Winter Salad with Roasted Cauliflower, Pomegranates & Arancini

Add some color to your holiday table with this winter salad recipe topped with roasted cauliflower, pomegranates and crispy arancini! Easy and gluten-free.Arancini are totally having a moment here in San Francisco. Every trendy restaurant seems to have them on the menu – and for good reason! They are basically little bites of heaven.

You’re probably wondering what are arancini? Arancini are stuffed rice balls which are rolled in breadcrumbs and then deep-fried until they are crispy on the outside and have a warm soft center on the inside.

There are endless possibilities for what people use to stuff arancini. They are Italian and Sicilian in origin, and were traditionally stuffed with meat, marinara, mozzarella and peas. Thanks to their popularity, now you can find them stuffed with anything from asian stir fry veggies to bacon.

Luckily you can skip the rolling and frying and get restaurant quality arancini at home with new Lundberg Family Farms frozen arancini. Their arancini are made with California-grown short grain brown rice – cooked risotto style and rolled in brown rice breadcrumbs. They are also organic and gluten-free. In addition to the Gouda and Mozzarella Arancini that I used for this recipe, they also have two other flavors – Korean-inspired Gochujang and a beautiful Black Rice version.

Arancini are not only great on their own, but also awesome when added to salad! This winter salad recipe makes a great dish for the holidays.I love the warm-cold combo with roasted cauliflower and crispy arancini on a pile of fresh greens and pomegranate. It will be a tasty and colorful addition to your Thanksgiving table this week.

P.S. – If you’re looking for a great vegan Thanksgiving side dish, these maple roasted brussels sprouts are also up on the blog!

Thanks so much for reading! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, or subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts and musings from me.

Winter Salad with Roasted Cauliflower, Pomegranates & Arancini

• Author: Kelly Egan - A Side of Sweet
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 4
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into bite-size florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 box (10 arancini) Lundberg Farms Gouda & Mozarella Arancini
• 6 cups (100 grams) baby spinach or other salad greens
• 1/2 cup homemade or store bought vinaigrette dressing of your choice
• 1 cup pomegranate arils
• 4 ounces gouda cheese, cut into bite sized pieces.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower, olive oil, salad and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 45 minutes, tossing midway, until tender and pieces are starting to turn dark brown in spots. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. Increase oven heat to 450° Fahrenheit and bake arancini according to package directions.
4. Toss salad greens and vinaigrette in a large serving bowl.
5. Add roasted cauliflower, pomegranates, gouda cheese and Lundberg Farm arancini on top of greens and serve.

Notes

Add some color to your holiday table with this winter salad recipe topped with roasted cauliflower, pomegranates and crispy arancini! Easy and gluten free.

Style your own festive holiday table:

Festive Tartan Holiday Napkins // Copper Flatware // Wood Serving Bowl // Acacia Plates and Bowls //

This post is a collaboration with Lundberg Family Farms. Thanks so much for supporting the sponsors that allow me to keep bringing you beautiful recipes! Wondering why I do sponsored posts? Read more here.