by Bon Appetite
Bon Appétit does a great job with their Cooking without a Recipe column. And this tasty Roasted Cauliflower Pasta is one of their best ideas. I would amp this pasta up by adding roasted celeriac or squash.
On a sheet pan, drizzle a head of chopped cauliflower, a bulb of Celeriac/Squash and six skin-on garlic cloves with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and red chile flakes. Roast at 425°, tossing occasionally, until the it is caramelized and crisp, about 30 minutes. Once cool, peel the roasted garlic cloves.
In a large bowl, combine a cup of grated Parmesan, three tablespoons of butter, a pinch of salt, two tablespoons of toasted pine nuts or I like pipits TOO, and a ½ C toasted breadcrumbs. (Pro tip: Toast stale bread until lightly golden, then use a food processor to pulse into crumbs. Store in a large reusable plastic bag in the freezer and never not have breadcrumbs again.)
Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook a pound of short pasta (like cavatelli). Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid (I usually end up using around quarter-cup). Toss the hot pasta with the cauliflower, garlic cloves, Parmesan butter mixture, and enough pasta water to mix it all together. Garnish with a handful of torn parsley leaves and a bit of lemon zest.