Not only is it winter, but it’s awards season! Just another excuse for me to stay indoors more–cooking for my friends and family! I have long been a fan of Sunday Suppers, so having a watch party is the prefect way to share some of these cooking experiments with others!
I had a hankering for some creamy pasta recently, but knew I didn’t want to be weighted down by all that dairy. With a head of cauliflower at home I remembered that I had seen a great recipe for a creamy cauliflower pasta dish on Food52. I figured I could add some of my homemade cashew milk to add some extra thickness. You can also use some store-bought cashew or almond milk if you’d like.
I was invited over to my friend Ramona Singer‘s home, from the Real Housewives of New York City, to watch The Golden Globes. I brought this dish over and we were both shocked at how good it was–we couldn’t stop eating it! So, I made it for my husband and he absolutely loved it too. I knew I needed to share it with my readers! It’s such an amazingly creamy dish, without all of that heavy cream! You could probably swap out the cheese for some nutritional yeast if you wanted to make it vegan, but I haven’t tried it–so if you do, please let me know how much you used.
Ingredients
Pasta Carbonara
- 1 pound penne or similar pasta (something with ridges will hold on to the sauce)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon diced garlic (about 2-3 cloves)
- 1 package frozen peas (about 10 oz)( Defrost the peas before you use them )
- Creamy Cauliflower Sauce (see recipe)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon toasted breadcrumbs, or more to taste
- 2 Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan, for garnish
Creamy Cauliflower Sauce
- 2 cups cauliflower florets (roughly broken up)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 cup vegetable stock or broth
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup cashew milk
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Creamy Cauliflower Sauce
- Place chopped cauliflower on roasting pan. Sprinkle 1 T Paprika. Salt & pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast in oven at 425°F (220°C) for 25 to 30 minutes until lightly browned.
- Blend the cauliflower, cheese, stock, and cashew milk til smooth with a blender or hand blender. While the blender is running, slowly pour in olive oil to emulsify.
- Store any leftovers airtight in the refrigerator and use as a creamy sauce, warm or cold.
Pasta Carbonara
- Bring water to a boil, salt generously and add pasta and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 10-12 minutes (less if it's fresh pasta).
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until the onions and garlic are turning golden brown.
- Drain the pasta when finished cooking, but be sure to reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
- In the large sauce pan with the cooked garlic and onion ,combine the peas, pasta, and sauce and heat everything through, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Slowly add some of the cooking liquid little by little to thin out the sauce slightly and help it stick to the pasta. Season with salt and black pepper to taste and place in a serving bowl.
- Sprinkle with parsley and parmesan and serve immediately.
