Perfectly roasted purple cauliflower florets paired with fluffy millet, seasoned with za’atar, and tossed with feta. You’ll love the bold flavors in this side dish!
It just so happens that my favorite color is also the color of royalty. From my jacket to my water bottle, to my computer case, to my yoga pants, I am cloaked in and surrounded by purple every day. Some people might call my love of purple an obsession. I just think I have regal taste.
Indeed, there is no better way to celebrate my love for purple than to create a recipe featuring a vibrant purple vegetable.
Purple cauliflower is part of the Romanesco family, along with its green and yellow/orange cousins. To me, they taste just like regular cauliflower, but their gorgeous color sets them miles apart from the white variety.
For some reason, this cauliflower reminds me of the “funky purple” ketchup that Heinz marketed in the 90s. That was a failure. Purple cauliflower, not so much.
I used some leftover millet and added za’atar (a common eastern Mediterranean spice) and feta to give bold flavors to this dish. All I have to say is that I can’t believe I made this dish with 5 ingredients!
PrintPurple Cauliflower Millet Bowl
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: gluten-free, side, lunch, dinner
Ingredients
- 1 large head of purple cauliflower (~2.5 lbs/~1 kg), rinsed
- 3 TBS olive oil, divided
- 2 and 1/2 TBS za’atar, divided
- 1 TBS sea salt, divided
- 5 TBS feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF (~205ºC). Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Chop the cauliflower into small florets. I like to chop the florets in half or into quarters, depending on the size of each floret.
- In a large bowl, mix the florets, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon of za’atar, and 1 teaspoon of sea salt together. Place the florets on the baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, or until they are slightly browned.
- Pour 3 cups of cooked millet into the same bowl that you used to toss the cauliflower. Feel free to substitute the millet with your favorite grains.
- Mix the millet with the rest of the oil, za’atar, salt, and feta.
- Serve the millet with the roasted cauliflower and enjoy it as a side dish. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes
1. For directions on how to cook millet, turn to this post from The Kitchn.br][br]2. I created my own za’atar blend by adapting recipes from 101 Cookbooks and [Bon Appétit: Mix together 1 TBS dried thyme, 1 TBS sesame seeds, 2 tsp sumac, 1 and 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 and 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. [br][br]3. Feel free to substitute the za’atar with any other spice blends you have on hand.
Looking for more recipes that use Romanesco cauliflower? Try these swiss chard wraps made with yellow/orange cauliflower!
Jen says
This looks so good, Lisa. I’m a bit fan of millet, but I’ve never tried purple cauliflower. Need to add this to my list of meals to try! 🙂
Lisa says
Thanks, Jen! Let me know how it turns out when you get a chance to try the recipe!
Lauren says
This look so colorful and delicious! Will have to try.
Lisa says
Thanks, Lauren! I would love to hear how this recipe turned out for you!
Tamra Augostino says
I love colorful food – especially purple cauliflower. I made a cauliflower pizza crust a couple of months ago and used a head of purple cauliflower. 🙂
Lisa says
I love the purple cauliflower crust idea! Need to try that some time soon!
Heather @ Sugar Dish Me says
So pretty!!! I wish I could find purple cauliflower here a little more easily. In my brain the purple stuff has more vitamins 🙂
Lisa says
Thanks, Heather! The deeper the color, the richer the vitamins, right?
Michele @ Alwayzbakin says
That is a gorgeous dish! The flavors sound amazing.
Lisa says
Thanks, Michele!
Joanne says
Purple cauliflower somehow makes eating it feel more fun! I love the middle eastern flavors in this side dish! Za’atar is such a great blend.
Lisa says
I have been ALL about colored cauliflower lately. This is the first time I made my own za’atar, and it’s so much better than the blends I usually buy!