Roasted Buffalo Ranch Cauliflower Salad

With its mix of crisp lettuce, cabbage, shredded broccoli stalk, carrots, and green onions, topped with spicy buffalo seasoned crouton crumbles, Monterey jack cheese, and buffalo ranch dressing, our Buffalo Ranch Chopped Salad Kit manages to capture the essence of America’s favorite wing sauce in salad form.

But we always like to take things a bit further, and that’s precisely what this Roasted Buffalo Ranch Cauliflower Salad Recipe from our friends at Vegetarian Ventures does. The addition of roasted cauliflower florets — a now beloved stand-in for chicken wings — along with tomatoes and some choice seasonings help to showcase the bold buffalo-inspired flavors of our salad kit while making it even more satisfying. And it’s all vegetarian! Yep, you should probably keep this recipe on standby for gamedays.

Ingredients

1 package Buffalo Ranch Chopped Kit
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 large heirloom tomatoes or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into bite size pieces
Fresh basil, for garnish

Directions

Open the Taylor Farm’s Buffalo Ranch Chopped Kit and remove the dressing. Set everything else from the kit aside for now.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, toss the cauliflower with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through.
Remove cauliflower from oven, drizzle half of the salad kit dressing over the cauliflower, and toss until the cauliflower is evenly coated. Let cool for 10 minutes.
On a large serving plate or bowl, toss together everything included in the salad kit (except dressing), cauliflower, and tomatoes. Drizzle remaining dressing over the salad and garnish with basil. Serve right away.

Plant-Based Buffalo Wings: Beyond the Cauliflower

Looking to spice up your vegetarian buffalo wing game without reaching for the usual cauliflower? There are plenty of exciting and tasty alternatives to satisfy that buffalo craving. Try tofu wings: coat tofu slices in a seasoned batter, bake or fry until perfectly crispy, and toss them in your favorite buffalo sauce for a flavor-packed, plant-based bite with a satisfying crunch.

Mushrooms, like portobello or oyster, are another great option. Their meaty texture and ability to soak up sauces make them ideal for buffalo bites—just bread, bake or fry, and sauce them up!

How about some buffalo-style chickpea fritter? Trust us. Mash chickpeas with breadcrumbs, spices, and a hint of buffalo sauce, then shape into patties and fry or bake. They’re hearty, protein-rich, and bursting with buffalo flavor.

Here’s another idea: make it all on one sheet pan with this recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato Sheet Pan Salad with Buffalo Ranch Dressing.

And don’t forget about tempeh! With its firm texture and nutty taste, tempeh strips marinated in buffalo sauce and baked or pan-fried are a delicious, protein-packed alternative that brings all the heat with none of the meat.