Before I talk about this recipe, I want to thank "
Emily White Designs" for my blog makeover. I loved the first design that she created for me, almost three years ago. I just felt ready for a new and fresh look. I love it, I hope you find it to be user-friendly.
If you've been reading my blog for a while, I tend to post step-by-step photos on how to recreate the recipe. I didn't really intend to blog this recipe, because I was tired (and hungry). It was dark outside, and I didn't want to set up a light stand in order to photograph. The recipe turned out to be very easy to make, and by the time I took the dish of baked pasta out of the oven-- and I took a taste-- I knew I had to share this.
I subscribe to Fine Cooking Magazine, and I signed up for their "
Make It Tonight" newsletter. The star of the show is the "pink sauce". You need canned tomatoes (I used San Marzano), onion, garlic, fresh parsley and red pepper flakes. I pureed the tomatoes in my food processor in no time at all.
Once you saute' onion, garlic& red pepper flakes, you add the pureed tomatoes and 1/2 cup of heavy cream-- and that' s not a lot of cream, considering this recipe makes 8-10 servings. (Next time, I'll cut the recipe in half).
The original recipe cooks the cauliflower in the pasta water. Roasted veggies are my favorite way to prepare them as a side dish. So, I drizzled olive oil on cauliflower florets and roasted them (on a baking sheet) , to
al dente, for about 15-20 minutes. If you hate cauliflower, no worries! Just use broccoli, or squash-- or use sausage, if you wish. You can't go wrong, because the sauce is full of flavor and is so simple to make! I cleaned out my fridge by using a Quattro-Formagio (four-cheese) package from Trader Joe's and a small wedge of Fontina cheese (which I grated, of course) You can use whatever cheeses you like, but I'd stick to a white cheese. Some freshly grated Parmigiano- Reggiano completed the topping.
TASTING NOTES: We enjoy vegetarian dinners, and I loved the "crunch" and texture of the cauliflower. I doubled the amount of fresh garlic, and it was perfect. I didn't find the sauce to have a lot of spicy heat, so don't be afraid to kick it up if you prefer. The next day, this pasta reheated well as leftovers. The pink sauce is a keeper! From start to finish, this dinner was on the table in about 45 minutes. I hope you give this simple dinner a try. I'm sure glad that I did.
As always, a printable recipe is at the end of this post.
I love working with Emily. She recently did a couple of tweaks on my blog as well, Love the new look Debbie.As for the pasta. I just love comfort food this time of year.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to roast the cauliflower Debby. This looks perfect for a rainy cold day or anytime you want a rich comforting meal.
ReplyDeleteSam
Debby, the blog looks so great. Beautiful looking pasta. I have cut the harshness out of red sauce before by adding a little cream or half n half. I like the cauliflower idea. Must try. Thanks. Susan
ReplyDeleteFunny you should post this right after I did a pasta recipe with boiled cauliflower. It's interesting to cook veggies in the same water as the pasta, but like you, I do prefer it roasted.
ReplyDeleteLooks so tasty!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the new site looks AWESOME!! I'm loving it. It's rare to find a good web designer for blogger but this is really great.
ReplyDeleteThis pasta is totally my kind of meal! I'll definitely be making this soon!
This dish looks delicious, Debby. I love the addition of cauliflower for flavor and the way it cuts back on the calorie content. My daughter recently pureed cauli and added it to mashed potatoes and I thought it was very tasty.
ReplyDeleteI love meatless pasta and love cauliflower, so this is right up my alley. Hubby has to have some meat with his dinner, so when I do make meatless, I cook a piece of sausage or something for his plate.
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious to me. So does your blog!
ReplyDeleteI love cauliflower and pasta dishes...baked with this pink sauce sounds great. Prefect for our cold weather right now. Your new design is great.
ReplyDeleteHi Debby! This is my first visit to your site, so I missed to see your old blog design. But I really like the new look! Very pretty and nice! I love cauliflower a lot, but never put it in my pasta. This is something I want to cook during the weekday. Looks really delicious!
ReplyDeleteThis dish looks very delicious!I love veggies and I love the idea of the roasted cauliflower. Will try out to make some one of these days. Thanks for the share!!!
ReplyDeleteI made this over the weekend, and it was very tasty! Thanks! That’s the best way to prepare cauliflower I’ve tasted so far I thought about this . It’s a keeper.
ReplyDeleteMy mom makes several recipes with Cauliflower at home. Mom generally prepare vegetable curry throw cauliflower. But I have learn something new from your post. I will tell my mom to try
ReplyDeletethis. Hope my mom will be able to prepare the recipe as mention above. Thank you for the recipe. Hope to see new recipes more here.