White Bean Salad With Roasted Cauliflower

By David Tanis

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 4(1,180)
Notes: Read community notes

This is the kind of substantial salad that’s nice to have on hand, no matter the occasion. If you have time, it’s best made with large dried white beans, such as cannellini, simmered at home. (It’s great to have a pot of cooked beans in the fridge all summer long, for deploying in salads and soups.) But using canned beans is absolutely OK. The recipe calls for roasting the cauliflower, but it could also be cooked on a grill to impart some pleasant smokiness.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

For the Salad

1small head cauliflower, cut into ½-inch slices
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper
4cups cooked white beans or 2 (15-ounce) cans, drained
1cup thinly sliced celery heart (the tender inner stalks and leaves)
3tablespoons chopped parsley
3tablespoons slivered scallions

For the Dressing

1large shallot, diced small
2teaspoons Dijon mustard
1tablespoon lemon juice
1teaspoon lemon zest
2tablespoons red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
½teaspoon ground fennel (optional)
¼cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
Salt and black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast on the top rack until nicely browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Step 2
Make the dressing: Put shallot in a small bowl with mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar and ground fennel, if using. Stir well to combine, then whisk in olive oil. Season to taste.
Step 3
Make the salad: Put beans in a low salad bowl. Add celery and cauliflower, pour the dressing over and toss well, taking care not to crush beans. Let salad rest for 30 minutes or so to meld flavors. Taste and adjust for salt, acid and oil. Add parsley and scallions, toss once more, then serve at room temperature.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,180 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

ABG2 years ago

Whipped this up today. 1 can Italian butter beans, 1 great northern, no distinct difference but I'm maybe leaning more towards great northern for next time. Added the optional fennel, which I recommend. Some thinly sliced fennel bulb would be a great addition, too. The dressing was not punchy enough as written - maybe go a little heavier on the Dijon. Very satisfying, hearty vegan salad, as is. Probably couldn't go wrong adding some feta or smoked salmon to make it a meal. It's a keeper.

Nancy2 years ago

Replace celery hearts with fennel

Kevin Buggie2 years ago

I used canned butter beans (lima beans) and added anchovie paste to the dressing and it was a big hit with folks that don't normally eat white beans, cauliflower, or anchovies! Also used a tarragon white wine vinegar instead of red wine vinegar. Making again this week

Nancy2 years ago

Fennel and cauliflower are commonly combo in Indian cooking but I've never seen them together in Western cooking. This recipe was a perfect opportunity. I replaced the celery with fennel and kept the ground fennel in the dressing though next time I might try roasted fennel seeds. Also, be sure to not overcook the cauliflower. I'll try a hotter oven next time.

Bobber2 years ago

My additions/edits: - Double shallot and add garlic clove, lightly fry to reduce sharpness - cilantro > parsley - sprinkle of smoked paprika on cauliflower - 1 or 2 tsps of honey to dressing - serve with hummus and pitas/wraps as a light weeknight meal

Andy2 years ago

Today’s dinner. Used 1/2 large head of cauliflower, Canned white beans, Fresh anise fennel- green stalks (chopped) instead of celery, fronds(minced) instead of ground fennel for dressing, whole grain Dijon mustard(what I had). Used red and white wine vinegars 50/50 ratio. Added 1tbsp of each vinegar and 2 tbsp EVOO, salt after first toss and 30 min rest, to adjust flavors. Sublime alchemy of flavors transported me to Provence. Satisfying without extra protein, unusual for vegetarian dish.

Steve B2 years ago

So I didn’t have any fresh parsley. So I substituted cilantro. So I’m totally not sorry about that.

Jane2 years ago

Shallots come in a wide range of sizes. I wish recipes would call for more exact amounts instead of, say, “one large shallot.” I’ve seen shallots as large as onions but I doubt that’s what the writer had in mind.

Maria2 years ago

this was excellent!!!! I did grind my fennel seeds and i say put this spice in as it has a lovely flavor to the salad. It gets better as it keeps in the frig. A great side dish or a vegan entree. this recipe is a keeper!

Mary Ellen2 years ago

Cooking the beans in chicken broth adds a lot of flavor to them. I first soak the raw beans and then cook in broth. I used sauteed mushrooms instead of cauliflower. No need for dressing.

Mojoqe22 years ago

I used bok choy stalks when I ran out of celery, no one noticed!

NYC Cook2 years ago

Fennel powder, I think - not seeds?

EdinSC1 week ago

I used half of a large head of cauliflower, one can of cannellini beans, and 8 ounces of halloumi cheese diced into 1/2 inch pieces and fried in EVOO until crispy. It was delicious as an entree salad tonight (for 2), and leftovers will be a side dish for swordfish steaks tomorrow.

April1 month ago

I didn’t bother cooking the cauliflower and it was just fine. Better, even, than roasted cauliflower that can sometimes get too soft. I just chopped it into smaller pieces and let it sit in the dressing for a while before adding anything else. I used canned butter beans. This was a fabulous salad that I’ll add into my rotation for WFH lunches!

PM3 months ago

Added some precooked shrimp I had in the freezer for a little more substance - fantastic!

Sweet Tooth4 months ago

Tossed my cauliflower with ground cumin before roasting (my fave way to eat this vegetable), and it melded well with the recipe (that I otherwise followed to a T, except for adding a bit more Dijon & lemon zest).

PJ Spencer5 months ago

I used Rancho Gordo Cassoulet Beans and Broccoli as that is what I had. I did add ground fennel. This was awsome. I'll have to try it now with Cauliflower!

memphis cook8 months ago

3 cups home-cooked navy beans; substituted diced fennel for celery; used half sherry vinegar and half white wine vinegar, and added a splash extra; skipped lemon zest as I had already previously zested my lemons, but added a a bit of extra lemon juice; added a tablespoon of whole-grain mustard, which may be a bit too much of a strong mustard;extra cauliflower; and replaced parsley with quite a bit of minced fennel, fronds and celery leaves. Vibrant!

BevM9 months ago

I want to know what I'm missing, how this got 4 out of 5 stars is amazing to me. It was a mess. The only saving grace was the dressing (keep the fennel). The texture was such a turn off, and I started with nice crunchy roasted cauliflower. NYT Food gives me hits 99 out of 100, so I guess I just hit the 1

Nico9 months ago

I was surprised about how much I liked this. I subbed in dill for the parsley, and I added some honey to the dressing. It was so light and delicious.

Spatula 200011 months ago

Really delicious and easy. We added some leftover cooked salmon. I know, that made it pescatarian. But worked really well. Will definitely make this again.

W Daniel11 months ago

Skipped celery & parsley, and served with cold smoked salmon on top - great recipe, was delicious!

Peggy1 year ago

To ramp up the flavor a bit, I toss the cauliflower with hot pepper oil before I roasted it. Then I used (Fustini's) meyer lemon olive oil in the dressing. A great summer salad!

Emma1 year ago

Really enjoyed this! Don’t skip the fennel, it really makes the dish - fresh ground is best. I subbed mint for the parsley and it was delicious. Also threw in some feta cubes I had around. Will def make again.

Fatboy_ant1 year ago

Letting the salad sit for 30 mins is key

Maria1 year ago

This was delicious! No tweaks to the recipe at all. I made it for dinner last night, currently eating it for lunch, and planning on making it again for brunch with friends this weekend!

DPRoberts1 year ago

Excellent dish. Could be a side, but we had it as a main, with naan and hummus. Really tasty. I air fried the cauliflower and added some torn spinach and roasted red pepper from a jar for color. Could also use grape tomatoes if you like. The dressing is spot on - do not omit the fennel!

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