Ever since receiving a copy of That Sounds So Good from the folks at Clarkson Potter, I’ve been eager to try my hand at Carla Lalli Music’s “fan-favorite” pasta with melted cauliflower sauce (on Page 179). In her words, “The recipe is truly a delight because it’s really inexpensive and super easy [to make].”
As luck would have it, a recent shipment from Cal-Organic Farms included two tiny heads of Brassica oleracea. So, of course, I gathered a few other ingredients, cracked open Carla’s book and got cooking!
While not the most attractive dish, pasta with melted cauliflower sauce is completely comforting and undeniably delicious. Plate up a generous helping and shower it with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for a hearty yet light meal.
Recipe adapted from That Sounds So Good.
- 1 small head cauliflower (about 1 pound), roughly chopped
- ½ cup olive oil, plus more for finish
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil, removed from oil
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- 1 pound lumache or other short pasta
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
- juice of 1 lemon
- In a food processor, pulse the cauliflower until coarsely ground. Set aside.
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
- Add anchovies and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute.
- Add prepared cauliflower and Aleppo pepper, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes. Then reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is very tender, 30-35 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta 3 minutes less than al dente according to package directions. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked pasta to pot with sauce.
- Add Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and 1 cup reserved cooking liquid to pot and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has thickened, about 3 minutes. If necessary, add more reserved cooking liquid to loosen the sauce.
- Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and top with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
