Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Pasta Bake

Sip + Sanity | Linda

Try this creamy roasted cauliflower pasta bake when you're craving a hot bowl of comfort on a cold night. Squash shaped pasta, roasted cauliflower and a creamy sauce make for a delicious seasonal dish.

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Main Course, Pasta

Italian

556 kcal

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoon olive oil
salt + pepper, to taste
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
12 ounce butternut squash fioretti pasta, or any small pasta, like orecchiette or penne
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoon flour
2 cups milk, low-fat
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper
zest of half a lemon
¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped fine

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425° and set a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.

Roasting the Cauliflower

Drizzle the cauliflower with 2 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt + pepper. Toss with your hands to coat the florets and spread them into a single layer on a sheet pan. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping with a spatula halfway through. Set aside when done, but leave the oven on.

Prep the Pasta + Sauce

While the caulifower roasts, cook the pasta per the package instructions for al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain + set aside.
Melt the butter in the pasta pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Add the milk and continue to cook until the sauce thickens. Remove it from the burner and add the lemon zest, nutmeg, crushed red pepper, fresh ground black pepper and Parmigianno; stir to combine.
Return the pasta to the pot. Add the bacon and roasted cauliflower. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Add the reserved pasta water a little at a time if the mixture is too thick.

Assemble + Top with Breadcrumbs

Tranfer the pasta to a 9 x 13 casserole spritzed with olive oil spray.
In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp of olive oil and the breadcrumbs. Mix with a fork until the oil is evenly distributed through the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle evenly all over the pasta.
Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Garnish with chopped parsley + serve!

Notes

If you'd like to make this ahead of time, complete all the steps through assembly. Cover + refrigerate. Let it sit on the counter for 30-45 minutes before baking for 10-15 minutes (or until hot throughout) at 425°.

Nutrition

fall, oven, pasta, stove top

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