Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower Sauce

Blogging Marathon# 50: Week 3/ Day 1

Theme: Different Pasta Sauces

Dish: Roasted Cauliflower Sauce

My theme for this week's Blogging marathon is 'Different Pasta Sauces'. Like most kids, my kids love pasta and I make it at least once a week. I'm always looking for new pasta sauces, so this week I've tried 3 new pasta sauces that I enjoyed quite a bit and have been added to my weekly repetition already.
First up is this creamy and yummy roasted cauliflower pasta. Couple of years ago, cauliflower was the hottest veggie in town (just like kale) and chefs and food bloggers have cooked and posted many many interesting recipes. This roasted cauliflower pasta sauce is inspired from some of those recipes.

Roasting cauliflower makes it very nutty and so much more delicious. Unfortunately cauliflower is not on my picky son's list of veggies (yet), so I blended it into a smooth puree and then used it as a pasta sauce. The sauce has a very creamy texture and has a mild nutty flavor. I added kale for some color and added nutrition.

This dish is completely vegan with no dairy products. I added some nutritional yeast for cheesiness but you can add some grated parmesan cheese instead. Also a little bit of heavy cream will make the sauce even more creamier. I reserved some roasted cauliflower to add on top, but of course that is completely optional, if you are like my picky son, then it is better to leave it out and keep it a secret :-)

Ingredients: Serves 4

Whole wheat or Whole grain Pasta - 8oz. (any shape & size pasta will work, I used small shells here)

Cauliflower - ½ of a medium head cut into florets 

Kale - 2cups, finely chopped
Onion - 1 small, finely chopped

Garlic - 5~6 cloves
Red Chili flakes - ½~1tsp
Nutritional Yeast - 2~3tbsp (substitute with grated parmesan cheese)
Salt & Pepper - to taste

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Place the cauliflower florets and the garlic on the baking sheet. Drizzle 1tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper and toss around to evenly coat cauliflower. Bake for 20~30 minutes, stirring them half way through, until cauliflower is tender and slightly browned around the edges.
• Cool the baked cauliflower and peel the garlic out of their papery shells. Reserve some of the roasted cauliflower for garnish. Once cool enough to handle, blend into a smooth paste adding water as needed. Milk can also be used instead of water.
• While the cauliflower is baking and cooling, prepare the pasta as per package instructions. Drain and reserve a cup of cooking water.
• In a medium pan, heat 2tsp olive oil and add onions and kale; cook for 4~5 minutes or until kale is wilted.
• Slowly add in the cauliflower puree along with red chili flakes, nutritional yeast, salt & pepper. Add enough water or milk to get to desired consistency. Simmer for 3~4 minutes.
• Finally add the cooked pasta and mix well. If the mixture seems too thick, then add some of the pasta cooking water. Top the pasta with the reserved roasted cauliflower and Serve hot.

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 50.