Baked Pasta With Cauliflower And Cheese Recipes

CHEESY BAKED PASTA WITH CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until about halfway cooked (it needs to be very firm at this stage so that it doesn't overcook when baked). Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid, and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well.
• Lightly crush cherry tomatoes with your hands in a large bowl. Add mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, Parmesan, cream, and reserved ½ cup pasta cooking liquid and mix to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add cauliflower and cooked pasta and toss to coat. Butter (or lightly coat) a 3-qt. or 13x9x2" baking dish with butter. Scrape in pasta mixture and spread out into an even layer. Cover dish tightly with foil and bake pasta until hot throughout and steaming when foil is lifted, 20-25 minutes.
• Remove foil and increase oven temperature to 425°F. Continue to bake pasta until sauce is bubbling and top is browned and crunchy in spots, 25-30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
• Do Ahead
• Pasta can be assembled 2 days ahead. Cover and chill until ready to bake.

CRUSTY BAKED SHELLS & CAULIFLOWER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Fill a large pot with water, add 2 tablespoons salt, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook al dente, according to the instructions on the package. Since it will be baked later, don't overcook it! Drain and pour into a very large bowl.
• Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium-high heat, add half the cauliflower in one layer, and saute for 5 to 6 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the florets are lightly browned and tender. Pour the cauliflower, including the small bits, into the bowl with the pasta. Add 3 more tablespoons of oil to the saute pan, add the remaining cauliflower, cook until browned and tender, and add to the bowl.
• Add the sage, capers, garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper to the bowl and stir carefully. Stir in the Fontina. Transfer half of the mixture to a 10 x 13 x 2-inch rectangular baking dish. Spoon rounded tablespoons of ricotta on the pasta and spoon the remaining pasta mixture on top. Combine the panko, Pecorino, parsley, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small bowl and sprinkle it evenly on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until browned and crusty on top. Serve hot.

CAULIFLOWER PASTA AND CHEESE GRATIN

Steps:

• Set oven to 400 degrees F.
• Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
• In a heavy-bottomed medium-size saucepan, melt the 1/4 cup butter, whisk in the thyme, nutmeg, fresh garlic, cayenne pepper and black pepper; whisk/mix for 2 minutes.
• Add/whisk in the flour, mix for 2-3 minutes.
• Slowly add/whisk in the half and half cream; whisk on med-low heat, until a light boil and thick; reduce heat to low, contine to whisk and cook for 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat, add in the grated cheddar, Parmesan cheese, green onion and the Dijon mustard (if using); mix until all the cheese has melted; season with salt and more black pepper to taste.
• Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
• Mix together the sauce, cooked pasta and the cooked, drained cauliflower; toss to combine.
• Transfer and spread the mixture into a prepared greased baking dish.
• In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, 1-2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese and the melted butter.
• Sprinkle over the cauliflower mixture in the baking pan.
• Bake for 20 22 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

CAULIFLOWER CHEESE PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200 fan/gas 9. Toss the cauliflower florets, leaves and sliced core with 1 tbsp olive oil in a roasting tin and season. Roast in the oven for 30-40 mins, or until the cauliflower is turning golden and smelling nutty. While it's roasting, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the shallots, sugar and thyme. Cook for 10-15 mins until soft, sweet and caramelised. Add the wine and cook for a few more mins until evaporated. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salty boiling water until just cooked. Drain and set aside.
• For the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan over a medium heat with the bay leaf. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 mins or so, until the roux is starting to bubble. Pour in the milk, little by little, stirring with a whisk, until fully incorporated and you have a smooth, lump-free sauce. Cook for about 10 mins until thickened, and then season with nutmeg and black pepper. Next, add the cheese and stir over the heat until it's melted and smooth. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, adding the vinegar or lemon juice to taste.
• Tip the pasta and shallots into the cauliflower roasting dish, then pour over the cheese sauce and stir so everything is well coated. Sprinkle over the remaining parmesan, reduce the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and bake for 20 mins, or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to settle for about 10 mins, then serve with a crisp chicory salad.

BAKED PASTA WITH CAULIFLOWER AND SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large, straight-sided skillet, melt half of butter over medium-high. Add garlic, chard stems, cauliflower, and sage. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until garlic is golden, 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water; cover. Cook until cauliflower is just tender, 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; stir in chard leaves.
• Cook pasta in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups water. Add remaining butter and flour to skillet; cook over medium-high, whisking, until toasted, 1 minute. Slowly whisk in pasta water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook, whisking, until mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low; whisk in sour cream and 1 1/2 cups cheese. Stir in pasta and chard mixture; top with remaining cheese. Transfer to oven; bake until cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Serve.

PASTA WITH ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower with olive oil, salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer, and bake for 20 minutes.
• Add leeks, garlic and thyme to the cauliflower on the sheet pan, then roast another 20 minutes, tossing the vegetables halfway through, until they are very tender and deeply caramelized.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until it is 1 minute shy of being al dente. (It will continue to cook in the residual heat of the pot.) Scoop out about 1 cup pasta water (a coffee mug is good for this), then drain pasta. Return the pasta to the empty pot, along with butter, Gorgonzola, remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 cup pasta water, stirring to melt cheese.
• Toss roasted vegetables into pasta, then stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add more pasta water if mixture looks dry. To serve, spoon into bowls and top with chives and sprinkle of thyme leaves.

PASTA WITH ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Toss cauliflower with garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Spread out in an even layer on a baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven, tossing at least twice, until cauliflower is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, 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.
• Mix Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl; set aside.
• Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Transfer pasta to a serving bowl and add cauliflower and butter. Stir in cooking water, a little at a time, until desired creaminess is reached. Add lemon juice and bread crumb mixture, toss, and serve.

BAKED CAULIFLOWER AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add cauliflower, cover, and steam until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and let cool enough to handle, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly butter a casserole dish.
• Transfer florets into the bowl of a food processor. Add broth and puree on high speed until smooth, but with some very small pieces remaining for just a bit of texture.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until a pinch of flour sprinkled into the oil will just begin to bubble. Whisk in flour to form a thick paste the consistency of cake frosting. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until flour has turned golden and begins to smell like toast, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Stir in pureed cauliflower, cream, sugar, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until thick, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the prepared dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and cheese is melted, 10 to 15 minutes.