This cauliflower salad is a simple, light side dish packed with health benefits, thanks to the vegetable itself and the fat-free cooking method. Boiled cauliflower salad is one of the salads I replicate the most, especially when I want to eat something flavorful yet light, taking advantage of seasonal ingredients. Try it for both lunch and dinner, as a side to light dishes or heartier ones—this recipe will always impress!
This winter salad is inspired by a Neapolitan tradition of a similar dish typical of the Christmas holidays. The most traditional version features cauliflower florets, olives, pickled peppers, capers, anchovies, and pickled eggplant and cucumbers. A dressing of salt, pepper, extra-virgin olive oil, and vinegar ties the ingredients together. Likewise, you can add escarole, though it’s best to add these leafy greens just before serving to retain their crispness.
Take it as a versatile dish: you can include a variety of other ingredients: carrots, mushrooms, onions, artichokes, fennel, zucchini, radicchio. The possibilities are endless, but the foundation of cauliflower remains a constant. Let’s say you can check what’s left in your fridge and decide!
To enhance the flavors, it’s best to prepare the salad several hours before serving, allowing the ingredients to melt together. Since you can prepare it well in advance, it is a perfect idea for a dinner with friends. It’s a gluten-free, dairy-free option that everyone will love. And it can be easily vegan if you omit the anchovies. It’s also a very good option in meal prepping your school or office lunch.