Cauliflower Fajitas with Romesco Salsa

These cauliflower fajitas with romesco salsa deserve a spot on your weekly dinner rotation! With plenty of spices, crunchy pistachios, creamy avocado, and a vibrant romesco salsa, it's hard not to fall in love with these tacos.

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Cherry tomatoes: Provide natural sweetness and acidity to the romesco salsa. Roasting the tomatoes intensifies their natural sugars, adding richness to the salsa.
• Almonds: Adds nutty, rich notes to the sauce while providing body when blended.
• Sherry vinegar: The vinegar adds slightly sweet, acidic notes to the salsa, brightening the overall flavor. If you can't find sherry vinegar, use red wine vinegar instead.
• Cauliflower: The main ingredient of the dish, the vegetable has naturally subtle flavors, allowing it to absorb the spices well.
• Pistachios: Used as a garnish, adding textural contrast to the cauliflower while providing a nutty flavor.
• Cotija: The salty cheese adds umami and acts as a final seasoning to the fajitas. If cotija is unavailable, use queso fresco or crumbled feta instead.

Substitutions and variations

• Vegetables: You can add additional vegetables such as sauteed mushrooms or sauteed corn.
• Protein: Feel free to add meat if you prefer, such as carne asada or chile chicken. Alternatively, add beans to bulk up the tacos, but keep them vegetarian.
• Vegan: Omit cotija and substitute with vegan shredded Mexican cheese.
• Gluten-free: Use gluten-free corn tortillas. Luckily, the rest of the recipe is gluten-free!
• Toppings: Substitute avocado with guacamole or pair the fajitas with another spicy salsa if desired.

Recipe

Print Recipe

Roasted Cauliflower Fajitas with Romesco Salsa

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: vegetarian

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Romesco salsa

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 jalapeno
• 2 garlic cloves
• ⅓ cup sliced toasted almonds
• ½ bunch cilantro
• juice of ½ lime
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon divided
• salt and pepper

Roasted cauliflower

• 1 medium head cauliflower cut into small florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Spiced pistachios

• 1 tablespoon oil
• ½ cup raw pistachios shelled
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• pinch of cinnamon

Remaining ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper sliced
• 1 green bell pepper sliced
• ½ red onion thinly sliced
• 8 tortillas
• 2 avocadoes sliced
• ¼ cup crumbled cotija
• cilantro for garnish
• lime wedges for serving

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Toss the cherry tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and spread the tomatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet. Place the jalapeno and red bell pepper on another baking sheet. Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes or until lightly charred, turning the bell pepper and jalapeno over halfway through. Transfer the jalapeno and bell pepper to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the skin and discard the stem and seeds.
• Set aside half of the cherry tomatoes. Place the remaining tomatoes in a blender or food processor along with the roasted pepper, jalapeno, garlic, almonds, cilantro, lime juice, sherry vinegar, paprika, coriander, cumin, and olive oil. Pulse the mixture until smooth. Transfer the salsa to a bowl and stir in the remaining roasted tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
• Toss the cauliflower with 2 tablespoons of oil, chili powder, paprika, oregano, sugar, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Keep warm.
• At the same time, make the spiced pistachios. Toss the pistachios with olive oil, chili powder, and a pinch of cinnamon. Spread on a baking sheet and toast for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
• Prepare the remaining ingredients. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan. Add the sliced bell peppers and red onion and saute until softened, about 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the tortillas. Assemble the tacos with the roasted cauliflower, sauteed vegetables, avocado slices, romesco salsa, spiced pistachios, cilantro, and cotija. Serve with extra salsa and lime wedges.

Notes

The romesco salsa and spiced pistachios can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Prepare salsa

Okay, let's quickly break down these roasted cauliflower fajitas before we start. First, you have roasted cauliflower tossed in Mexican spices. Then, you have a roasted romesco salsa, blending two cuisines into one. Next, you have charred peppers and onions to complete the fajita element. Finally, you have spiced pistachios, avocado, and crumbled cotija to finish it off.

Yes, there are a lot of components, but they come together to create an amazing fajita.

Let's start by making the romesco salsa. Romesco sauce doesn't typically have jalapenos, cumin, cilantro, or lime juice. However, I thought that incorporating these ingredients would help it tie with the fajitas better.

To make the salsa, roast bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and jalapeno in the oven until charred. Remove the skin and seeds from the peppers and set aside half of the tomatoes. Blend the remaining ingredients until smooth and season the salsa with salt and pepper.

Fold in the remaining tomatoes and let the romesco cool. You can prepare the salsa up to 3 days in advance.

Step 2: Roast cauliflower

Next, it's time to prepare the cauliflower. Toss the cauliflower with olive oil and all of the spices. This recipe is meant for 1 medium cauliflower, but if yours is very large, make a little extra seasoning. This seasoning is great for other proteins as well, so you can save any extra for your next fajita night.

Roast the cauliflower until tender, about 20-25 minutes.

While the oven is on, you might as well make the spiced pistachios too. Toss pistachios with olive oil, chili powder, and a pinch of cinnamon. Lay the nuts on a sheet pan and toast for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown.

Step 3: Prepare toppings

Prepare the remaining ingredients, including sauteing the peppers and onion, crumbling the cotija, slicing the avocado, and chopping the cilantro.

Heat some tortillas and assemble the cauliflower fajitas with romesco salsa and all the toppings. I chose to use avocado for a simpler topping, but feel free to use guacamole instead.

With my first bite, I immediately fell in love with this dish. Every bite was bursting with so much flavor! You also get various textures from nuts, vegetables, and toppings. Truly a fantastic vegetarian fajita!

For a unique fajita recipe, check out this one pot chicken fajita rice!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: You can prepare the salsa and spiced pistachios up to 2 days in advance. You can also roast the cauliflower and cook the peppers ahead of time, reheating them before serving.
• Store: Keep all the components in separate containers and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Frequently asked questions

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