefer just leaving it in the oven to do it’s thing. Make sure you use enough cauliflower even if it seems extra in the beginning because you’ll be surprised at the amount it shrinks in the oven.
But honestly, even though we love cauliflower, if you don’t, you can use any other hearty veggie you have at home — sweet potato, broccoli, pumpkin, or portobello mushrooms would all work well. Alternatively, you could also use a protein — tofu, paneer, chicken, or chickpeas. The key to getting the same flavours lies in the homemade taco seasoning.
Now this seasoning is SO simple to make, you’ll wonder why you ever bought pre-made mixes before! I highly recommend doubling or even tripling up the taco seasoning recipe and storing it in an airtight jar — it’ll stay good for about 6 months. The smoky flavours instantly uplift any Mexican dish, so use them for tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, or to roast veggies/marinate meat.
While you’re waiting for the cauliflower to roast, finish making your condiments and add ons:
Coriander crema — Blend Greek yogurt with some salt, lime, and a large handful of coriander leaves and stems. Add a green chilli or jalapeño if you like. Instead of yogurt, you can also use avocado for a vegan version. Alternatively, just stick to sour cream. This adds a fresh and creamy element to your tacos.
Pickled onions — Quick pickle onion slices with a pinch of salt, sugar, a few tablespoons of vinegar and warm water and leave in the fridge. You can easily make this ahead and with different seasonings and veggies too.
Hot sauce / salsa — If you like spicy tacos, make a quick pico de gallo do go on top. You could also just use store-bought hot sauce.
You can also add avocado slices and micro greens if you have them.
Once all your prep is done, warm up some tortillas over an open flame to get them nice and charred around the edges. I used homemade whole-wheat rotis here — make them at home, or use readymade.
This simple roasted cauliflower tacos recipe takes only 30 minutes of active cooking time and uses ingredients that are largely available in most Indian pantries, yet it makes for a delicious and satisfying weeknight meal.
- 2 tablespoons chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- ½ tablespoon black pepper
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Optional: 1 tablespoon each onion powder and garlic powder
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 8 tortillas, warmed up
- 1 cup coriander yogurt crema or sour cream
- Pickled onions, hot sauce/salsa, chopped coriander, avocado slices
- Make the taco seasoning: Mix all the spices together in a bowl or jar to make an easy taco seasoning. You can use this spice mix to flavour all types of roast veggies, meat or even soups. Store the seasoning in an airtight jar for upto 6 months.
- In a large mixing bowl, add olive oil, crushed garlic, and 2 tablespoons of the taco seasoning. To this add chopped cauliflower florets and toss to coat.
- Transfer the cauliflower into a baking sheet and roast in a 200°C oven for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and charred, and the cauliflower has become tender but with a nice crunch. You can also par-boil the cauliflower before hand to speed up the roasting process. If you don’t have an oven, sauté the cauliflower in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until done.
- To serve, warm up tortillas on an open flame or a dry pan. Add a dollop of the coriander crema or sour cream and spread on the tortilla. Top with roasted cauliflower chunks, pickled onions, salsa/hot sauce, avocado slices, or any other condiments you like.
If you liked this recipe, you might also like Black Bean & Zucchini Tacos, Portobello Mushroom Tacos.
