Cauliflower with olives and cherry tomatoes. A super easy recipe to make, packed with lots of savory flavors.

Arugula is in season, and I love how tasty and tender it is. Cauliflower is also in season, and I cannot get enough of those tender cauliflower florets roasted to perfection.

cauliflower with olives and tomatoes

Lots of vegetables are always welcome at our table.

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And, of course, one of my favorite vegetables, cauliflower, is always the front runner to be prepared in the oven, thus eliminating the strong smell in the kitchen.

This wonderful dish can be enjoyed by itself, and it is pretty refreshing.

In this Article

Preparing the Cauliflower, Olives, and Cherry Tomatoes

  • Oven-roasted cauliflower, which brings out all the natural juices, combined with the tomatoes and the light lemon vinaigrette, you could live just with that.
  • Choose a cauliflower with no bruising or dark spots, and the stem is dry and has no dark spots.
  • During the roasting process of the cauliflower, stir halfway thru baking. This will allow for a perfect golden color all around and prevent burning one side.
  • Make sure that your olives are pitted. You do not want to bite into a pit and have issues. Plus, the dressing gets inside the olive hollow, and it tastes so good.
  • Warm olives are one of my favorites, and combined with the vinaigrette, they reach a new level of deliciousness.
  • Cherry tomatoes are perfectly savory and juicy once they are slightly roasted. You will love to bite into it. They are easy to find and used on cuisines worldwide. The cherry tomato plants are easy to grow also.

Perfectly juicy, sweet and have a thinner outer skin.

cauliflower with olives and cherry tomatoes

Lemon Dressing

I have a serious love affair with lemons, and whenever I can incorporate them into my cooking, I do so with pleasure and love.

If you want to add a bit more lemon flavor to this recipe, add some lemon zest to the dressing.

With this roasted cauliflower recipe, the lemon complements all the ingredients. The flavor has been brought to a new level, light, fresh, and mixed with the fresh oregano leaves. Fresh and clean.

Garlic:

I love to grate it versus chopping it with this recipe. The reason being the flavor is more intensified with the natural oils of the garlic.

Therefore, mixed with the lemon and olive oil it almost dissolves while giving out all the flavor.

cauliflower with olives and cherry tomatoes

Tips and how to make this recipe of cauliflower, olives, and cherry tomatoes to perfection. 

  • Toss the cauliflower with the olives and cherry tomatoes with the lemon dressing first.
  • Add the arugula at the last minute so it will not wilt.

Want to add some protein to the dish?

For a non-vegetarian meal, you may want to add some protein in the form of fish.

Oven-roasted would work well as you already have the oven going, and it takes 15 minutes to roast salmon.

Quickly sauteed with butter shrimp or roasted as well is a great combination.

Leftover roasted chicken cut up in small pieces is a great addition.

Adding some short strips of tip steak or flat iron steak that you quickly sear brings an elevated savory taste to this dish.

Lastly, some bacon for a fun spin.

cauliflower with olives and tomatoes

If you enjoy this cauliflower dish, check out these flavorful recipes:

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Cauliflower and Goat Cheese Gratin

Linguine with Spring Tomato Sauce

Duck Breast with Port and Cherry Sauce

Cauliflower with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

5 from 17 votes
cauliflower with olives and cherry tomatoes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Author: Teana Allen
Cauliflower with olives and cherry tomatoes. A super easy recipe to make, packed with lots of savory flavors.
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Ingredients 

  • 1 cauliflower, broken into florets
  • olive oil
  • 1 cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup pitted olives
  • .50 cup lemon dressing
  • 1 cup arugula salad

LEMON DRESSING

  • 1 small sprig fresh oregano leaves
  • 1 garlic cloves, greated
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • olive oil
  • salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400F.
  • Place the cauliflower on a sheet pan and toss with olive oil.  Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until it starts to brown and becomes soft. Turn it occasionally to brown evenly.
  • When the cauliflower is almost done add the whole cherry tomatoes and olives to the sheet pan and continue roasting until the tomatoes are just starting to burst about 5 more minutes.
  • Season with salt and lemon dressing Finish by adding the arugula and stirring just to wilt.

Nutrition

Calories: 39kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 45mg | Potassium: 461mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 140IU | Vitamin C: 71mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg

Cooking Canva provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.

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Originally published on April 25, 2020. Updated on February 15, 2022.