Roasted Cauliflower Turkey Salad With Lemon Dressing
This easy turkey salad starts with roasted cauliflower and ground turkey on top of Romain lettuce, spinach, and pickled onions and peppers! Try this Roasted Cauliflower Turkey Salad with Lemon Dressing for lunch or dinner!
If you’re looking for more organic salad recipes, try Gut Healthy Chicken Salad, Garlic Lime Chicken Taco Salad With Avocado Dressing, Chicken Sausage Greek Salad, or Kale Apple Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Roasted Cauliflower Turkey Salad With Lemon Dressing
- Ready In: 40 minutes
- Makes: 4 servings
- Main Ingredients: ground turkey, cauliflower, olive oil, Romaine lettuce
- Flavor Profile: sweet and tangy peppers with
- Dietary Info: gluten free, no seed oils, dairy free
- Difficulty: Easy
- Why You’ll Love It: minimal effort with high reward
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple and Easy: I love recipes that don't require a lot of effort and this one is simple and easy!
- Vibrant and Flavorful: This Roasted Cauliflower and Turkey Salad is a vibrant and flavorful salad that combines savory and tangy flavors for a delightful lunch or dinner!
- Homemade Lemon Dressing: I make a simple homemade lemon salad dressing so it's free of seed oils! You could also use my Homemade Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing or Vegan Honey Mustard Dressing if you want a creamier dressing!
- Contrasting Flavors: This easy turkey salad has a wonderful contrast of flavors with caramelized cauliflower, tangy pickled onions, crisp lettuce, and juicy turkey!
Jump to:
- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Baker’s Tips
- How to Make Roasted Cauliflower Turkey Salad with Lemon Dressing
- Serving Sueggestions
- Roasted Cauliflower Turkey Salad With Lemon Dressing FAQ’s
- More Flavorful Salad Recipes
- Roasted Cauliflower Turkey Salad with Lemon Dressing
- The Bake Shop
Roasted cauliflower florets bring a caramelized, nutty depth that pairs perfectly with savory, juicy ground turkey seasoned with herbs and spices. Fresh romaine and spinach leaves add a crisp, refreshing base, while tangy pickled onions and sweet red peppers provide a pop of color and brightness.
Everything is tied together with a zesty homemade lemon dressing made from fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and a hint of apple cider vinegar, creating a light yet flavorful finish. This salad is hearty enough for a main course and perfect for a nourishing lunch or dinner.
The roasted cauliflower adds so much flavor along with the Pickled Red Onions and Peppers to this easy turkey salad. And even Delaney, who is always going to prefer a burger or something besides a salad, has asked me when we could make these again! That’s how good they are.
Ingredients
- Ground Turkey: I use organic ground turkey for lean protein and a light flavor.
- Cauliflower: The star of this salad is organic cauliflower.
- Spices: I use organic dried thyme, white pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and of course salt.
- Lettuce: I use a mix of romaine lettuce and spinach.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: I use Organic Apple Cider Vinegar for the homemade salad dressing. This adds acidity and tang!
- Lemon: I also use organic lemon in the homemade salad dressing. You can use lemon juice if you don't have a whole lemon.
- Pickled Onions and Peppers: I use my Organic Pickled Red Onions & Peppers to top this salad, which gives it a beautiful contrast of pickled tart flavor. You can also use sauerkraut which would give this a similar flavor.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker's Tips
- Plan to make the my Organic Pickled Red Onions & Peppers ahead of time as these need to rest in the fridge for 3 days before eating. You can use store bought if you prefer, but these are so easy to make!
- You can use 93/7 ground turkey or extra lean, either works. You can also use ground chicken too.
- Roasting the cauliflower is where all the flavor comes from, so don't skip this step.
- Feel free to use any kind of lettuce, so feel free to use what's in your fridge.
- Store all the ingredients separately if you have leftovers, this way you can assemble the salad when you want to enjoy so it doesn't become soggy.
