Sometimes you need those meals that are just so good that you know you’re going to serve it to guests the next time they come over.
Well this roasted cauliflower and lentils dish does just that. It’s perfectly cooked in a creamy coconut tomato sauce that begs to be scooped up with some crunchy bread. You know those types of sauces!
When we first decided to go vegan, it was hard to know what meals to serve when we had friends over but dishes like these do just that!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Find Ingredients – This recipe is mostly ingredients that people keep on hand all the time or can be swapped for what you do have making it amazing to make all the time
- Good Year Round – It’s one of those dishes that’s worth the effort to make a few times a year!
- Bold Flavors with Simple Work– You love those dishes were you get so much impact from the ingredients carrying the work rather than you have to put in a ton of effort to get the flavor.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
Gather your ingredients!
Cauliflower
This is the star of the dish. It roasts perfectly and adds a bite and warmth to the overall dish.
Substitute: Broccoli, sweet potatoes, or yukon potatoes would also work for swapping and roasted. If you want something else you’ll want to use the same seasoning blend, but you could do chickpeas or white beans. Just be mindful that you are also adding lentils.
Lentils
We love these little legumes that carry a big protein punch. You’ll want to either use canned or pre-cook brown or green lentils prior to starting this recipe.
Substitute: Chickpeas or white beans like great northern, butter beans, or cannellini would work great.
Cherry Tomatoes
We’re blistering the tomatoes in a skillet prior to adding them back at the end. The get extra juicy when doing this and softened which give an excellent mouthfeel to the final dish.
Dried Spices
We’re using smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, garlic powder, salt and black pepper to layer flavor into our meal.
Aromatics
Ginger, onions, and garlic are pulling their weight in helping build base flavor that is absolutely crucial for meals like this.
Sauce Ingredients
You will also need low-sodium vegetable broth, low-sodium soy sauce. coconut milk, and tomato paste are the remaining ingredients you’ll dish for this dish.
Substitutes: For the soy sauce – you’ll want to swap with a safe for you alternative – coconut aminos, liquid aminos, tamari, etc. For the coconut milk – use a safe for your non-dairy milk preferably a creamier one (for example, extra creamy oat milk).
Optional Ingredients
Finishing ingredients we added were lemon juice and chopped fresh parsley to balance the dish off at the end. You’ll also want something like rice or quinoa to serve it with alongside some crunchy bread slices.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Other One Pot Dishes to Try:
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Creamy Coconut Tomato Sauce with Lentils and Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
For the Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 6–7 cups / 700g)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, more or less to taste
For the Creamy Coconut Tomato Lentil Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon
low sodium soy sauce
- 1 cup
cooked lentils,
(green or brown work best) - 13.5 ounces canned full-fat coconut milk (400mL)
- ½ cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
To Finish
- Fresh parsley or cilantro chopped
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Cooked rice and/or warm flatbread for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚F (218˚C).
- In a large bowl, add your cauliflower florets and drizzle with 2 tablespoon olive oil. Toss to coat. Then add your seasonings: 1 ½ teaspoon each smoked paprika and ground cumin, 1 teaspoon each turmeric and garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Toss until every piece is coated well. Transfer to a baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until soft and easily pierced through with a fork.
- Into a large skillet (preferably with high walls) over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon olive oil. When hot, add your cherry tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook for about -7 minutes until slightly charred and softened. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate.
- To the same skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon more olive oil. Once hot, add your diced onions and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft and translucent. Then, add 6 cloves minced garlic and grated 1 tablespoon fresh ginger. Stir together and cook for amount 30-60 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add 2 tablespoon tomato paste and stir together until spread out and other ingredients are coated. Then add in 1 teaspoon each ground cumin, ground coriander, and smoked paprika and ½ teaspoon each turmeric and black pepper.
- Add a splash out of your ½ cup vegetable stock and scrap anything off the bottom of your skillet. Then add the remaining stock, 13.5 ounces coconut milk and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Stir together well, then add your 1 cup cooked lentils. Reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes. Stir one more time.
- Add in your cooked cauliflower, tomatoes, and top with chopped fresh parsley and squeeze some lemon juice on top if desired. Serve with a grain and some crunchy bread.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Recipe FAQs:
For the soy sauce – you’ll want to swap with a safe for you alternative – coconut aminos, liquid aminos, tamari, etc. For the coconut milk – use a safe for your non-dairy milk preferably a creamier one (for example, extra creamy oat milk). Otherwise, this dish is Top 9 Allergen Friendly.
