Pasta with Cauliflower

So I mentioned that I had gotten 3 heads of organic cauliflower when I hardly ever buy cauliflower.  I needed to come up with some ways to use all this beautiful cauliflower up.
I came across this recipe on Pinterest; Pasta with Cauliflower.  I had it in my food file there, so I figured I would give it a try.

Pasta with Cauliflower

• 2 Tbs. salt
• 1 cauliflower, cut into florets, then coarsely chopped
• 8 Tbs. olive oil *I used only 4 Tbs
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 6 to 8 green onions, white and tender green parts, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. minced fresh marjoram   *I used fresh organic basil
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 3 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley  *I didn't have flat leaf, just the common variety
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 3/4 lb. conchigliette or other small pasta shells   *Rotini
• 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs   *I didn't have this...opps
 

Cook the cauliflower
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and cauliflower to the boiling water and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer the cauliflower to a colander to drain; set aside. Return the water to a boil.

Make the sauce
In a large fry pan over medium-low heat, warm 4 Tbs. of the oil. Add the garlic, green onions, marjoram basil and red pepper flakes and sauté until the onions are wilted, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower, parsley and broth. Raise the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the cauliflower is lightly colored and the liquid is slightly reduced, about 12 minutes. **I used a potato masher to mash up to cauliflower more

Cook the pasta
Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to combine. Add as much of the cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce. **I didn't need any

In a small fry pan over medium heat, warm the remaining 4 Tbs. oil. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the pasta and serve. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Pasta, by Julia della Croce (Oxmoor House, 2006).

  I was worried this would not be very good.  However, everyone liked it; even my son who was sick with no appetite, ate a bit of it. 

I had planned for this to be a meatless meal, but my husband asked for some farmer sausage with it.  That was fine with me, I only had a little bit of the meat as we had an abundance of wonder organic vegetables.

This turned out to be a wonderful yummy surprise!  Worth a try!