Cauliflower Pasta Bake

I’ve been super lazy about cooking lately and it shows… I need to get back on the recipe train and start planning out our meals a little better. I thought I’d share this recipe I made earlier in the summer—Cauliflower “Pasta” Bake—with you, in case you’ve been a little lazy in the kitchen too. I know it sounds kind of weird, but it’s so good…you won’t even miss the pasta in it…and you’ll for sure want seconds! I’m trying not to eat meat, so there isn’t any in the recipe, but you could certainly add some in if you wanted to.

Honestly, the worst part about this recipe is blanching the cauliflower. I even cut corners and used the pre-cut florets from Costco instead of cutting my own from heads of cauliflower. I don’t think I’m a lazy person necessarily, but it seems like there just isn’t enough time in the day to do all the things from scratch. Anyhoooo…enough complaining from me. 😬

The next time I make this, I may try to figure out a different method of cooking the cauliflower—possibly roasting it. There’s just something about having to drain and squeeze excess liquid from things that hinders me from making a lot of recipes. Hence the reason I probably won’t be making zucchini bread anytime soon.

Blanching the cauliflower florets isn’t hard, though, so you’ll totally be able to make this recipe without much hassle. I just really like things to be as easy as possible. I’ll try to keep you updated as to whether I find a kitchen hack for this or not!

As I mentioned before, I have tried my best to eliminate most of the meat from my diet. I’m not completely vegetarian, so I’ve enjoyed the occasional meal with it here and there, but for the most part, I’m meat free. Thus, you won’t find meat in this recipe. It would be super easy to add in, though! You could use ground turkey or hamburger and wouldn’t have to alter the ingredients too much, I don’t think. You might want to experiment that way depending on your personal taste, but I think it should be fine just to add the meat in.

I also think you could probably make edits to the recipe to make it vegan—using vegan cheeses. I have not gone down that path, though, so I can’t tell you anything other than I think it could be done.

I like this dish because I think it’s flexible. You can make it for yourself, picky family members, or even take it to a potluck where there might be different dietary restrictions. I’m looking forward to having it in the colder months. It will feel like I’m eating something a little naughty, but it really is pretty healthy. Also, I love ricotta cheese, so anything with that is a winner winner chicken dinner for this girl!

What You’ll Need:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion—chopped

2 garlic cloves—minced

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp dried oregano

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

4 Tbsp basil—julienned

3 c. cauliflower florets—blanched

1 ½ c. ricotta cheese

2 c. shredded mozzarella

½ c. Parmesan—freshly grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Add olive oil and onion to a pan and sauté until soft, then add garlic and salt + pepper.

2. Add tomato paste, ½ the basil, and ground oregano. Stir in crushed tomatoes, bringing mixture to a simmer—cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Place blanched cauliflower in a large bowl, then pour the mixture from the skillet over the cauliflower, stirring well.

4. Layer ingredients in 9”x13” baking dish, starting with the cauliflower. (I did spray the pan with cooking spray, just to be safe, but I’m sure it would be fine without that step.) Add dollops of half the container of ricotta on top and sprinkle half the mozzarella and parmesan on top of that. Repeat steps with the remaining ingredients.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and golden brown. Sprinkle with the rest of the basil and serve hot.

*Could add hamburger if you want.

**I used dried basil because I had it on-hand. It worked just fine as a sub for the fresh. Fresh basil would be nice for garnish, however.

**Original recipe found HERE.