Moroccan Spiced & Roasted Cauliflower Onions Mushrooms with Hummus

Spiced & Roasted Cauliflower Sheet Pan Dinner—Savory, Aromatic, Delicious

An easy and quick-to-cook sheet pan dinner. Moroccan Spiced & Roasted Cauliflower is just that. First, toss the veggies in an aromatic mix of spices, herbs and olive oil. Then transfer them to a prepared sheet pan and roast in a hot oven. Voila! Dinner’s cooked in just over 30 minutes.

I have a really dark sheet pan, darkened over the years from roasting vegetables. The darker the sheet pan, the deeper the color, the caramelization, and the flavor of whatever you roast on it. Your choice to either line the sheet pan with parchment paper for easy cleanup and a bit less color, or to use it unlined and expect a little scrubbing for that extra color.

For the best color when roasting on either a lined or unlined sheet pan, place your oven rack in the bottom third of your oven. You can also increase the oven heat another 25 degrees for the last 5 to 10 minutes of roasting.

Ras El Hanout

This classic Moroccan spice blend, translated as “top of the shop” brings North Africa to your kitchen with its complex warm and floral spices, rich aroma and well-balanced flavor. A spice merchant’s reputation depends on the quality of their Ras El Hanout.

The organic, aromatic, flavorful Ras El Hanout blend from Pinch Spice Market that I prefer contains 26 different herbs, spices and flowers. It includes cumin, black pepper, paprika, grains of paradise, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, lemon, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, juniper, nutmeg, galangal, ginger, mace, fenugreek, mustard, clove, anise, fennel, licorice, rose, lavender, hibiscus and white pepper.

“It’s often referred to as the lazy cook’s spice because you can use it on anything, and it makes everything taste better.” Pinch Market

Tip: Ras El Hanout is delicious sprinkled on popcorn.

Preserved Lemons 

Preserved lemons play an important role in Moroccan cuisine, offering both a soft, smooth texture and unique bright, tangy, salty flavor in any number of dishes. There are no real substitutes for them.

Make this peerless Moroccan condiment by fermenting whole lemons in a brine of salt and lemon juice for about 4 ½ weeks. While fermenting, their tartness mellows, but their intense lemon flavor remains, resulting in a unique, rich, complex and deeply flavored condiment.

Here’s the Printer-Friendly Recipe . Note: since publishing this recipe, I no longer top it with a thin layer of oil nor add the optional fresh rosemary sprigs.

Printer-Friendly Recipe for  Preserved Lemon Hummus—Updated 2022

Make your own hummus or use your favorite prepared hummus. If you have preserved lemons, add half of a seeded medium lemon to about 3 cups of hummus. Purée in a food processor until smooth. Doing so is both delicious and optional.

Tip: For the creamiest, smoothest homemade hummus—peel and discard all the chickpea skins before puréeing the chickpeas.

Moroccan Spiced & Roasted Cauliflower with Hummus

• Seasoned with warm Moroccan spices, roasted cauliflower, sweet onions and umami-rich cremini mushrooms become tender, aromatic and delicious. Served atop a bed of creamy rich hummus, they’re a study in contrasts. Enjoy Moroccan Spiced & Roasted Cauliflower with Hummus enfolded in crisp leaves of romaine or butter lettuce.
• Add a fresh and bright counterpoint with an optional side salad of diced cucumber, tomato and Kalamata olives. Gluten-free and Vegan.
• If you make your own hummus, do so before you begin spicing and roasting the vegetables.
• Inspired and adapted from a recipe by Melissa Clark

Makes about 4 servings                 Printer-Friendly Recipe

Ingredients

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ¼ teaspoons toasted and ground cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ¾ teaspoon Ras El Hanout
• ¾ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 10 twists freshly ground black pepper
• Large pinch Aleppo Pepper or other mild red chili flakes
• 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 1/2 pounds), trimmed and cut into 1-2-inch florets and ½-inch stems
• 1 large onion (8 ounces), cut pole-to-pole into ¼ -inch wedges
• 8-9 medium cremini mushrooms, halved
• ⅓ cup coarsely chopped parsley
• Diced tomato, cucumber and quartered Kalamata olives, for serving
• 12-16 or more lettuce leaves, i.e., small to medium Romaine leaves or medium-large Butter lettuce for serving

Instructions

Preserved Lemon Hummus—Updated 2022 Or use your favorite prepared hummus

1. Place an oven rack on the lower third of your oven. Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper overhanging the sides.
3. Prepare the cauliflower: In your largest bowl, whisk together the olive oil, toasted and ground cumin, paprika, Ras El Hanout, salt, coriander, turmeric, black pepper and Aleppo pepper. Use a rubber spatula to gently toss in the vegetables until well coated. Spread the vegetables out in an even layer on the prepared sheet pan.
4. Roast the vegetables on the bottom oven rack until they are golden brown and tender, about 25 minutes, stirring once. Raise the heat to 450 degrees and roast for another 5-10 minutes.
5. While the vegetables are roasting, dice and combine the tomato and cucumber with the quartered Kalamata olives.
6. Spread about 2 cups of hummus on the bottom of a serving platter or divided between individual plates. Top with the roasted veggies. Scatter parsley on top of the vegetables. Serve Moroccan Spiced & Roasted Cauliflower with lettuce leaves and the optional tomato, cucumber and Kalamata olive salad.

Printer-Friendly Recipe.