This roasted Cauliflower Pasta recipe is easy to make and completely delicious! It’s made with a whole head of cauliflower, toasted walnuts, garlic, fresh herbs and lemon zest. Video.
“Following the invisible into the unknown.” Marci
It’s surprising how vibrant and flavorful this Cauliflower Pasta is! Not only this, it is totally doable in 30 minutes- I kid you not! Made with a whole head of roasted cauliflower, pasta is tossed with garlic, olive oil, fresh parsley, lemon zest, and toasted walnuts.
The lemon and garlic give it a delicious zesty flavor, the parsley a delicious freshness and the toasted walnuts give great texture and earthiness. If you like heat, chili flakes are the way to go! It can be left vegan or dusted with pecorino. If going grain-free, try chickpea flour noodles for extra protein!
Ingredients
- Cauliflower head: Provides a hearty and earthy flavor to the pasta. It also adds a pleasant texture when roasted.
- Olive oil: Coats the cauliflower and helps in roasting it to perfection. It adds richness and depth of flavor to the dish.
- Garlic cloves: A key flavor enhancer in this recipe. The minced garlic cloves are used both for roasting the cauliflower and for adding a savory taste to the pasta.
- Chili flakes: Add a subtle spicy kick to the pasta, complementing the other flavors and adding a depth of complexity.
- Lemon zest: Provides a bright and refreshing citrus flavor that cuts through the richness of the dish. It adds a zesty and tangy element.
- Pasta: Serves as the base of the dish and provides a comforting and satisfying texture. Choose your favorite type of pasta (spaghetti, linguine, bucatini) or opt for a gluten-free option to suit your dietary needs.
- Fresh chopped Italian parsley: Adds a burst of freshness to the pasta. It provides a vibrant color and a subtle herbal flavor that balances the other ingredients.
- Walnuts: The toasted walnuts contribute a satisfying crunch and a nutty flavor to the pasta. They add richness and depth to the dish.
- Finely grated pecorino – optional but good: If desired, the finely grated pecorino can be sprinkled on top of the pasta for a cheesy and salty flavor. It adds a delightful umami element.
- Optional capers: Adds a tangy and briny flavor to the dish. They provide a burst of brightness and depth to the overall flavor profile.
How to make Roasted Cauliflower Pasta
Step 1: Roast the Cauliflower. Preheat the oven to 425F. Cut the cauliflower into bite-size pieces, and season with olive oil, salt, pepper, zest, garlic, and chili flakes. Toss well and spread onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Roast until tender and crispy, about 20-25 minutes.
Step 2: Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente, drain and reserve 1 cup of hot pasta water. Place the pasta in a bowl.
Step 3: Toast the walnuts in the oven for 10 minutes at 350F – do this after the cauliflower is done. Or toast in a dry skillet. Toasted Walnuts and fresh parsley add flavor and texture.
Step 4: Assemble! Drizzle pasta generously with extra-virgin olive oil to coat the noodles, then add the remaining finely minced garlic (raw), the chopped parsley, remaining lemon zest, crushed toasted walnuts, capers and cauliflower. If it feels dry, add a little hot pasta water to loosen- this makes the sauce. Sprinkle with pecorino (if desired) and red pepper flakes.
Step 5: Taste and adjust. Add more salt and pepper if necessary. If it tastes bland, it probably needs a little more salt. 😉 Divide and serve among 2-3 bowls.
Variations & toppings
- Optional add-ins: Peas, kale, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, shrimp, bacon, parmesan cheese or pecorino cheese
- Lemon juice: Since you already have a lemon out, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice tastes lovely right before serving.
- Toasted pine nuts or bread crumbs: Toasted pine nuts or bread crumbs would make a delicious and crunchy topping too! Or make our Vegan Cheesy Sprinkle
- More fresh herbs! In addition to the parsley, you could top this pasta with some fresh basil.
FAQs
This cauliflower pasta recipe is SO healthy! It’s a great way to enjoy healthy cruciferous vegetables. This anti-inflammatory pasta is full of vitamins and rich in fiber.
Cauliflower has a nutty and slightly sweet taste, which makes it pair especially well with pungent, aromatic garlic. Lemon brings out the flavor in cauliflower and helps balance its nuttiness with lemon’s bright citrus taste.
Go ahead and chop up the stems and add them to your pan to roast with the cauliflower florets! The stem is full of nutrients and tastes just as good. When cutting the cauliflower, you can discard the green leafy parts.
