Carbs and cauliflower, add a dash of bacon and Roasted Cauliflower Fettuccine with Bacon ……Delish!
There is something about roasting vegetables that brings out a natural caramelized sweetness, such is the case with cauliflower. Cauliflower has been the “it” veggie for quite sometime. Sauces, sides, pizza crust, and even a sub for mashed potatoes……..which by the way is excellent.
I roasted a whole cauliflower for my Roasted Cauliflower with Cheddar Beer Cheese recipe a coupe of years ago try it sometime its really to die for. Perusing Pinterest I saw a few recipes that had roasted florets and they just caught my eye. So began……Roasted Cauliflower Fettuccine with Bacon.
I have mentioned before that one of the perks of working at a school is many long weekends…..this was one. I had huge plans to stock up a few recipes, and then lazy pants and by pants, you realize I mean sweat pants took over and all of a sudden it was Monday. Yikes… I still hadn’t made anything!
I had been to the store…thank goodness. Open the frig, and there was that beautiful head of white cauliflower. On went the oven, out came the knives, a quick chop, chop, chop and into the oven. Forty or so minutes later… beautifully roasted cauliflower.
A bit of bacon, a few spicy things, and yes anchovies. Don’t be afraid of anchovies! Anchovies have a bad rap, most likely from having eaten then on a pizza (usually these are the least expensive and do have a fishy, cheap taste), but give them another chance. Purchase a nice jar of anchovies, cook with them. They add a savory taste, almost meaty. I chopped mine very fine and let all but melt into the dish. They are the secret ingredient that makes a Caesar Salad so good……just saying!
When boiling pasta, before you drain it save some of the water, it can help create or loosen up a pasta dish. In the skillet of bacon, and spicy things, I added fettuccine, the roasted cauliflower and some parmesan cheese. I did use some of the water to create a sauce without really making a sauce.
The whole thing came together quickly, and it was so good that Tim and I each had two helpings 🙂 We did in hind-sight think a nice loaf of crusty bread would have been a great accompaniment, next time!
Even though my weekend was not exactly how I planned Roasted Cauliflower Fettuccine with Bacon, was the perfect ending!
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Roasted Cauliflower Fettuccine with Bacon
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- 12 ounces fettuccine
- 6 anchovy fillets, rinsed well, patted dry, and finely chopped 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary. minced
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 2/3 cup chicken stock
- 4 slices applewood smoked bacon, chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
- Preheat oven to 425°. Place cauliflower florets onion, thyme, garlic, oil, and salt and pepper in a large ziplock bag and toss to coat with oil. Place coated cauliflower on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast, tossing occasionally, until almost tender, 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan, toss to combine, and roast until cauliflower is tender, 10–12 minutes longer.
- Remove garlic cloves and peel. Set aside.
- Boil the pasta according to package directions until al dente.
- Cook bacon in skillet over medium heat until crisp.Remove to a paper towel lined plate. To the bacon fat in the skillet add the anchovies, rosemary, reserved garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add the stock, and cook until reduced by half, 3-5 minutes more.
- Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, and then drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the skillet along with the bacon, cauliflower, and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, toss to combine, and season to taste with salt. Add some pasta water to loosen the sauce, if necessary. Serve topped with the remaining cheese and the parsley.
