Looking to spice up taco night? Call in the roasted cauliflower. Loaded with crisp cabbage slaw and drizzled with a tangy lime crema, these richly spiced cauliflower tacos promise to shake up your weeknight dinner routine for good.

The cauliflower

Tossing the cauliflower florets in a concentrated taco-spiced oil and roasting at high heat toasts all those spices as well as caramelizing the cauliflower. Arrange the florets cut side down for maximum contact with the pan, and don’t disturb them until they’ve been roasting for at least 25 minutes. Much like searing a steak in a pan on the stove, ultimate caramelization (and flavor) comes from letting the cauliflower roast, untouched, for as long as possible.

Besides that richly seasoned main filling, every top-notch taco has two other key components: a vibrant vegetable topping to provide brightness and crunch, and a cool, creamy sauce to bring everything together. Here we’ve gone for a double-cabbage slaw simply dressed with lime juice and salt and a lime crema, which is just a fancy way of saying lime-spiked sour cream. Sounds simple—and it is!—but with something like a taco, it doesn’t pay to get too complicated.

The tortillas:

Corn tortillas are my go-to for tacos. White or yellow corn work equally well, but whichever you choose, make sure to warm them so they’re pliable. A quick trip to the microwave works in a pinch, but if you have time, I highly recommend a brief sear in a dry, screaming hot cast-iron pan. The light char really enhances the flavor of the corn.