Roasted Cauliflower, Garlic & Toasted Walnuts with Pasta
Definitely deserves 5 star. This was our dinner yesterday, I only made half of the recipe, so I actually roasted the cauliflower and garlic in the small toaster oven. It did take a bit longer, but the result was great. I also added some freshly grated lemon zest, very good.
Yield
4 servingsPrep
10 minCook
80 minReady
96 minIngredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | whole |
garlic bulb
dry layers of skins removed, top quarter of heads cut off and discarded |
* |
| 5 ½ | tablespoons |
vegetable oil
such as olive oil, canola oil, or any vegetable oil |
|
| 1 | head |
-
cauliflower, 1 1/2 pounds |
* |
|
salt and black pepper
to taste |
*
|
||
| 1 | pinch |
sugar
|
*
|
| 16 | ounce |
pasta
1 pound, such as fusilli, prefer whole wheat |
|
|
red pepper flakes
to taste |
*
|
||
| 2 | tablespoons |
lemon juice
freshly squeezed, or more to taste |
|
| 2 | tablespoons |
parsley leaves
freshly chopped |
|
| ¾ | cup |
Parmesan cheese
|
|
| ⅓ | cup |
walnuts
toasted and coarsely chopped |
|
Ingredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | whole |
garlic bulb
dry layers of skins removed, top quarter of heads cut off and discarded |
* |
| 83 | ml |
vegetable oil
such as olive oil, canola oil, or any vegetable oil |
|
| 1 | each |
-
cauliflower, 1 1/2 pounds |
* |
| 1 | x |
salt and black pepper
to taste |
*
|
| 1 | pinch |
sugar
|
*
|
| 462.4 | ml/g |
pasta
1 pound, such as fusilli, prefer whole wheat |
|
| 1 | x |
red pepper flakes
to taste |
*
|
| 3E+1 | ml |
lemon juice
freshly squeezed, or more to taste |
|
| 3E+1 | ml |
parsley leaves
freshly chopped |
|
| 177 | ml |
Parmesan cheese
|
|
| 79 | ml |
walnuts
toasted and coarsely chopped |
|
Directions
Place the oven rack in the center of the oven.
Put a large rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Prepare one 12-inch sheet of foil and spread flat on the counter-top.
Set the garlic heads, cut-side up, in the center of foil.
Drizzle ½ teaspoon oil over each head and seal the packet.
Put the packet on the oven rack and roast until the garlic is very tender, 38 to 42 minutes.
Open the packet and set aside to let cool.
While the garlic is roasting, trim the outer leaves of cauliflower and cut the stem flush with the bottom.
Cut the head from pole to pole into 8 equal wedges.
Add the cauliflower in a large bowl along with 1½ tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper to taste, 1 pinch of sugar, and toss until well coated and mixed.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
Carefully transfer the cauliflower to the hot baking sheet and spread into even layer, arranging cut side down.
Bring the baking sheet back to the oven and roast until cauliflower is well browned and tender, 24 to 28 minutes.
Transfer the roasted cauliflower to the cutting board.
When cool enough to handle, chop into ½-inch pieces.
While cauliflower roasts, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot.
Stir in the pasta and about 1 tablespoon salt, and cook until ad dente.
Squeeze roasted garlic cloves from their skins into a small bowl.
With a fork, mash garlic to smooth paste, then mix in red pepper flakes and lemon juice to taste.
Slowly whisk in remaining 1½ tablespoons of oil.
Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water, and return pasta to pot.
Stir in chopped cauliflower, pasta and garlic sauce, 4 tablespoons of the cooking water, parsley, and extra lemon juice to taste.
Sprinkle remaining cheese and toasted walnuts on top.
Serve right away.
