It’s Taco Tuesday! Roasted cauliflower tacos are one of my favorite ways to put a spin on a traditional taco night. I LOVE Tex-Mex and I love vegetables, so combining these two things is something I do on a weekly basis.
I’ve made roasted cauliflower tacos using a variety of spices and toppings over the last few years. Today I am sharing my roasted cauliflower tacos with pickled onions and creamy chipotle sauce.
I gave up processed foods for Lent this year, so I quickly knew last week that the first order of business would be to make my own tortillas for weekly taco night.
Wow! I cannot believe I haven’t been making tortillas all along! So easy and fresh!
It takes about an hour to make 20 tortillas from scratch and most of that hour is hands off time. We ate this batch over the course of four separate meals prepped five different ways!
I will share all of those recipes at some point, but let’s move forward to these roasted cauliflower tacos with pickled onions and creamy chipotle sauce. The combination of fresh vegetables with pickled and smoky flavors is unlike any other dish I’ve tasted.
While you can roast the cauliflower with butter, ghee or olive oil and play around with various spices, I do not recommend skipping the hot sauce. I tend to dial the spice down when I cook and allow others to add additional heat if they like.
I add protein by including my easy refried black bean spread as a base for the taco. Since the cauliflower, bean spread, and tacos are soft, you will definitely want to add crunch via your toppings.
I prefer vibrant purples for the cabbage and onions in this dish, as well as various shades of green using sliced avocado and cilantro.
I finish each taco with the creamy, smoky chipotle sauce and some extra hot sauce on top! While you can certainly use fresh chipotles in adobo for the cream sauce, I use a great shortcut for the sauce which speeds up my weeknight preparation…chipotle hot sauce!
Yum! These are so easy and filling; I recommend you try these tacos for your next Taco Tuesday. Don’t forget to save some for lunch the next day!
Adaptations for Kids:
If your kids are like mine, they may think they won’t like cauliflower, but once they try it they usually change their mind. If your kids are hesitant to eat whole cauliflower florets, introduce it by crumbling and mixing into the black bean spread.
Adaptation for Meat-Lovers:
I know many families have a family member who has to have meat at each meal. If this is the case in your family, I think that the addition of grilled chicken strips would pair well in this dish.
Adaptation for Vegans/Lactose-Intolerant:
Leave off the chipotle cream sauce and add preferred hot sauce to taste.
Ingredients
Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower cut into florets
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1/4 cup hot sauce
- 1/4 t. garlic powder
Pickled Onions
- 1 large red onion thinly sliced
- 1 T. kosher salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 t. coriander seeds
- 1/2 t. black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 whole clove
- 2 cups white vinegar
Chipotle Cream Sauce
- 1/2 cup light sour cream
- 1 T. lime juice
- 1 T. chipotle hot sauce
Refried Black Bean Spread
- 16 oz. refried black beans vegetarian
- 1/4 c. water
- 3 t. lime juice
- 12 tortillas
Suggested Toppings
- shredded purple cabbage
- fresh cilantro sprigs
- diced avocado
- hot sauce to taste
Instructions
Pickled Onions
- Place the sugar, water, coriander seeds, peppercorns, bay leaf and clove in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat to stand until cool and then add the vinegar. Transfer to a nonreactive container and refrigerate until cold. Thinly slice the onions and transfer to a small bowl. Sprinkle salt over the onions, toss and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Transfer the onions to a colander and rinse well. Once rinsed, shake excess water and pat dry with paper towel. Place the onions in a nonreactive container and pour cooled brine over onions until just covered. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
Roasted Cauliflower
- Preheat oven to 425. Combine oil, hot sauce, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Toss cauliflower florets with oil mixture in a larger bowl. Spread cauliflower on a large baking pan and roast for 40 minutes, tossing once during cook time.
Chipotle Cream Sauce
- Combine sour cream, lime juice and chipotle sauce in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready for use.
Refried Black Bean Spread
- Add black beans, water and lime juice to a food processor bowl and process until smooth. Set aside until ready for use.
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