These Cauliflower Steaks are served with a vibrant Chimichurri Sauce on a bed of Sweet Potato Mash. It's a quick and easy meal to make but packed full of flavour.
Cauliflower steaks
Cauliflower is a versatile vegetable that doesn't get enough attention. It's often used as a chicken substitute for vegan "chicken" wings or popcorn "chicken" but it also works well when cut thick like a steak.
It’s a really healthy and nutritious vegetable but when turned into a thick cut steak it's super filling and is the perfect alternative to eating a processed meat substitute.
There are lots of recipes for caluflower steak floating around the internet that over complicate things.
Some will suggest that you sautée the steaks or griddle them in a skillet with some oil before you bake them in the oven. Whist this might save some time baking it creates washing up; something I try to avoid with mid-week meals!
Instead, I rub mine with a little oil and season them well with salt and pepper. I then roast them on a baking sheet until they are tender in the middle but charred and crispy around the edges. It gives the steaks a satisfying bite to them and brings out the best flavour in the cauliflower.
Chimichurri sauce
Chimichurri sauce is a sauce that has its origins in Argentina and Uruguay cuisines. You can find both a greed and a red version. My green version is made of chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar and a hint of red chilli. To make a red version you add roasted red peppers, but that's a recipe for another day!
Chimichurri is an uncooked sauce that can be used either as an ingredient in cooking or as a condiment for grilled meat or cauliflower steaks like these!
what I love about it is that it's so bold and vibrant. I've tried making it with a range of different acids (like cider vinegar or lemon juice) but red wine vinegar is the original and in my opinion the best.
Some recipes online suggest putting all of the ingredients into a blender and pulsing it. I find that this chops the ingredients a little too fine. I much prefer to chop mine by hand and, again, it reduces the amount of washing up!
Sweet potato mash
I love sweet potato mash. It's so soft and creamy but sweet too! Its really easy to make, simply boil the sweet potato in a pan of salty water then mash with butter or a vegan alternative before seasoning well.
As well as being delicious, sweet potato is rich in vitamin C and vitamin B6 as well as potassium and magnesium. Delicious and good for you? What else can convince you to serve up this delicious vegetable with my Cauliflower Steaks and Chimichurri Sauce.
The recipe
Make your sweet potato mash, then top with your char grilled cauliflower steak and chimichurri sauce. This simple meal uses delicious, fresh vegetables for a really tasty, simple meal.
Cauliflower Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce and Sweet Potato Mash
Ingredients
For the chimichurri sauce
- 75 ml olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 50 grams parsley finely chopped including stalks
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red chilli finely diced
- 0.5 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper
For the cauliflower steaks
- 1 cauliflower
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- salt and pepper
For the sweet potato mash
- 500 grams sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 tablespoon non-dairy butter
- salt and pepper
Instructions
To make the chimichurri sauce
- Mix all the chimichurri ingredients together in a bowl and place to one side.
- (We start by making the chimichuri sauce to give it time for the flavours to meld while the rest of the dish cooks.)
To roast the cauliflower steaks
- Pre-heat your oven to 220 C / 428 F /gas 7.
- Starting with the middle part of the cauliflower (as it's the largest), cut the cauliflower into two 1-inch steaks.
- Rub both sides of the steaks with the olive oil and season well.
- Place them on to a baking tray and roast for 10 minutes or until the edges start to turn brown, flip them over and roast for another 20 minutes.
To make the sweet potato mash
- Bring a ban of water to the boil.
- Add the cubes of sweet potato and a large pinch of salt.
- Boil the sweet potato for 10 minutes or until it's tender.
- Drain the sweet potato well and place the colander over the empty (but still hot) saucepan to let them steam dry.
- Once they are dry, return them to the pan and add the non-dairy butter.
- Mash until smooth and creamy and all of the butter has melted into the mash.
- Season well.
- You are now ready to serve!
Nutrition
If you like this recipe, you'll love these...
Each of the following recipes is a simple, heart warming dish that uses simple ingredients. Why not give them a try this autumn. For more seasonal recipes, you can search the full recipe archive based on the time of year. Find out more here.
The dinner recipe archive
For more delicious dinner recipes simply browse the dinner recipe archive.
You can view the full recipe archive based on meal here.
Leave a Reply