We eat a lot more pasta at this house than you might guess from looking at this blog. At least once a week, often more. This roasted garlic and cauliflower pasta is the kind of recipe I reach for when I have a head of cauliflower to use up and want something genuinely cozy without a lot of fuss. As one reader put it: “6 years later, this recipe is a dream.” Serve it with my vegan parmesan on top for the full experience.
The roasted garlic sauce is what makes this pasta. You roast two full heads of garlic until the cloves are browned and completely soft, then mash them into a smooth puree and whisk in lemon juice, chili flakes, and olive oil. The starchy pasta cooking water loosens the whole thing into a silky, light sauce that coats every piece of pasta and cauliflower. No cream or blender! Just roasted garlic melting around the pasta and adding so much flavor.
Baby arugula instead of parsley is my preference here. The peppery bite contrasts beautifully with the sweet roasted garlic. The walnuts on top add a crunchy, toasty finish that I find essential. Both are listed as optional in the recipe but I would not skip either.
This pasta comes together in about an hour, most of which is hands-off roasting time. A genuinely great weeknight dinner when you have a cauliflower that needs using up.
Roasted Garlic & Cauliflower Pasta with Walnuts
Ingredients
- 2 heads garlic, top quarter cut off to expose cloves
- 6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 medium head cauliflower (2 lbs)
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus extra
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 lb short pasta, such as penne or fusilli (can use GF pasta)
- 2-3 handfuls baby arugula
- ¼ cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped
Notes
- From America’s Test Kitchen’s The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook
- ATK lists an alternative version of this pasta with broccoli and almonds as well if that catches your interest. The original recipe calls for chopped parsley, but I used handfuls of baby arugula because I happened to have it in my fridge.
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, place a naked baking sheet on the rack and preheat to 500°F. Tear two squares of aluminum foil and place cut garlic heads in the centers. Drizzle exposed garlic tops with 1/2 tsp olive oil each. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme leaves (if using). Wrap garlic bulbs up securely and place in the oven. Roast until garlic is browned and mushy/tender, about 40 minutes.
- While garlic is roasting, trim the cauliflower leaves and the extra bit of stalk at the bottom. Cut the head right down the middle, from top to bottom. From there, cut each half into 4 wedges. In a medium bowl, toss the cauliflower wedges with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Remove the pre-heated baking sheet from the oven and carefully lay the cauliflower wedges onto the surface, leaving some space around each piece. You should hear sizzling. Roast cauliflower until tender and well-browned, about 25 minutes (I flipped mine halfway).
- Once slightly cooled, transfer cauliflower to a cutting board and cut into bite-size pieces. Unwrap roasted garlic and squeeze cloves out into a small bowl. Mash roasted garlic with a fork to make a smooth puree. Whisk in the lemon juice, pepper flakes, some salt + pepper, and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Set aside.
- Cook brown rice pasta according to package directions with a fat pinch of salt in the water. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining. Once drained, return cooked pasta to the pot. Add chopped cauliflower, garlic sauce, arugula, extra lemon juice to taste, and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water. Add more cooking water as necessary to achieve desired consistency. Serve pasta with handfuls of chopped walnuts on top and extra chili flakes.
Absolutely delicious! I used a blend of cauliflower and broccoli.
6 years later, this recipe is a dream. SO delicious and the roasted garlic sauce you got us to create for tossing the pasta and cauliflower in was unmatched. This is going on both our lunch and dinner staple list, thank you so much!
I grew some mesclun mix in a cold box I improvised from a an old glass door and then searched for recipes. This is fabulous! The only thing I didn’t like is the single-use aluminum foil. A reusable garlic roaster would be a good solution, I imagine.
Please clue me in – how can anyone read your material with all of the ads that are pasted on top of everything? I can see maybe two lines at a time. Why do you bother?
OhMYgosh! Made this for dinner last night and my husband went nuts! I loved it, as well. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we licked our plates. Thanks for posting it. I’ve printed out the pdf and it is in my recipe binder to include in the regular rotation. Love your site. Looking forward to your cookbook coming out. Cheers!
This looks amazing, I am going to have to try this, I have some pasta waiting for an idea and I just found it.
Crap I missed out on this! Anyway, just made this last Friday and it was so damn delicious! Can’t wait to give it a go with the broccoli and almonds this week and adding both to my Meal Planning.
Thank you for being alive. I love your recipes so much!
xoxo
Oh my gosh, I love this recipe!! I’m excited to see the new ATK book, their recipes are always top notch! Thanks for sharing.
Really nice article. Your food photography is some of the best I’ve ever seen!
I am going to go order that cookbook right away! I was just thinking today that I needed to bulk up my cookbook collection! We eat a lot of pasta in our house too and I get so tired of plain old tomato sauce so I love all the goodness you added to this pasta! I also love that pine nut parm! I have a feeling I will be making that a lot!
Just made this for lunch and it was amazing! I used spinach instead of arugula because that’s what I had at home and it was awesome. Definitely keeping the recipe and doing it again in the future. Thanks for sharing!
Yum! This pasta looks amazing. It really is hard to pick five. Right now my staples are:
1. Brown Rice
2. Avocado
3. Eggs
4. Brussel Sprouts
5. Olive Oil
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hello!
Just a comment from someone with an untrained eye – I found your old website with your food shots to be amazingly tantalizing and couldn’t resist! I wanted to try every recipe and had to look through your old posts to get more gorgeous food shots. Unfortunately I don’t get the same urge with your new look and lighting. The food looks dark and hard to see at times. I have seen other blogs with the same lighting and it leaves me feeling the same way.
