Rose Harissa Chickpeas with Roast Cauliflower and Dill Yogurt

The perfect winter warmer — rose harissa chickpeas with roast cauliflower and dill yogurt. So incredibly tasty, a real crowd pleaser.
Rose harissa chickpeas with roast cauliflower and dill yogurt

This dish is the perfect winter warmer but with an added light touch, which is perfect for this weird weather we are currently having.

I’ve added my favourite spice, Rose Harissa, to one of my favourite ingredients, the chickpea, and paired it with roasted cauliflower and a dill yogurt for a comfort dish that I just know you are going to love.

The dill yogurt is a game-changer. Dill is so underappreciated, I think because it has such a pungent taste, similar to that of fennel or celery, that it can pack quite an unusual punch of flavour if not used correctly or paired with the right ingredients.

It’s an amazing addition to potato or grain dishes, such as this, or for anything that has a creamy dressing.

It’s also really delicious and used commonly in vegan replacement dishes for seafood, cheese, or egg. Basil, Chives, garlic, and onion all pair great with it too. Which makes it such a versatile ingredient, especially in vegan or plant-based cooking.

So, if you haven’t tried cooking with it before. I definitely suggest you try!

Another reason I love this dish so much, is that it has very little prep, and the oven does all the magic for you.

You only really need to chop a few herbs, blitz the sauce when cooked and coat the cauliflower in your marinade before cooking, which makes it the perfect mid-week meal when you just really CBA to cook.

Plus, roasted cauliflower is a magical thing. Roasting it turns the florets’ general subtle flavour into one that is deep and caramelised that exude sweetness and a nuttiness you’re unable to get in any other cooking method. And the marinade sticks and coats to each crevice, making sure each bite is a little flavour packed bomb that builds on the back of your palette.

Once you pair that nutty cauliflower with creamy chickpeas that have been fried with smoked paprika, garlic, onion and rose harissa to create the ultimate feel-good comfort food.

I actually love making extra of these chickpeas to keep in the fridge, and then serve on toast or dip fresh sourdough into for a quick and easy lunch that is delicious as it is filling.

The dill yogurt is another great staple to have up your sleeve, and in your fridge to swirl into soups, top curries, stews, or dahls or just slather on top of veggies or in a veggie-loaded sandwich.

Once made it keeps for around 3–4 days but in my house, it never even lasts close to that. I’m always just popping into the fridge and dipping whatever I can find into it. It has this delicious zing from the citrus and the aromatic fragrance from the herb that is just oh-so-more-ish.

This recipe serves two, but you can always double it and make enough to freeze–minus the yogurt topping (but that can easily be whipped up in seconds). Once cooked, combine the roasted cauliflower in small enough chunks to be easily contained and combine, so the cauliflower is coated in enough sauce to survive the freezer.

If you have too much leftover but don’t want to freeze, you can easily blend the chickpeas and sauce together and then toss through pasta and add the roasted cauliflower chunks in at the end. Or blend it all together to make a delicious soup. Use coconut cream or your dill yogurt to thin it to your desired consistency, and then dip in some delicious homemade flatbreads.

Have fun and enjoy the recipe, love Niki xx

The Recipe

Rose harissa chickpeas with roast cauliflower and dill yogurt

Rose Harissa Chickpeas with Roast Cauliflower and Dill Yogurt

The perfect winter warmer - rose harissa chickpeas with roast cauliflower and dill yogurt. So incredibly tasty, a real crowd pleaser.
2 servings
4.67 from 3 votes

Ingredients

For the cauliflower

  • 3 tbsp vegan natural yogurt
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ lemon juiced
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium cauliflower sliced

For the chickpeas

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 red onion sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 400 g can chopped tomatoes plus fill the can with water
  • 2 tbsp rose harissa
  • 400 g can chickpeas rinsed and drained
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • Black pepper
  • 3 tbsp dill chopped

For the dill yogurt

  • Juice 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 tbsp plain natural yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • Black pepper
  • 10 g dill chopped

Instructions

To roast the cauliflower

  • Pre-heat your oven to 180c
  • Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
  • Toss the cauliflower in the mix to coat and then add to a large baking tray.
  • Bake for approx 45 minutes–turning occasionally.
  • Set aside

To make the chickpeas

  • Add the onion and oil to a pan. Fry for 8-10 minutes until caramelised.
  • Now add the spices and garlic and stir to combine, fry for a minute.
  • Add the rose harissa, tomatoes and water. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
  • Finally, add in the chickpeas, salt, pepper and chopped dill.

To make the sauce

  • Add all the ingredients to a jar and stir to combine,

To serve

  • Serve the cauliflower on the chickpeas and top with the dill yogurt.
Print Recipe

I'd love to hear your comments…

  • The garlic is minced, right?

  • 4 stars
    Photography: stunning
    Recipe: yummy!

    Love to try anything with dill!

  • Hi, came across you on Instagram and ended up here – thought this recipe looked nice. I don’t understand how long to cook chickpeas for – it seems you don’t cook them at all, just add them at the end but it’s a bit strange. I think chickpeas need at least 20 minutes in a sauce like this.

    I also don’t understand why you use extra virgin olive olive for roasting and cooking – can you please explain? I feel like everyone is talking about its low heat point so maybe it’s best not to use it? Or at least use cheaper regular olive oil for cooking as extra virgin is expensive and is usually used for dips and dressings not cooking?

    The flavours are great but I ended up cooking chickpeas for longer in the end – I think maybe it’s possible to add them together with chopped tomatoes?

    • Hi there
      the chickpeas are canned and therefore pre- cooked so no extra cooking required.

      Standard olive oil is perfect for roasting
      My best
      Niki

  • 5 stars
    My partner, friend and I had this for dinner last night & it was amazing! I’m a harissa lover and loved the pairing of dill yoghurt. Thank you so much for this recipe – will definitely be making again in the future x

  • 5 stars
    Oh my word, these chickpeas are heavenly! The whole dish is amazing. I have been making a version of the chickpea part of it for years but this knocks spots of it and I am never going back to my old recipe. This is book marked now as a go to. It’s very healthy but feels indulgent 🙂 Thank you for the recipe Nikki x

Let me know what you think below…

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