To prepare baked pasta, a quintessential Italian first course, you need quality ingredients and a touch of imagination.
Rich and creamy, this recipe with cauliflower never fails to please. Besides containing a reserve of mineral salts and vitamins, the vegetable stimulates thyroid function and keeps blood sugar at bay.
Before baking the pasta, cook it to just before al dente to avoid overcooking it in the oven. This béchamel-free version is lighter due to the cauliflower cream.
The recipe
Ingredients for 4
22 oz. cauliflower, cleaned and chopped into florets
1 spring onion
12 oz. pasta (penne or maccheroni)
8 oz. dairy-free milk (rice or soy)
1¼ cup vegetable broth
4 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
extra-virgin oil
salt
pepper
Method
Peel the onion, chop, and brown it in a pan with 4 Tbsp. oil.
Add the cauliflower florets, the vegetable broth and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.
As soon as the cauliflower florets are tender, transfer them to a blender with the yeast, vegetable milk, the cooked onion, 2 Tbsp. oil and a pinch of salt. Blend at maximum power to obtain a uniform cream.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta. Drain halfway through cooking, just before the point of al dente, and combine with the cauliflower sauce, a drizzle of oil, and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil an ovenproof dish, pour in the pasta, level it, and sprinkle some yeast over the top.
Place in the oven and let cook for around 35 minutes—the top should turn brown. Let it rest for a few minutes then serve.
