Cauliflower & Bacon Pasta
The easiest comfort-food pasta recipe. Crispy bacon and roasted cauliflower with pasta in a creamy, cheesy sauce. Minimal effort and maximum flavour.
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 467kcal
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 pasta I prefer penne but literally any shape will do
- 100 grams 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!
Nutrition
Calories: 467kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 1110mg | Potassium: 1288mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 455IU | Vitamin C: 146mg | Calcium: 164mg | Iron: 2mg