How to Make Roasted Cauliflower Turkey Salad with Lemon Dressing
- To roast the cauliflower: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, add the olive oil, thyme, sea salt, and white pepper. Cut the cauliflower head into 2-inch pieces and add into the bowl with the olive oil. Coat the cauliflower completely. Transfer to the prepare baking sheet and spread out evenly.
- Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is golden brown.
- To make the turkey: In a medium bowl, add the ground turkey, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir to combine completely.
- In a large skillet over medium/high heat, add the olive oil to coat the pan. Add the ground turkey, and using a spatula, break it up and continue to cook until the turkey is lightly brown and fully cooked, about 10 minutes.
- To make the dressing: In a small bowl, add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, water, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine completely. (Dressing will naturally separate, so be sure to stir or shake before using if storing leftovers).
- To assemble the salads: Chop the romaine lettuce and spinach and add to bowls. Add the turkey, roasted cauliflower, pickled onions, peppers, and dressing.
Serving Sueggestions
- Enjoy with Lemon Herb French Fries or Garlic Lemon Sweet Potato Fries as a side dish.
- I love making 3 Ingredient Mango Guacamole as an appetizer with tortilla chips.
- Make fresh bread like Organic French Baguettes With Instant Yeast, Lemon Rosemary Sourdough Bread, Sourdough Crescent Rolls or Honey Butter Dinner Rolls.
- Enjoy as a light lunch with a cool drink like Organic Pink Lemonade, Blood Orange Lemonade, or Lemon Blueberry Smoothie.
Roasted Cauliflower Turkey Salad With Lemon Dressing FAQ's
Ground chicken or chicken breasts would also be delicious with this recipe.
Yes, but I would recommend storing the pickled onions and dressing separately so they don't get the salad soggy. You can add those two things on when you're ready to enjoy.
Yes, you can leave off the turkey if you want to make this vegan. You can use avocado in its place or even tofu if you like.
Yes, it's naturally gluten free.
Make sure to store leftovers separately in airtight containers in the fridge. This way you can assemble a salad when you're ready to eat it and it won't be soggy.
More Flavorful Salad Recipes
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Roasted Cauliflower Turkey Salad with Lemon Dressing
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Half Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Mixing Bowl
- Large Skillet
Ingredients
For the Cauliflower
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 head cauliflower
For the Turkey
- 12 ounces ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
For the Dressing
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 lemon (juice)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Salad
- 2 hearts Romaine lettuce
- 2 cups spinach
- ½ cup pickled red onions and peppers
Instructions
- To roast the cauliflower: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the olive oil, thyme, sea salt, and white pepper.
- Cut the cauliflower head into 2-inch pieces and add into the bowl with the olive oil. Coat the cauliflower completely. Transfer to the prepare baking sheet and spread out evenly.
- Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is golden brown.
- To make the turkey: In a medium bowl, add the ground turkey, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir to combine completely.
- In a large skillet over medium/high heat, add the olive oil to coat the pan. Add the ground turkey, and using a spatula, break it up and continue to cook until the turkey is lightly brown and fully cooked, about 10 minutes.
- To make the dressing: In a small bowl, add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, water, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine completely. (Dressing will naturally separate, so be sure to stir or shake before using if storing leftovers).
- To assemble the salads: Chop the romaine lettuce and spinach and add to bowls. Add the turkey, roasted cauliflower, pickled onions, peppers, and dressing.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Plan to make the my Organic Pickled Red Onions & Peppers ahead of time as these need to rest in the fridge for 3 days before eating. You can use store bought if you prefer, but these are so easy to make!
- You can use 93/7 ground turkey or extra lean, either works. You can also use ground chicken too.
- Roasting the cauliflower is where all the flavor comes from, so don't skip this step.
- Feel free to use any kind of lettuce, so feel free to use what's in your fridge.
- Store all the ingredients separately if you have leftovers, this way you can assemble the salad when you want to enjoy so it doesn't become soggy.
- High Altitude — Follow the recipe as noted.
Nutrition
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This salad has so much flavor, even my husband who usually doesn’t like “salad as a meal” is what he says, loves this so much!