Penne With Cauliflower Recipes

MUSHROOM & CAULIFLOWER PENNE

Steps:

• Fill a large pan with salted water, place on a high heat and bring to the boil.
• Meanwhile, peel and finely slice the garlic and onion, then halve, deseed and finely slice the chilli. Pick the thyme leaves.
• Trim and slice three-quarters of the mushrooms. Trim the cauliflower, remove and discard the leaves, then chop the cauliflower florets and stalk into small chunks.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wide saucepan on a medium heat, add the garlic, onion, chilli and thyme, then cook gently for 10 minutes, or until golden.
• Add the sliced mushrooms and cauliflower, cover with a lid and cook gently for about 10 minutes, or until softened.
• Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until al dente - this means it's cooked, but still has a bit of bite.
• Meanwhile, pick and finely chop the parsley leaves. Trim and very finely slice the remaining mushrooms.
• Once softened, mash the cauliflower mixture with a fork until broken down, but still with a bit of texture. Stir in the ricotta, then season to taste with sea salt, black pepper and the juice from half the lemon.
• Reserving a cupful of the cooking water, drain the pasta and return it to the pan, off the heat. Tip in the sauce and stir well, adding splashes of the cooking water to loosen, if needed. Taste and season with salt, pepper and the remaining lemon juice.
• Stir in the sliced raw mushrooms, most of the Parmesan cheese and half of the parsley leaves. Serve with the remaining chopped parsley and cheese sprinkled on top.

PENNE WITH CAULIFLOWER AND BEEF SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.
• While pasta cooks, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cauliflower; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add beef, onions, and garlic; cook and stir until beef is browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper flakes. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• Drain penne. Pour into the skillet and stir to combine. Serve.

CAULIFLOWER SAUCE WITH WHOLE-WHEAT PENNE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pasta and cook to al dente. Drain and reserve 2 ladles of pasta water.
• While water is coming up to a boil and pasta cooks, make sauce. Heat a deep skillet over medium heat with extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes, then remove. Add onions and cook 5 minutes then add cauliflower, chicken stock and the rosemary. Cover the pan and cook 15 minutes. Uncover the sauce, add 1 to 2 ladles of pasta water and mash the cauliflower with the back of a wooden spoon or potato masher. Add the pasta and cheese to the cauliflower and toss to combine. Season the dish with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

BAKED PENNE WITH SAUSAGE, TOMATO AND CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat the stock with the saffron in a small saucepan over medium heat.
• Meanwhile, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a pot and season with salt. Add the cauliflower, cover and steam until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and break into florets.
• Heat the EVOO in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and crumble it into very small pieces with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Add the garlic and onions and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze with the wine, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, tomatoes and saffron stock and stir to break up the tomatoes. Simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to just shy of al dente, about 7 minutes. Reserve a ladle of the starchy cooking liquid and drain the pasta.
• Return the pasta to the pot. Add the heavy cream, cauliflower, sausage sauce and
• a little of the reserved cooking liquid and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and top with the cheeses and parsley. Bake until the top is browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Divide among plates.
• Cook's Note: The unbaked casserole can be covered and refrigerated for a make-ahead meal. Bake as directed before serving.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER PENNE WITH CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Toss cauliflower with olive oil. Transfer to a baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle garlic over cauliflower and toss to combine. Continue to cook until cauliflower is tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from the oven.
• While the cauliflower is roasting, melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat, and bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
• Add flour to the melted butter and stir until smooth. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until mixture turns a light, golden color, about 5 minutes.
• At the same time, cook penne in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1/4 cup pasta water.
• Add hot milk, 1 cup at a time, to the butter mixture, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes. Stir in Romano cheese and remove from the heat. Season with nutmeg and salt and set aside until ready to use.
• Combine penne, roasted cauliflower, bechamel sauce, and tomatoes in a large bowl. If the sauce is too thick, stir in a little of the reserved pasta water. Serve immediately with black pepper.

PENNE WITH SPICY CAULIFLOWER SAUCE

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with water and season lightly with salt. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, place a large saute pan over medium heat. Heat olive oil until it shimmers, and add garlic and chili pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add cauliflower, season generously with salt, and toss to coat with oil. Saute for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, crushing them in your fist as you add them. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken stock and continue simmering for 10 more minutes.
• When water comes to a boil, add penne and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. While pasta is cooking, add cream to cauliflower mixture and bring to a simmer. Drain pasta and add to cauliflower in pan. Toss well, and adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

PENNE WITH CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium or large saute pan.
• Add garlic and cook gently until softened and a light golden brown.
• Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until tomatoes begin to break down.
• Add cauliflower and stir well.
• Add 1/2 cup very hot water; bring to boil and lower heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes or until cauliflower is crisp-tender. (be careful not to over cook).
• While vegetables simmer, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a rapid boil.
• Add penne to the salted water and cook until al dente.
• Drain pasta and add to the pan of cauliflower and tomatoes.
• Stir in parsley and pepper to taste; toss over high heat for 1 minute.
• Serve topped with grated cheese.

PENNE WITH CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil, and cook the pancetta until the fat starts to render, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in cauliflower florets, onion, garlic and rosemary, season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg.
• Cook until vegetables start to soften, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes.
• Add wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute more.
• Add the chicken stock and cook until reduced by half, 5 minutes.
• Add pasta, cheese, and toss; serve topped with chopped spinach.

PENNE WITH ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Trim the cauliflower and break into florets.
• In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with 1 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoons salt.
• Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
• Roast the cauliflower in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through and lightly browned.
• Stir occasionally.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil.
• Add the pasta and cook until tender but firm.
• Drain well.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper.
• Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoons olive oil.
• Toss the dressing with the cauliflower, peppers, olives, basil and pasta.
• Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
• Serve at room temperature.

BAKED ZITI OR PENNE RIGATE WITH CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add the cauliflower and boil gently until the florets are tender but the middle resists when poked with a skewer or knife, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoons or tongs (or a pasta insert) remove the cauliflower from the water, transfer to a bowl of cold water and drain. Cover the pot and turn off the heat. You will cook the pasta in the cauliflower water. Cut the florets from the core of the cauliflower and cut them into small florets or crumble coarsely using a fork or your hands.
• Meanwhile, place the saffron in a small bowl and add 3 tablespoons warm water. Let steep for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until it smells fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute, and add the anchovies and tomatoes. Season to taste with salt (remembering that the anchovies will contribute a lot of salt) and freshly ground pepper. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower, saffron with its soaking water, and parsley, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Bring the cauliflower water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until just al dente, a few minutes less than you would cook it to serve. It will soften further when it bakes. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
• Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 3-quart baking dish. Toss the pasta with half the cauliflower mixture and half the cheese and spoon into the baking dish. Combine the remaining cauliflower mixture and remaining cheese and spoon over the pasta. Drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of oil. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbling. Serve hot.