Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower

 

Can you believe that I had never eaten Cauliflower until a few years ago?  As much as I love fresh veggies, cauliflower was never something I was willing to try.  Now it seems you can't go anywhere without seeing this versatile veggie turned into something else (pizza crust, mashed potatoes, Buffalo wings).  

I clipped this recipe out of a newspaper and tried it for dinner this week.  It was a hit for 3 out of 4 of us.  The newly picky child declared that the breadcrumbs on top were "nasty."  So you can go ahead and skip that if you prefer.  For me, the bread crumbs were an unexpected treat!

Not a pretty picture of it, but it tasted better than this very yellow picture shows!

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower

3 TBS olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp salt, divided

Freshly ground black pepper

12 oz pasta We get our fancy pasta from Aldi.  I KNOW.  Aldi.  It's cheap and SO good!

2 TBS butter Or a little less- you'll have to be the judge as you cook

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp anchovy paste yup, totally skipped this ingredient

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

2/3 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup shredded mint It's not summer, so we skipped this too.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 500.

Slice cauli into bite-sized pieces.  Season with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast 10 minutes, flip and bake another 5-10 minutes until tender and browned.

Cook pasta according to directions.   While pasta is cooking melt 1 TBS butter in a skillet.  Add panko and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.  When browned, take off heat and pour into a small dish for later.

Heat 1 TBS butter and olive oil in skillet.  Add sliced garlic and saute until golden.  Add red pepper and cauliflower and mix well.

Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.  Add cauliflower mixture and mix well.  Add cheese and heat for 3 minutes.  Add more pepper to taste.

Pour into bowls and serve topped with toasted panko.

Verdict

A bit of a process, but well worth it.  Loved the taste and texture of this dish.  And we didn't miss the mint and anchovy paste at all.

He likes it!