Cauliflower Salad Sandwiches

Name: Cauliflower Salad Sandwiches
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cored, halved and cut into 1-inch slices; 6 tablespoons neutral oil; 5 teaspoons curry powder; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup/4 ounces raw walnuts, roughly chopped; 1 tart, crisp apple, cored and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 lemon, zested and juiced, plus more to taste; 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1/2 cup strained yogurt, like Greek or skyr; 1/3 cup raisins; 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped; 1/2 cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped; 4 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise

By Ham El-Waylly

Published April 19, 2023

Cauliflower Salad Sandwiches — Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 4(1,381)
Comments: Read comments

Pulling from the greatest hits of chicken salads, with crunchy walnuts, crisp apples, sweet raisins and a spiced mayo-yogurt dressing, this best-of-all-worlds sandwich subs out the chicken for cauliflower. The aggressively roasted cauliflower serves as a sponge, soaking up all the flavors of the dressing while adding layers of bitterness and earthiness. This salad only gets better as it sits, allowing the flavors to meld and the cauliflower to soak up even more dressing. Even once it’s built, this sandwich improves after it has sat for a few hours. Do you plan ahead? This makes an ideal picnic dish. Not sure when you’ll get a chance to eat or where the day will take you? This cauliflower salad sandwich is here for you.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cored, halved and cut into 1-inch slices
6tablespoons neutral oil
5teaspoons curry powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1cup/4 ounces raw walnuts, roughly chopped
1tart, crisp apple, cored and chopped into ½-inch pieces
1lemon, zested and juiced, plus more to taste
½cup mayonnaise
½cup strained yogurt, like Greek or skyr
⅓cup raisins
½cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
½cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped
4hoagie rolls, split lengthwise

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Place a large, rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and heat the oven to 450 degrees.
Step 2
In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with 3 tablespoons of oil, 2 teaspoons curry powder and a large pinch of salt. Massage the cauliflower to separate it into individual florets and coat it evenly in oil. Carefully spread onto the hot baking sheet and roast until cooked through and charred in spots, about 20 minutes. Turn the broiler on high and cook until cauliflower is deep brown and charred, 3 to 5 minutes.
Step 3
While the cauliflower roasts, toast the walnuts: In a small skillet over medium heat, add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the walnuts and a pinch of salt, and cook, frequently stirring, until lightly toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the remaining 3 teaspoons curry powder, turn off the heat and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step 4
In a large bowl, stir together the apple, lemon zest and juice, and a large pinch of salt. Add the mayonnaise, yogurt, raisins, cilantro, parsley and the walnut mixture, taking care to scrape in all of the oil and curry, and stir to combine.
Step 5
Add the cauliflower and toss until well combined; season with salt to taste. (The cauliflower salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.)
Step 6
Divide the cauliflower salad among the rolls and press firmly to close. Eat sandwiches immediately, or up to 12 hours later, storing refrigerated if not eating within the hour.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,381 user ratings

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Comments

mb2 years ago

try adding some garbanzos if you need this to be a "complete meal"

Vida2 years ago

Delicious! Would taste better if the curry is stir fried in oil before adding to the cauliflower. Baking alone still leaves a slightly raw taste.

C Kim2 years ago

This was delicious. I will add celery next time and possibly a bit of chutney (as Ina Garten does in her curried chicken salad).

Debbie D2 weeks ago

I ate the AMAZING salad with a warm pita and could not be happier. Love the blend of sweet and savory and lemony, roasted cauliflower. You hit it out of the park, Ham!

MM2 weeks ago

Made this as described but substituted dried cherries I had on hand for the raisins. As a prep tip: i roasted cauliflower for both The NY Times Cooking Spiced Cauliflower with Feta and thought i might have leftovers so left off the feta, crushed red pepper, and garlic to one side of the pan, from that other recipe. Leftover cauliflower, with no need to fuss with very different spices, was used with this mayo and yogurt dressing for lunch the next day. Both turned out beautifully and I didn’t feel like we were eating anything that similar for lunch leftovers!

SharonSF2 weeks ago

Base recipe was fantastic. I took other readers' suggestions to cook the curry before dressing the cauliflower and added celery, and then realized I was out of walnuts (I'm never out of walnuts!). Made do with a melange of pumpkin seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds, pecans and walnuts dug out of trail mix packets, and some of the trail mix dried cranberries for color. Outstanding. I'll probably eat it all tonight, so research for next day flavor will have to wait.

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