Serving Suggestions
Cauliflower pasta will keep up to 4 days in the fridge- easy to reheat in a saute pan or in the microwave. Serve with a big leafy green salad and garlic bread!
More Favorite Cauliflower Recipes
On the homefront: Suddenly, life has become simple. We finished our last catering event over the weekend, and just like that ten years of catering comes to an end. Big sigh…
I would be lying if I didn’t tell you how ecstatic I am. Not because I disliked catering – I actually really loved the food creation part of it, our clients, the cooking and prepping and the coming together of people to celebrate life events – all of this was very fulfilling and I feel truly honored to have been a part of so many celebrations.
But the stress of the events themselves (because I like things perfect), and the millions of tiny details that needed tending to began taking a toll on us physically and energetically. And so we (Brian) figured out a way to pare down our lives, so we wouldn’t have to keep doing this until we die.
And all of a sudden here we are, and I find myself with a luxurious amount of time. And a horizon in front of us that feels so open and wide and beautifully unknown. And it’s the unknown part that actually feels exhilarating. For the first time ever, I have not planned out my life. And it feels amaaaaaaaazing!
If you were wondering about the quote, it’s from a person I don’t know, Marci, who has this as her tagline on Insight Timer. Insight timer is a meditation app, full of great resources to help one meditate if so inclined. It also connects you with other people near you and around the world who are meditating at the same time as you. Kinda neat.
Marci, I don’t know anything about you, only that you live near me in Spokane and that sometimes we meditate at the same time. Your tagline pops up and it has been such a gift to me. So thank you Marci, for sharing your beautiful light into this world and I hope somehow this finds you.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this bright and earthy Cauliflower Pasta! Happy week, friends!
Cauliflower Pasta Video
Roasted Cauliflower Pasta Recipe
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 2-3 1x
- Category: vegan main
- Method: roasted
- Cuisine: mediterranean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
-
3 garlic cloves, minced (divided)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoons chili flakes
- lemon zest from one lemon (divided)
- 4–6 ounces pasta (spaghetti, linguini, spaghetti, bucatini, or any other gluten-free noodle)
- 1 cup fresh chopped Italian parsley
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
- 1 fresh garlic clove- very finely minced
- A generous drizzle of olive oil to coat
- salt, pepper and chili flakes -to taste
- Optional: finely grated pecorino,2 tablespoons capers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F
- Trim and cut cauliflower into small bite-sized florets and place in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil to coat, sprinkle with salt and pepper, 1/2 of the lemon zest, 2/3 rds of the minced garlic and some chili flakes. Toss well and spread out in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and place into the middle of the hot oven. Roast until tender and golden and caramelized in places, about 20-25 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, cook the pasta in 2 quarts of water with 1 tablespoon salt. When done, drain, and reserve 1 cup pasta water, and place pasta in a bowl.
- Drizzle pasta generously with olive oil to coat the noodles, then add the remaining finely minced garlic (raw), the chopped parsley, remaining lemon zest, crushed toasted walnuts, capers and when cauliflower is done, add it to the bowl and toss. If it feels dry, add a little hot pasta water. Sprinkle with pecorino and chili flakes.
- Taste, adjust salt and pepper and add more if necessary. If it tastes bland, it probably needs a little more salt. 😉
- Divide among 2-3 bowls.
Notes
Leftovers are great for lunch! Walnuts can be toasted in a 350 oven for 10-15 minutes on a sheet pan, or toasted in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 386
- Sugar: 2.6 g
- Sodium: 249.3 mg
- Fat: 22.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 38.5 g
- Fiber: 5.7 g
- Protein: 10.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This is the best thing ever honestly. I’ve made it so many times now!
Great to hear Emmalie!
OK, so I’ve made this recipe about half a dozen times. But tonight I decided to food process the parsley garlic lemon zest and pecorino cheese with olive oil. And then I mix that with the pasta sauce and some of the reserved water it created this amazing creamy almost pesto like consistency. I loved it and so did my kids! I think I’m always going to make it this way!
oooo love it Emmalie!
Quick and delicious exactly as written, thank you!
So happy you enjoyed Joanne!
We made this last night for dinner…wow…it was fantastic! Super flavorful. I had some shiitake mushrooms that I had to use so threw them in and roasted with the cauliflower. It was sooo good!! We are big carnivores but trying to eat more plant based meals. This recipe was perfect! Didn’t miss the protein at all!,
Great to hear Gale- love that you added the mushrooms!
Wow – tastiest simple dish I’ve made in a while. Slam dunk!
