Cauliflower Steak with Salsa Verde and Cannellini Bean Sauté

Vegan Cauliflower Steak Salsa Verde with cannellini bean sautė

Make a cauliflower steak the “hero” of your meal! Accompanied by this delicious combination of cannellini beans, red peppers and savoy cabbage along with an incredibly tasty salsa and you’ve got a super quick vegan, nutritionally balanced meal that the whole family can enjoy. It’s an easy main meal to serve mid-week but also works well served as a large platter on the side to accompany any grilled fish or chicken for meat-eaters. This is delicious cold so ideal for a quick grab lunch if you’re working from home or on the go.

To make this delicious cauliflower steak meal, you’ll need….

1 medium cauliflower
1 large red onion, finely sliced
2 red peppers, sliced
1 400g can cannellini bean, rinsed and drained
¼ savoy cabbage, finely shredded
Olive oil for sautéing

Salsa Verde

1 small red onion
1 small bunch fresh parsley (flat-leaf or curly)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Cauliflower steak marinade

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
juice of ½ lemon
S & P

Garnish

1 tbsp pine nuts
1 tsp cumin seeds

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees

Start by dry toasting the pine nuts and cumin seeds in a small frying pan for 2-3mins, tossing continuously until the aromas are released. Once toasted, set aside.

Cut the cauliflower into thick 1 inch “steaks” all the way through to retain the full width of the cauliflower. Discard the thicker outer green leaves but retain the smaller leaves. (If the cauliflower is large, you may need to cut it in half first if the “steaks” are too wide). Carefully place them onto a lined baking dish, including the small leaves.

Combine the cauliflower steak marinade ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Check seasoning. Brush both sides of each “cauliflower steak” with the marinade and put them into the oven to roast for 25-30mins, until they are slightly golden.

Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the onions and sauté over a moderate heat for 5mins until they soften, taking care they do not burn. Now add the sliced peppers and cannellini beans and cook for a further 3-4mins before finally adding the shredded savoy cabbage. Turn the heat up a little and continue to cook until the cabbage begins to wilt. Add a little more olive oil if it looks a little dry. Now turn down the heat and continue to cook gently until the vegetables are softened but still a little tender.

Whilst the vegetables are cooking, make the salsa. Begin by finely chopping the onion and set aside on the chopping board. Now chop the parsley, moving from side to side until it is chopped into small pieces. Combine with the onions and continue to chop, moving side to side until they are very fine. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining salsa ingredients. Mix to combine well.

Finally, assemble the dish; place the cannellini bean sauté mixture onto a plate and carefully place the cauliflower steak on top. Drizzle the salsa verde mixture along the middle between the cauliflower and the vegetables and garnish with the toasted pine nuts and cumin seeds. Finish it off with a drizzle of olive oil

Nutritional Nugget

This vegan dish is a deliciously balanced choice providing an array of nutrients, plenty of insoluble gut-friendly fibre as well as indigestible fibre from the cauliflower to help move things through the digestive system. With such good amounts of fibre along with the plant protein cannellini beans, this meal is incredibly satiating and will keep you fuller for longer.

Digestive Support

Cauliflower is part of the cruciferous family of vegetables, (along with cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts) and these naturally contain high amounts of insoluble fibre. This type of fibre is not fully broken down but is used to help the food to travel more easily through the digestive system. If you’re not used to eating these high fibre vegetables, you may find that your digestive system struggles to break them down sufficiently and gases are released as they sit in the stomach for too long, causing bloating. You can consider a digestive enzyme supplement around 15mins before your meal to help break down your meal. As nutritional consultant to Enzymedica UK, I am pleased to offer you a 15% discount; use MAY15 at the checkout.