Name: Vegan Shawarma with Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1½ teaspoons paprika (sweet or hot); 1 teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; ¼ teaspoon ground coriander; Sea salt, to taste; Freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1 2-lb. head cauliflower, cut into florets (6 cups); 1 15-oz. can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and patted dry; ¼ cup tahini; ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper; 2 cups hot cooked brown rice; 1 medium cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (2 cups); 2 medium bell peppers, any color, cut into bite-size strips; ½ cup slivered red onion; Fresh cilantro leaves; Lemon wedges

Prep-time: 15 minutes / Ready In: 45 minutes
Makes 4 bowls
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These scrumptious vegan shawarma bowls check all the boxes—colorful, full of tasty textures, and loaded with flavorful veggies. The centerpiece of this dish is the tender cauliflower and chewy chickpea jumble that’s coated in warm Mediterranean spices and roasted to perfection. Refreshing slices of cucumber and crunchy bell pepper add freshness while a simple tahini dressing brings the Turkish-inspired recipe to life. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over everything and take your taste buds on an international vacation without leaving the kitchen!

By Shelli McConnell, Jan 31, 2022

Ingredients

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
4 cloves garlic, minced
1½ teaspoons paprika (sweet or hot)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 2-lb. head cauliflower, cut into florets (6 cups)
1 15-oz. can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and patted dry
¼ cup tahini
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups hot cooked brown rice
1 medium cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (2 cups)
2 medium bell peppers, any color, cut into bite-size strips
½ cup slivered red onion
Fresh cilantro leaves
Lemon wedges

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl stir together ¼ cup of the lemon juice and the next nine ingredients (through black pepper). Add cauliflower and chickpeas; stir to coat. Spread evenly in prepared baking sheet. Roast 35 minutes or until cauliflower is browned on edges, stirring once.
In a small bowl stir together tahini, the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, the cayenne, and 3 to 4 tablespoons water. In bowls arrange rice, cauliflower mixture, cucumber, pepper strips, and red onion. Drizzle with tahini mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves and serve with lemon wedges.

tags:

gluten-free

(19)

33 Comments

Comments (33)

(4.95 from 19 votes)

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Gwen1 month ago

Just made this and it is amazing! I had riced up some cauliflower the day before and used it in place of the florets. I also turned the cucumbers into a sort of kimchi and put that on top. So very good!!

Wanda2 months ago

Absolutely love the flavors and the consistency of the chickpeas after roasting was refreshingly different. Pretty easy to do also. I just need to figure out the best roasting method that doesn’t make as much of a mess in the pan.

Jil Winburn4 months ago

Easy and flavorable! Thank you!

Cori T.5 months ago

Very tasty! Great flavor. The veggies on top are so refreshing. I didn’t really like the tahini mixture (subbed almond butter) so I just put a little avocado on top.

Karen D5 months ago

This recipe was absolutely delicious! I peeled the chick peas and tossed those with cauliflower and broccoli on hand into the marinade. Used the air fryer as mentioned in another post. Very flavourful with the cucumbers, peppers, cilantro and tahini dressing. (Added a bit of cumin and paprika to the dressing). It was a hit!

Katy Rich5 months ago

This was so good. Great flavors and crunch from the fresh veggies. Be sure to cover your whole pan with parchment paper all the way up the sides or the liquid runs all over and it burns on the pan anyway. Even with that, we loved this!

Dianna6 months ago

I made this for my family, there wasnt a drop left. Thank you FOK.

David Blake6 months ago

This is amazing, definitely adding this into the rotation!

Ellen Louise Puglisi6 months ago

Excellent recipe, with good instructions. I am putting it in my recipe rotation. I did make extra tahini sauce. Thanks.

Barry Walker6 months ago

Looks very tasty

Darya6 months ago

How many serving is this?!

Ronda5 months ago

Four

Frank7 months ago

First time making this, it was a hit with my non vegetarian family.
Next time I will prep what I can ahead of time. Tasty, you can make this again and mmm this is good we’re the comments!! My complements to the chef !

Nikki Odorisio9 months ago

Made these as written and also in air fryer at 390 for 15 min which worked great too. Added a little red wine vinegar and a little extra paprika and cumin for our own taste preferences. Very tasty and easy. My husband is a cauliflower fan and said , I didn’t know cauliflower could be this good”

Janey6 months ago

Yummmmmmmmm!

TCom12 months ago

I LOVED the flavor of the marinade for the cauliflower and chickpeas. It infuses the cauliflower a lovely citrusy flavor. I used Almond Butter for the sauce, per other recommendations and did add a pinch of cinnamon and 1/2 Tbsp of maple syrup. My husband and I really enjoyed it!

Devorah1 year ago

Why cant this be added to the meal planner?

jutta1 year ago

I would love to add this to my meal planner, but it doesn’t seem to give that option

Suzanne Mosesso1 year ago

Excellent! Followed the recipe exactly. Tastes amazing. Will be making it again.

Henrietta Aline Wolf1 year ago

Do you know the calories in 1 bowl?

Emily1 year ago

Fast and easy! Comes together great. I made a tahini mustard sauce from another recipe book, but otherwise, it was fabulous!

Jan1 year ago

What can be used instead of tahini?

Logan2 months ago

So good! Do you have nutrition facts?

Forks Over Knives2 months ago

Hi Logan,
We’re so glad you liked the recipe! We’re currently looking into adding nutritional information to our recipes for the future. Please stay tuned for updates!

Juls1 year ago

My granddaughter is allergic to tahini sesame seeds we sub with almond butter also cashews we sub with macadamia nuts

Katie Beebe1 year ago

I was wondering the same. I might try peanut butter

Jaclyn Ormerod1 year ago

What can we replace the chickpeas for ?

John6 months ago

tofu or beans

Melinda1 year ago

Beans of your choice?

Darlene Ralicki1 year ago

Made this FOK recipe tonight – I used tomatos instead of red bell pepper. Easy and so delicious! And I absolutely love the app.

Rene Knigge1 year ago

Very easy to make, great comfort food. Made a bit extra tahini sauce 🙂

Jet Speet1 year ago

Lovely! The tahinimixture was a bit bitter. I added some more lemonjuice. Delicious!

Allyson1 year ago

Good call on adding more lemon in the tahini mixture, mine was bitter as well. The flavors are delicious, and I used quinoa for the base! Very refreshing meal!

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about the author

Shelli McConnell

Shelli McConnell graduated with a bachelor of science in consumer food science and a minor in journalism from Iowa State University. She began her career as a home economist in the Better Homes & Gardens test kitchen before moving into an editorial position within DotDash Meredith. She has since freelanced for 25 years and has served as an editorial project manager for many books and magazines, including three editions of the Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book. She has also developed thousands of recipes for publications including Forks Over Knives magazine; Eat This, Not That!; Diabetic Living; Better Homes & Gardens; The Magnolia Journal; and more. McConnell loves to entertain and inspire, so when she’s not in her office, she’s usually in her kitchen. Find her on LinkedIn.

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