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it!
WOW. This was amazing! I didn’t have capers but I did have Kalamata olives and added some of the juice (because I didn’t save the pasta water by mistake). I read the article you posted about the benefits of eating cold (or reheated) pasta and made the pasta in advance, let it cool, and added it with the warm ingredients. This was a perfect recipe because I ate it immediately but my husband wasn’t coming home from a job until late — still really tasty!
Awesome Amy- glad you enjoyed this and the article. 😉
Wonderful recipe! It’s a great weeknight dinner, so quick to make and so tasty!! So tasty in fact that the two of us ate all three portions! (oops!) I used pine nuts instead of walnuts since I had some that needed to be used – They worked very well (I mean are pine nuts ever bad?!).
Hahaha- love it Ingrid!
I don’t know what to say except spectacular! All the flavors were spot on. I didn’t use capers because my husband isn’t a fan, and it was still exceptional pasta – nothing like I’ve ever had.
Awesome Deb! Glad you enjoyed this!
I made this tonight and it was a delicious and a huge hit – even my picky husband really liked it! This was super easy and a definite keeper. Thank you! PS – I subbed pecans for walnuts and the capers really made the dish.
Awesome Jessica! 🙌 Thanks!
This had such unique flavors. I usually only eat pasta with tomato sauce, but this was dry and so interesting. I didn’t have capers so I used olives instead. I also wasn’t sure about walnuts but I went with it and so glad I did. Next time I’ll add some olive juice and more lemon, but I’ll definitely make this again!
Glad you branched out and tired this Freya!
This dish was great. I was skeptical since only uses a couple of ingredients but the flavors!!! It made me feel I was eating at a great restaurant. The smokiness of the cauliflower, the crunch of the nuts and the freshness of the lemon, a winner, great balance of flavors. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Natalia! Glad this worked well for you!
This is a great vegetarian go-to, even my kids ask for it. If you do want to add some meat, I definitely recommend prosciutto…Cannellini beans are great as well for some protein. Such a simple and versatile recipe, thanks so much!
Great to hear Kari! The beans are a great addition!
Where are the crushed tomatoes in the ingredient list?, they are only in the directions
Hi Andrea- no tomatoes in this recipe, only crushed walnuts. 🙂
I didnt have any walnuts but I did add capers. This recipe is amazing, it will definately be a family favourite! Thankyou x
Thanks Sally!
This recipe looked so delicious I made it even though I lacked the parsley and capers. It was terrific and I can’t wait to have it again with all the ingredients listed. Works great with toasted pecans instead of walnuts, too.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this Linda!
I made this w/our homegrown cauliflower! I used Angel Hair Pasta (not GF).The flavors melded together w/lemon olive oil.I added spinach instead of parsley. My husband liked it with the capers & fresh Parmesan. I definitely will be making again. Thanks
Hooray for homegrown cauliflower! Sounds great Annie!
Please include the amount of each nutrient and not the percentage. I, and many others with the same health condition, must keep track of phosphorus and potassium in our diets. Other blogs that I follow give the grams etc.
Hi Lena, sorry the nutrition plug-in I use, only offers it in this format. I will look and see if I can adjust the settings.
Thank you.
I think I got it adjusted now Lena- let me know if that helps.
Yes, that really helps. Thank you!
I have made two feasting at home recipes in the past two weeks. This one and the baked ziti with mushrooms in a cast iron. My husband and I love the flavors! I think we have met our match with a “dinner idea” blog/website. Thank you so much for your posts. Looking forward to trying more!
Awesome Amy- Thanks for being here!
Your recipe is for toasted Walnuts – please advise on how to toast them. And, removed where it says toasted almonds give the recipe it’s flavor.
Oops, thanks updated the recipe.
Very good. Fast and easy
Delicious. I made this and added some baby spinach leaves at the end, along with sour cream, the juice of the lemon and extra pasta water to make it saucier. The chili and the capers really seal the deal!
Really yummy! I made it without walnuts and still tasted great. I also added the juice of the lemon I zested at the very end and a couple cloves of raw garlic to give it a bit of a kick. Will definitely make again w/some capers.
Followed recipe exactly but left out lemon zest & capers as spouse is allergic (added the zest to my helping which definitely enhanced flavor). Overall tasty but sauce is rather dry. Will make again but would love to hear how others enhanced sauce moisture.
The best way is to utilize the pasta water- using more as needed!
This is my favorite pasta past couple months. Just love it!! Easy go to veggie meal👍