Today’s Italian cauliflower salad recipe makes a simple-yet-satisfying dish for a tasty snack or a quick side. Just throw in cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, black olives, ham, and mozzarella cheese; then toss them all in olive oil and a handful of seasonings before serving. Plus, all the steps are done in less than 15 minutes—perfect for busy bees.
Main Ingredients
You know we all love it when our to-buy list is short and simple with easy-to-find everyday ingredients. That’s exactly what makes this salad so great—delicious taste with mere simplicity! Let’s take a closer look:
1. Cauliflower
This vegetable is very easy to enjoy in a salad. It has a very mild taste and a tender-crisp texture. Make sure to buy fresh cauliflower that shows no signs of spoilage such as color change or dark spots.
Before cooking, make sure to give these veggies a proper wash to get rid of any remaining dirt, worms, or bacteria. Simply soak your cauliflower in a bowl of cold or warm water before rinsing them under the faucet.
Remember, the key to successfully boiling cauliflower is timing. If you overcook cauliflower, it will lose the beautiful crispiness that we seek in a salad, so be sure to take it off the heat when it's finished.
2. For the Toppings
Cherry tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are deliciously sweet and juicy. Its small size also allows you to easily include it in every scoop.
Black olives: These black olives add wonderful decoration and depth of color to our dish. Its tart-bitter flavor harmonizes perfectly with the other elements.
Ham: Bits of ham pair perfectly well with cauliflower in a cold salad, adding a savory touch to our light-tasting cauliflower.
Mozzarella Cheese: We sliced the mozzarella cheese into cubes for more eye-catching display and also to increase the content and satisfaction of each bite.
3. Others
Simply add olive oil, lemon juice, and seasonings to your salad and give them a good toss!
- Olive oil: We use cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil.
- Italian seasoning: To give our salad a nice savory kick.
- Oregano: To add an herby aroma to our dish.
- Ground black pepper: To give our dish some extra pungency.
- Lemon juice: To give some slightly tangy notes as well as balance all the flavors.
- Parsley: A sprinkling of chopped parsley on top to garnish.
Is This Italian Cauliflower Salad Healthy?
Yes, it is. Our Italian cauliflower salad is a wonderful fiber-rich and low-calorie menu item.
It's packed with essential vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin C — approximately 95% of the daily recommended intake can be met with just one serving of this Italian cauliflower salad.
Plus, these creamy white vegetables are loaded with fiber, yet at the same time, extremely low in calories (each cup of cauliflower contains only 25 calories), which makes it an awesome food for aiding weight loss. Adding cauliflower to your eating routine also brings significant benefits, such as strengthening the immune system and reducing the risks of cancer and heart disease.
Apart from the veggies, the ham included in the salad also adds an extra boost of protein, with a total of 7.5 g protein for one serving.
On top of that, remember how we have described that this is a mild-tasting salad? This means that we go very lightly on seasonings, so you won’t have to worry about any excessive amounts of sugar or sodium.
How to Store the Leftovers
For the best taste and texture, the leftover cauliflower salad should be kept in the fridge and consumed within 24 hours since it’s made.
If you have leftover cooked cauliflower pieces that have not been tossed in the dressing, then you can keep them in the crisp drawer if you want to make them into another dish within the next 3-4 days. You can also keep them in the freezer for longer storage.
Italian Cauliflower Salad Recipe
This Italian cauliflower salad recipe gives you a simple and presentable dish that takes mere minutes to make. Whip this up and enjoy a bunch of tasty bites of tender-crisp cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, black olives, ham, and mozzarella cheese.
- cook TIME 5 mins
- prep TIME 7 mins
- total TIME 12 mins
- COURSE Side Dish
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 175 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 20 oz cauliflower (cut into florets)
- 6 oz cherry tomato (halved)
- 1 oz ham (cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
- 2 oz black olives (halved)
- 2 oz mozzarella cheese (cut into cubes)
- 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp parsley (chopped, divided)
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep:
Cut the cauliflower into florets: place the cauliflower on a cutting board, the large stem facing up. With a paring knife, slice the large florets away from the large stem, one by one. Half or quarter the florets to have even pieces.
Cut the ham into 1/2-inch pieces: Place the large sheets of ham on top of each other, then slice across them to make thin strips 1/2-inch wide. Place all the strips on top of each other, turn them 90 degrees, then cut across them to make 1/2-inch squares.
Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves.
Cut the black olives into halves.
Cut the mozzarella cheese into 1/2-inch cubes.
Finely chop the parsley.
Cook:
Boil the cauliflower: In a boiling pot over medium heat, add 20 oz cauliflower and cook for 3 minutes.
Soak the cauliflower in cold water: Drain the cauliflower and place them into a bowl with ice and water. Let sit for about 1-2 minutes, then drain the cauliflower using a strainer. Give it a good shake to make sure the cauliflower is dry.
Assemble the salad ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the cauliflower, 6 oz cherry tomato, 1 oz ham, 2 oz black olives, 2 oz mozzarella cheese, 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp parsley, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Toss well to coat evenly.
Garnish and serve: Plate and sprinkle with parsley on top before serving. Enjoy!
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author