Name: Easy Cauliflower Salad (Marinated)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 cauliflower, small or medium size- cored and chopped; 1 or 2 bay leaves; 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil; 1 + 1/2 fresh lemons - squeezed; 2 teaspoons lemon zest; 1 garlic clove - minced or grated; pinch crushed red pepper flakes; 1 green onion - finely chopped; 2 Tbsp. freshly chopped parsley; 3/4 cup pitted green olives; 1 Tbsp. capers; salt and pepper to taste

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Easy Cauliflower Salad (Marinated) is a delightful make-ahead dish that is light and flavorful, featuring a zesty, juicy lemon vinaigrette. It’s perfect for the grilling season. This salad is made with tender cauliflower florets that are marinated in a tangy lemon dressing, along with a few extra ingredients.

A white bowl filled with cauliflower florets salad with green olives.

Our Easy Cauliflower Salad (Marinated)

Cauliflower Salad Marinated is an old family recipe that has been enjoyed for years! So we decided to revive it from our archives and update the photos.

This salad, loaded with fresh cauliflower, is SO incredibly light, tangy, and lemony delicious – everyone is sure to LOVE it!

Our recipe for cauliflower salad is practically effortless. Similar to our Italian Cauliflower Salad, only this one is simpler, having fewer ingredients. It’s a tried-and-true recipe that is not only super easy to make but also wonderfully tasty.

Once you prep and chop the cauliflower, they only need a quick boil until they are tender. Then they are drained and tossed with a zesty vinaigrette and set chilled to marinate. That’s it.

It’s the perfect low-calorie, low-carb, healthy side to serve your family and friends! And one they will absolutely love!

Easy cauliflower salad is even better when it’s served the next day. So go ahead and make it one day ahead. It makes the perfect side dish to serve at a buffet table or at a barbecue!

A white bowl filled with cauliflower florets, green olives and parsley.

The Marinade for our Cauliflower Salad…

The key flavor in our easy cauliflower salad is the marinade. For this recipe, our vinaigrette is made with 3 main ingredients: fresh lemon juice, a touch of garlic, and extra-virgin olive oil. We also tossed in fresh parsley for additional freshness, and some green onions, green olives, and capers. Then we allow it to marinate for a while in the fridge and let the magic do its thing.

All these fresh ingredients and great flavors infuse into the cauliflower, making this salad taste amazing and refreshing. (It’s the best!)

Reasons to Make this Cauliflower Salad…

It’s a great way to get your family to eat more cauliflower.
It’s budget-friendly.
An ideal salad to serve during the grilling season.
Cauliflower is a vegetable known to be among the superfoods.
Another bonus to cauliflower is the fact that it’s extremely low in fat, high in fiber, and high in Vitamin C and folate, making this an ideal salad to promote good health!
It even helps fight disease and cancer. You can read more about the health benefits of cauliflower.

Cook’s Tips!

It’s best to keep an eye on it while you boil and steam the cauliflower, and not overcook it. It can get mushy very quickly and change the texture, and ruin the salad.
You can make this salad 2 days ahead. The longer it marinates, the better it gets!
Best to always serve it chilled.
We made this so many times, we have added some herbs at times, dill, thyme, and oregano. So you can, too!

Ingredients Needed for our Easy Cauliflower Salad:

Cauliflower: one small or medium-sized, cored, florets separate
Bay Leaf: You can use one or two when you boil the cauliflower. This will help reduce the gas in the cauliflower.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: You will need about 1/4 cup, and extra as needed.
Garlic Clove: Fresh garlic is best for flavor. We used only 1 garlic clove, minced or grated.
Lemon Juice: You will need 1 + 1/2 lemons – juiced, and extra to taste.
Lemon Zest: Some lemon zest is added as well.
Green Onion: One scallion or green onion, finely chopped.
Fresh Parsley: Some freshness is needed, and about 1 tablespoon chopped (missing from the photo).
Seasonings: All you will need is salt, plus a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.
Green Olives: a handful of pitted green olives
Capers: Just a few tossed into the salad.

How to make our Easy Cauliflower Salad (Marinated)?

1. Rinse cauliflower, cored, and break off the florets.

2. Pour some water (about 1 inch) into a pot, toss in one or two bay leaves, then add the cauliflower florets and cover. Bring the water to a full boil and boil the cauliflower for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they are fork-tender.

Chopped cauliflower on a cutting board and placed into a pot. by 2sistersrecipes.com

3. Drain the cauliflower and return it to the pot, cover it once again, and place it back on the stove. Leave it covered and allow the cauliflower to sit in the pot to steam for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it is tender. Test them with a fork to check for a desired tenderness.

4. Transfer the steamed cauliflower directly into a salad bowl. Grate some lemon zest into the salad. Then juice the lemons and add all the ingredients.

5. Gently toss to mix well. Cover and chill it for at least 2 or 3 hours before serving.

A white bowl filled with cauliflower salad.

Storing…

Store any leftovers in a sealed container or a bowl, covered with clear wrap, and kept chilled in your refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 4 days. After that, discard it and make a fresh one. Do not freeze this salad; it is not recommended.

More Tasty Recipes for Cauliflower…

That’s it, friends! Any questions? Ask away! If you try our Easy Cauliflower Salad, let us know and leave a comment with a star rating. It’s so helpful to other readers to read your results, adaptations, and ideas for variations. Have fun, snap a photo, and share it on Pinterest. Be sure to tag us #2sistersrecipes and on Instagram @2sistersrecipes. We’d love to see and share what you cook. 🙂

In case you missed it…

Easy Cauliflower Salad (Marinated)

Yield: 6 to 8

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Easy Cauliflower Salad is a deliciously light-tasting salad made with tender cauliflower florets and served with a lemon vinaigrette, fresh parsley, and black olives. Make-ahead this simple salad and wow everyone who tries it!

Ingredients

1 cauliflower, small or medium size- cored and chopped
1 or 2 bay leaves
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 + 1/2 fresh lemons - squeezed
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 garlic clove - minced or grated
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 green onion - finely chopped
2 Tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
3/4 cup pitted green olives
1 Tbsp. capers
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Rinse the cauliflower, cored, and break off the florets. If some of the florets are large, cut those into halves.
In a medium-sized pot with 1 inch of water, toss in one or two bay leaves, then add the cauliflower florets and cover. Bring the water to a full boil. Boil the cauliflower for 3 to 4 minutes.
Turn off the heat. Drain the cauliflower in a colander. Return the cauliflower to the pot, cover it once again, and place it back on the stove. Leave it covered and allow the cauliflower to sit in the pot to steam for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it is fork-tender.
Then transfer the cauliflower directly into a salad bowl. Add the garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice, plus all the rest of the ingredients, and gently toss to mix well.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set the salad bowl on your counter to rest. Allow the dressing to marinate as the cauliflower continues to cool. The salad will need to cool completely before you cover and chill it.
Cover with clear wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours, allowing to marinate before serving.
Best chilled overnight. Gently toss the cauliflower before serving. As always with vegetable salads, the cauliflower will absorb some of the lemon vinaigrette. So TASTE again and adjust the dressing, adding additional olive oil and lemon juice as needed. Best served chilled.
Serves 6 to 8

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 to 8 servings Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 87Total Fat: 7.7gCarbohydrates: 4.7gFiber: 2.2gSugar: 1.7gProtein: 1.5g

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Happy and Healthy Cooking!! 🙂

Thanks for stopping by!

xo Anna and Liz

Welcome! From Anna and Liz

We believe the kitchen is the center and the heart of the home. It is where we cook, eat, and unwind with family and friends, creating memorable traditions! Read more…

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