Spinach and ricotta stuffed shells
Pasta shells filled with spinach and ricotta beneath a tomato sauce.
About 55 min · 540 kcal · 30 g protein per serving
Vegetarian
Cauliflower steaks with chickpeas, tahini and parsley
Thick cauliflower slices roasted dark, with chickpeas and a tahini dressing.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 20 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
- Confirm 2.5 cm cauliflower slices are tender and dark in 25 to 30 minutes at 220°C
- Confirm the tahini loosens with water after seizing
- Photograph the finished plate
- Time
- About 45 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 510 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 23 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains sesame.
Cooking steps
Heat the oven to 220°C / 425°F (200°C fan).
Stand the cauliflower on its base and cut down through the core into slices about 2.5 cm thick. Keep any florets that fall away; they roast alongside.
Brush the slices with half the oil, dust with the cumin, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until the edges are properly dark.
Warm the drained chickpeas in a pan with the remaining oil for 5 minutes, pressing a few against the pan.
Whisk the tahini with the lemon juice and cold water, a tablespoon at a time. It will seize and go stiff before it loosens; keep going and it turns pale and pourable.
Serve the cauliflower on the chickpeas with the dressing spooned over and the parsley scattered on top.
The useful detail
Cut down through the core, not across it. The core is what holds a slice together as a steak; cut across, the whole thing falls into florets before it reaches the tray.
Make it work for you
One serving is Half the cauliflower with half the chickpeas and dressing. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.
Butter beans instead of chickpeas
Softer and creamier, and they crush more easily.
Per serving: about 50 kcal less, about the same protein, about 5 g less fat.
Greek yoghurt whisked into the tahini, 100 g
Milder and looser, and it adds protein.
Allergens: Adds milk.
Broccoli instead of cauliflower
It will not hold as steaks; roast it in florets for about 20 minutes.
Per serving: about 25 kcal more, about 3 g more protein, about the same fat.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A vegetarian dinner where chickpeas and tahini together carry the protein, and the cauliflower gives the plate its size.
| Energy | 510 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 23 g |
| Fat | 21 g |
| of which saturates | 3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 65 g |
| of which sugars | not calculated |
| Fibre | 20 g |
| Sodium | 590 mg |
Show calculation notes
Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.
| Ingredient | Weight used | Source | Energy | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cauliflower | 600 g | FDC 169986Cauliflower, raw | 150 kcal | 11.5 g |
| olive oil | 14 g | FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking | 121 kcal | 0.0 g |
| ground cumin | 2 g | FDC 170923Spices, cumin seedFoodData Central records cumin seed; ground cumin is the same seed, milled. | 8 kcal | 0.4 g |
| chickpeas | 400 g | FDC 173800Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, canned, drained solids | 556 kcal | 28.2 g |
| tahini | 30 g | FDC 168604Seeds, sesame butter, tahini, type of kernels unspecified | 178 kcal | 5.2 g |
| lemon juice | 15 g | FDC 167747Lemon juice, raw | 3 kcal | 0.1 g |
| parsley | 15 g | FDC 170416Parsley, fresh | 5 kcal | 0.4 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 1021 kcal | 45.8 g |
Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. of which sugars could not be calculated, because one ingredient’s record does not cover it; the row above says which. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.
Storage and reheating
- In the fridge
- Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days. Keep the tahini dressing in its own jar; it thickens in the fridge and needs loosening with water.
- In the freezer
- Freezing keeps food safe indefinitely; the texture is best if it is eaten sooner rather than later.
- Reheating
- Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout.
Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.
Try another recipe
Mushroom and lentil cottage pie
A savoury mushroom-lentil filling with a soft potato topping.
About 1 hr · 360 kcal · 20 g protein per serving
Vegetarian