Roasted cauliflower pasta with lemon, garlic, parsley, and toasted garlic breadcrumbs. A delicious plant-based meal that’s perfect for weeknights.
Back with another pasta recipe for you—this time with plenty of perfectly roasted cauliflower, garlic breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and plenty of lemon.
If you’re looking for a fun twist on pasta, you’ve got to try this roasted cauliflower pasta recipe.
I don’t remember where I first learned about the technique of creating garlicky breadcrumbs to adorn your pasta with, but I’ve done it both in my collard green pasta recipe and my kale pasta recipe.
The cauliflower becomes incredibly creamy when roasted and almost melts into the pasta when tossed together. Steamed or boiled cauliflower won’t work—it has to be roasted!
Obviously, you’ll need both cauliflower and pasta for this recipe. In addition to those, you’ll need:
Orecchiette pasta is my favorite here as its little nooks and crannies hold onto the cauliflower along with the capers and garlicky breadcrumbs.
You could use another short pasta if you’d like, shells would be a great option if preferred.
The red pepper flakes is a nice addition to the briny capers and the lemon, but it’s also OK to skip the flakes if you prefer things less spicy.
Using vegan parmesan cheese, this recipe is vegan. However, if you prefer to use regular parmesan cheese then that works too.
Toss the cauliflower well with olive oil along with salt and pepper. You’ll want to make sure all the cauliflower is well coated for best results. Roast until tender.
Heat more olive oil in a large skillet, then add in the breadcrumbs and a minced garlic clove along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
In the same skillet, cook the shallots until softened then add in capers, remaining garlic cloves, and red pepper flakes. Toss the cooked pasta along with the cauliflower, butter, lemon juice, zest, and 1/3 cup of reserved pasta water. Keep cooking, tossing often, until pasta is well coated and begins to form a sauce.
Remove from heat and add in the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and parsley.
The garlicky breadcrumbs really help add both texture and flavor, so make sure to add them at the end. If you add them too far from to the end of cooking, they will lose their crunch.
I highly recommend using the amount of olive oil and butter called for here as it’s what helps make the sauce of the recipe. If you were looking to reduce the olive oil, then you could try using broth to roast the vegetables or sauté the shallots, but don’t skip it for the breadcrumbs or for making the sauce!
Pasta water helps the pasta to cling to the sauce as it contains starches from cooking the pasta. Save it before you drain the pasta!
If you make this recipe, make sure to come back to leave a rating and a comment. Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes makes my day.
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Roasted cauliflower pasta with lemon, garlic, parsley, and toasted garlic breadcrumbs. A delicious plant-based meal that’s perfect for weeknights.
*For vegan versions, I prefer Earth Balance and Miyoko’s for butter. For parmesan cheese, I really like Violife.
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(one comment) leave a comment
This sounds absolutely delicious, and I am looking forward to making it very soon!
One question, though – where does the 15g protein come from? I was not aware that cauliflower was such a powerhouse, and the recipe doesn’t specify a protein pasta. Just curious, since I am working to eat more plant based, but my doctor is pushing me to eat more protein (I’m in my late 60s).
Thanks!