BBQ Cauliflower Tacos with Chickpeas, Quinoa, and a creamy lime coleslaw. Start to finish in just over 30 minutes. Delicious and nutritious.
BBQ Cauliflower Tacos with Chickpeas and Quinoa is one of those recipes that tackles everything you want in a family recipe. First of all, it’s simple- ready in about 30 minutes. Next, the ingredients are over-the-top good for you. Last and absolutely the most important component… they taste amazing. A combination of crunchy plus tender textures, mildly smoky barbecue flavor that satisfies even voracious meat lovers. No matter the season, you’ll be making these tacos again and again. Let’s toss this baby together…
Cauliflower and chickpeas are chock full of vitamins, fiber, and folate, just to name a few powerhouse benefits. Plus, they’re filling and satisfying. So starting with a bowl of cauliflower and chickpeas…
…toss lightly with the flavorful barbecue rub. Cumin, paprika (smoked and regular), chili powder, garlic and onion powder all add smoky, robust flavor. In fact, you might want to double or triple the rub recipe so it’s on hand anytime. Coat the cauliflower and chickpeas with as much or as little as you like.
Next, roast in the oven so all the flavors blend and the cauliflower gets crispy-soft. Immediately after this mix comes out of the oven, toss it with 1/2 cup or more of crunch, cooked quinoa (any type). Quinoa is loaded with minerals, fiber, and protein to balance out the other powerful ingredients.
Fresh corn tortillas can be heated or even quick-fried (our preference) before adding the taco filling. And for the best topping of all, add this simple creamy Lime Cole Slaw. The cole slaw and dressing are keeper-recipes all on their own. Simple, bagged, shredded cabbage is tossed with the dressing of mayonnaise (vegannaise works too), Dijon, a tiny bit of maple syrup, cider vinegar, celery salt, and the juice of one lime. See? A keeper.
The cauliflower and chickpea filling ingredients are also great served as part of a salad. Great for weeknights or serving for a dinner party. Everytime I’ve served this recipe, it’s a huge, huge hit. Give it a try soon and let me know what you think!
Cook’s note: The list of ingredients seems daunting but you probably have most of the seasonings in your pantry. This is a very easy, healthy recipe.
BBQ Cauliflower Tacos with Chickpeas and Quinoa
Ingredients
Lime Slaw Dressing:
- 1- 14 ounce bag of cole slaw mix, or 6 - 7 cups of thinly chopped cabbage and carrots
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 teaspoon water
- Juice of one lime
BBQ Rub:
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Taco Filling:
- 1 medium head of cauliflower
- 1 14 0z. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup cooked quinoa, optional
- 10-12 corn tortillas
- 1 sliced jalapeno for garnish
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
- Fresh corn tortillas, about 12
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Make the fresh Cole slaw:
- In a medium sized bowl add all of the slaw dressing ingredients and stir until completely combined. In a large bowl, add 14 oz. of cabbage mixture and pour dressing over. Mix and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- In a small bowl, add all of the BBQ rub ingredients and mix together.
- Separate all of the cauliflower florets and chop them into bite size pieces. Place florets and 14 oz. can chickpeas into a large bowl, drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil and sprinkle with the BBQ rub. Depending on the size of your head of cauliflower you may not need to use all the rub. Toss everything together with your hands so that cauliflower and chickpeas are coated with the rub. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, stirring once ½ way through baking. After removing from the oven, stir the cooked quinoa into the cauliflower/chickpea mixture.
- If desired, warm up corn tortillas on the stove or in the oven. Add about ¼ cup of cauliflower and chickpeas to each taco and top with a few tablespoons of cole slaw. Top with sliced jalapenos and cilantro.
Equipment
Notes
- The quinoa is optional in this recipe and the tacos are perfect without it. If you have leftover quinoa however, this is a great recipe for it.
- The cauliflower and chickpeas can be baked up to a day in advance and reheated before serving.
- We like to fry our corn tortillas in about an inch of neutral oil heated to medium-high, about 15 seconds on each side. Remove to 3 layers of paper towels and blot extra oil with another paper towel. You can also sprinkle the tortillas with seasoning salt of your choice after blotting. Fold the tortillas in half and set aside until serving.
Recipe adapted from She Likes Food.
Huge hit, even for my cauliflower averse husband. Easy enough for a weeknight too. Thank you!
Last night I served this to my husband and two teens. It’s GONE, all GONE. Those enthusiastic meat eaters ate it all and the lime slaw dressing is to-die-for! SO DELICIOUS Sally, thank you!
I love tacos and Cauliflower, and getting both of them together is heaven for me. thank you for sharing Sally, cant wait to make these!
These were so fantastic! My boyfriend thought I was making shrimp tacos and was dissapointed when I told him they were cauliflower. Well, he ended up loving them! Another great recipe, Thanks Sally!
Ha ha! This made my day, April!
This was delicious! Perfect for Meatless Monday and loved the quinoa addition.
I have had this recipe pinned for a while–and was SO disappointed to find that it was no longer there. I’m THRILLED that it’s back! These are amazingly delicious.
Thanks for posting g this gain Sally!!! I am so excited to make this for dinner!
You’re welcome Malinda, I’ve made them twice since reposting, myself! So thanks for getting in touch with me. 🙂
Wow…these look absolutely delicious. Cauliflower is a miraculous veggie, isn’t it? What CAN’T it do? Yum!
You are right, Marissa! This taco recipe is so filling and the cauliflower just makes the texture so perfect. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Holy cow talk about good for you tasty deliciousness! A super healthy taco that delivers big time in flavors. I love that slaw dressing with the celery salt and maple! Well done here 🙂
Thanks so much, Kevin. This is one of those recipes that when you make it you can’t get enough and so you make it again only a few days later. Dave makes his into a salad but I love all the ingredients in a corn tortilla. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