We don’t recommend freezing this dish.
Yes, this dish is good for 3-5 days after it’s made. Store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge when not using.
We typically pair this with a small salad, some type of grain like rice or quinoa, and some crunchy bread on the side!
No worries. When it says to add the lentils in the recipe, you’re going to add an additional ½ cup of vegetable stock and then cover the dish while simmering. Allow them to cook in the sauce for 15-20 minutes until they are softened. You may need a little more liquid, but judge as it’s cooking.
This dish is delicious! It’s full of flavor and reheats beautifully for lunch the next day.
Awww, thank you so much! We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe and that it carried over well as leftovers!
Wow! This is FI UH! I wanted to eat more, but I just got too full! I have got to make this and take it to the church fellowship lunch. I can guarantee it will go very quickly!
Awww, thank you so much! We’re so happy to hear that you loved the recipe enough to share it with your church fellowship!!!
Nard Dog is the man to go to for delicious recipes! So far, everyone I have tried has been incredible 🥰🥰
Awww, thank you so much! We’re so happy to hear that you have enjoyed our recipes thus far. Thank you again for taking the time to share you experience here with us!
As SOON as I saw this recipe I just KNEW it was going to be SLAMMING! I really enjoyed cooking it too. I’m SO grateful for the cutting tip to prevent having a sea of “rice bits” (which can burn in the oven); the tip yielded more lovely florets. I also appreciate knowing about how much time things would likely need to be just right; especially since I’m inexperienced with blistering cherry/grape tomatoes. Yeah… I got popped a few times. But ohhh the smell of the onions and those spices after the tomatoes!!! Oh yassss! I used liquid aminos, I believe that’s okay. The spice combination is such a winner! I served the dish over chick pea pasta last night, and my husband went back for more. Ya’ll gonna MAKE me go back to the store to buy another head of cauliflower! I want my sauce next time to have a bolder red color to make what I see in the video. I’ll see if a different brand of tomato paste will make a difference. Thank you for this lovely, healthy pot of deliciousness!
This is amazing! We love hearing that your husband went back for seconds, that is the ultimate stamp of approval!
We’re so incredibly happy to hear that the cutting tip saved you from the dreaded “cauliflower rice explosion” and got you those perfect, lovely florets. And major props to you for powering through the blistering tomatoes! Getting popped a few times is practically a rite of passage, but that aroma of the onions, spices, and tomatoes blending together makes it so worth it. Thank you again for giving the recipe a try and for taking a moment to share your experience here with us!
I made this dish after seeing the video. I enjoyed the 3 separate stages – mindfulness – with similar spices, but the final pairing was next level – and that ginger did it for me. I have become an avid follower! (And its not just the voice, I promise!)
Awww, thank you so much!! We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed the video and the recipe. And thank you for becoming a member of our community!!
This is s super delicious easy to fix meal, a real crowd pleaser with aromatics you don’t get in your average dish. I made it twice, once with roasted cauliflower as per the recipe and the second time I used roasted sweet potatoes. Both work equally well. Thank you sooooo much for sharing this recipe
I bet the sweet potatoes were so good too! Great idea
This was such an easy recipe to follow because of the way your sectioned it out and the timing of which item to prep, and make in order. That is the reason I tried it even though I have never cooked coconut milk in anything, nor lentils. I used chickpeas instead of the lentils and I only had dark soy sauce so I added less. It came out very good! I am glad I tried this dish. It looked so beautiful in the pan too. The seasoning on the roasted cauliflower was so delicious. I added broccoli as well and my husband almost ate them all before I could finish the sauce and he’s picky. We are making this again soon with just the seasoning on the roasted veggies, it was that good.
Awwww, thank you! We’re are thrilled to hear how much you and your husband enjoyed the recipe. Thank you so much for giving our recipe a try and sharing your experience here with us!
Delicious! Easy instructions with wonderful complexity of flavor results. Will be added to the favorites list for sure! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Very tasty recipe, thank you Mister Nard Dog Mxxx
Thank you so much! We appreciate you giving the recipe a try and sharing your thoughts here with us!