It very well could be just me but I wanted to share that with you.
Keep up the fantastic work! Love it!!
The flavors and textures in here are perfection! What a wonderful weeknight meal!
gorgeous photos, as always. can’t wait to try this recipe. my five ingredients are tofu, spinach, brown rice, sweet potatoes and chickpeas (for homemade hummus, sandwiches or in dishes like this!)
always have:
1) my new favorite, einkorn
2) garlic
3) cannelini beans
4) chick peas
5) tahini
I always keep quinoa, black beans, coconut oil, roasted nuts, and lentils around for vegetarian meals.
I always have frozen veggie burgers, yogurt, eggs, peppers, and mushrooms, not exciting, but works when I’m in a rush.
I am not a big pasta fan but this recipe really got me going! Think it will be pasta for dinner tomorrow!
Looks delicious!
My top 5 are: san marzano tomatoes, chickpeas, tahini, quinoa and red pepper flakes :)
I love reading through all the comments–instant meal inspiration!
garbanzo beans
brown rice
raisins
greens
hazelnuts
My top five have to be jasmine rice, eggs, cruciferous vegetables, coffee, and carrots. I buy the 6 pound bag of carrots from my local Costco and eat them constantly!
My five: Quinoa, Brown Rice with Flax Seed, White Rice (bad I know but I like),Canned tomatoes with chiles, pasta. Plus loads of fresh veg in the fridge. Love salads all week! Would love to try some new recipes!
beans
brown rice
quinoa
sweet potatoes
oats
Thank you for your inspiring recipes! My pantry staples would be gluten-free oats, almond milk, tahini, chickpeas and spinach.
-olive oil
-nuts
-grains
-kale
-lemons!
Thanks for the opportunity to win!
Organic beans and legumes(including but not limited to: pinto, black beans, navy, chickpeas and lentils.)
Quinoa
Canned tomatoes
Olive Oil
Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar (my “go to” vinegar for making potato salads, slaw, and quick pickled red onions and cucumbers, and garlicky dressings to pour over Texas Caviar and corn salsas.
black beans, sweet potatoes, wheat tortilla, avocado, cilantro
Looks like a chill book!
I ALWAYS keep: fresh ginger, toasted sesame oil, spinach, brown rice, and black pepper on hand for fast, easy options!
My pantry is desperately lonely without extra virgin olive oil, garlic, dried heirloom beans, ginger tea and sea salt.
Thanks for the review! I’m now excited about this book. My five:
onions
potatoes
canned and dry beans
dried pasta
canned tomato sauce
Dish sounds amazing! My five ingredients are quinoa, olive oil, almonds, black forbidden rice and coconut milk.
Five is hard!! But: organic whole tomatoes, Japanese soy sauce, garlic, beans (black or garbanzo), and EVO. If the fridge is the same as the pantry (but that would have complicated things!), I’d have been compelled to include tempeh.
Ok, lets go with delicious olive oil, homemade nut/seeds and their butters, coconut oil/butter (to mix with raw cacao powder), all the beans and grains, and do garlic, onions and sweet potatoes count since I keep them in the pantry? OK and so much more :)
Dried beans, rice, olive oil, tomatoes, pasta
We always have black beans (I have an obsession with mexican meals), lentils, chickpeas, diced tomatoes and couscous. Love your blog!
Pantry meals are exactly what I want to eat in the doldrums of winter! My top five go-to ingredients: French lentils, tahini, za’atar, quinoa, and coconut oil. Thanks for featuring such a great giveaway, I love love love Cooks Illustrated- having an ATK cookbook would only make my life better.
canned tomatoes, canned beans, dried spices & herbs, frozen veggies and mushrooms, pasta, rice, grains
I like to have on hand a variety of beans, grains, canned tomatoes, canned sliced mushrooms and tea.
Black beans, rice, diced tomatoes, olives, farro!
Mmmm…I am all about the pantry meal! In my pantry I always have quinoa, veg broth, garlic, olive oil and coconut milk. These are my staples (along with many herbs and spices) that help me create delicious dishes (lots of bowls) with whatever fresh veg I find.
Our pantry currently consists of a tiny cupboard in our camper van, but in it you can find:
-garbanzo beans
-olive oil
-black beans
-one grain at a time (space saving!) Currently a quinoa/wild rice mix
-cumin
Gorgeous photos, as always!
I always have:
– Indian black chickpeas (so much more flavor than the regular ones!)
– Onions
– Garlic
– Red pepper flakes
– Olive oil
I’ve made many a dinner out of those ingredients with just a few additions (or none at all!).
I would say the most frequently refilled in my cabinets are
Short grain brown rice
sesame seeds
dried beans
kale
almonds
I LOVE that you love ATK! I think they are soo underrated and I’m obsessed with the podcast – do you listen?
BTW “Quietly badass” is the perfect way to describe them – loves it. I got to check out this cookbook.
Xox,
Julia
I always have millet, frozen broccoli, shallots, ginger, and light evoo. Canned tomatoes I try to keep during the winter- but during the summer they are too dang good fresh!
They aren’t really intentional, but mine are dried beans, French green lentils, olive oil from THE BEST olive oil shop near me, some vinegars for when I don’t have lemons or limes, and pine nuts or walnuts. And I’ll have to second you on the wine thing–makes everything special, and bonus, it can also go into the food!