Cauliflower and Bacon Pasta with Parmesan Sauce
Super easy cauliflower and bacon pasta with a creamy parmesan sauce. Only 5 minutes prep time, get a delicious pasta dish on the table in under 30 minutes.
This pasta is the queen of comfort food. A creamy, cheesy sauce with a crispy, salty bacon bite and the most delicious roasted cauliflower. The best part is it’s SO EASY! Hardly any effort is required – just 5 minutes prep time and 20 minutes cooking with minimal kitchen labour. Make it tonight please, you won’t regret it!
This is one of my go-to weeknight dinners when I want something with a satisfying, savoury bite, but can’t be bothered to put in much effort. The bacon and cauliflower can be chucked in the oven while you put on a pot of pasta. The sauce is super easy – basically just grate some cheese and mix a few things together. And the result is a delicious, creamy dish packed with flavour.
Looking for another easy pasta dish? Try this Bacon & Mushroom Carbonara or Sausage and Mushroom Pasta with Rocket.
Cauliflower & Bacon Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 6 rashers streaky bacon
- 2-3 cloves garlic depends on how much you love garlic!
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 180 grams (5.29 oz) pasta I prefer penne but literally any shape will do
- 100 grams (3.53 oz) creme fraiche
- 3 tbsp grated parmesan plus extra for topping
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley plus extra to garnish optional – or add 1 tsp dried or substitute chives
- salt & pepper
- 3 tbsp reserved cooking water from the pasta
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200oc/180oc fan.
- Chop a whole head of cauliflower into bite-sized chunks and add to a mixing bowl.
- Peel and roughly chop 3 cloves of garlic and toss in with the cauliflower.
- Drizzle the cauliflower and garlic with olive oil and season with salt & pepper, mix well and pour onto a baking tray, arranging in one layer.
- Cut your bacon into rough 1-inch sized pieces and scatter over the cauliflower. The easiest way I found is to use scissors and cut the bacon directly over the tray.
- Stick it in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then give everything a toss around and put it back in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook your pasta to the package directions.
- In a jug or bowl mix the creme fraiche, parmesan, chopped parsley, a pinch of salt and a generous crack of black pepper.
- Drain the pasta when it's done and return to the pan, but reserve some of the cooking water to add to your sauce – about 3 tablespoons is usually right but add it tablespoon at a time and feel free to use more or less depending on consistency.
- Once you've added the water to your sauce mix, pour it over the cooked pasta and toss together. If your sauce is too thick you can add a little more pasta water.
- Add in your roasted bacon and cauliflower straight from the baking tray – the bacon should be nice and crispy, the cauliflower slightly caramelising round the edges but not burned.
- Mix well then serve sprinkled with a little extra parmesan and enjoy! Let me know if you make it!
