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.
Hey Laura, looks delish, thanks! The top 5 pantry staples I always have on hand are:
– Garlic
– Tahini
– chickpeas
– canned san marzano tomatoes and
– lentils :)
stay warm out there!
This recipe looks delicious! My 5 ingredients are:
1. Whole wheat pasta
2. Sun dried tomatoes
3. Olive oil
4. Garlic
5. Avocados
you have such a way of summing up the essence of a thing (or person or food or flavor) that i find just awesome!
this book sounds awesome. my five alwayses:
red lentils
coconut milk
fire-roasted canned tomatoes
carrots
cabbage
I have always kale, chickpeas, garlic, avocado and a lot of nuts !! Tahini too I am in love with!! Thank a lot Laura for thie beautiful giveaway ! :)
5 ingredients I always have handy for easy veggie meals:
1 can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)
Olive oil
An onion (I put onions in most things)
Garlic
Quinoa
1. quinoa
2. lentils
3. chickpeas
4. diced tomatoes
5. sesame seed oil
Great dish, as always. You need to post more pasta! What brand of fire roasted tomatoes and olive oil do you tend to get?
These photos, Laura! I adore them.
My five ingredients arrrreee…
1) almond butter
2) canned pumpkin
3) coconut milk
4) almond oil
5) coconut oil
loved this post xx
My five:
Chickpeas
Fire roasted tomatoes
Brown rice
Veg broth
Carrots + Onions
Add in a few curry spices and you have got yourself the quickest dinner ever. My husband and I have been making pots of this once a week for dinner, and then use the leftovers for lunches.
gahhhhhh your photos always amaze me! SERIOUSLY, that photo of the garlic. You have serious talent.
The 5 things I like to keep on hand are:
Quinoa
Avocados
Dried Fruit (cherries, cranberries, papaya)
Almond Butter
Olive Oil
I la la LOVE America’s Test kitchen!
The 5 I have on hand are; garlic, spinach, beans, steel cut oats, and wild rice!
Actually I have everything in my pantry for this recipe ! What I usually have : lentils, rice ,peanut butter, homemade jams and bread. And thank you for your blog, pictures are wonderful and your recipes look always so yummy !
I always have garbanzos, spinach, sweet potato, sriracha and some kind of hummus on hand. So much can happen with sriracha!
It’s hard to pick only 5 pantry staples… but I’ll go with:
1. whole grain pasta
2. canned tomatoes
3. canned black beans
4. rice vinegar
5. onion
Oh gosh, this looks good (recipe and book ;))
5 Staples are:
-Canned pumpkin puree (for cooking and baking)
-Beans of all kinds
-Garlic!
-Frozen/fresh spinach or kale
-Broccoli
I read this before getting out of bed this morning, and I hustled straight into the kitchen to make it. These flavors–mmm! The garlic and lemon remind me of Greek flavors I grew up with my mom recreating. It was my first time roasting garlic, and I tried to squeeze it out before it had cooled enough. Burnt and licked my fingertips – I almost opted to squeeze the steaming heaven straight into my mouth. Thanks for a new (to me!) way to use an old staple. My other four are chickpeas, spinach, coconut milk, and sweet potatoes.
This pasta dish looks not only delicious, but highly versatile. I always keep onions, garlic, red lentils, potatoes and green things close by in my cupboards.
If I have to limit it to 5, I’d say that at our house we always have in stock:
1) Lentils
2) Quinoa
3) EVOO
4) Garlic
5) Onions
Thanks!
My top five ingredients are: cooked beans (any), short brown rice, quinoa, avocado,fresh greens.xx
I’ve been WAITING for the good folks at ATK to come out with a Vegetarian Cookbook??
My five staples are lentils, canned crushed tomatoes, veggie broth (low sodium), onions, and brown basmati rice.
This sounds so simple and special – the best kind of recipe!
My pantry staples are olive oil, walnuts, cashews, fire-roasted tomatoes and chickpeas.
I’ll definitely be checking out this book. Also, lovely photography as usual!
Brown Rice, Chickpeas, Can of Coconut Milk, Lentils, Red Curry Paste
What a cool giveaway and question! This is a tough one…
1. My spice trio from my grandma – Tumeric, Paprika, Cumin
2. Grapeseed oil
3. Cannalenni or garbanzo beans
4. Miso paste
5. Kale and greens
I heard your podcast on Pure Green and you were amazing! Such an inspiration.
My 5:
Canned beans
Canned Toms
Frozen Veg
Lemons (I get nervous without them)
Pasta
5 ingredients I always have on hand are:
– basmati rice
– Thai basil
– peanuts
– coconut milk
– green peppers
I like green Thai curry, can you tell? :)
Here are my 5:
Olive oil
Garlic
Black Beans
Fire Roasted Tomatoes
Pasta
A few kitchen staples I always try to keep on hand include quinoa, avocados, macadamia nuts, almond oil and almond butter!
In my kitchen cabinets you will always find: white rice, raw almonds, canned whole tomatoes, garlic, and onions.
I love your blog and greatly admire America’s Test Kitchen!
dude jovial brand is the BEST!!! i’m always trying to convince people to switch over to that brand. and this looks divine. making me so hungry! i like the way you pasta, girl.
YUMM!The lemon garlic dressing was top notch.
My special items:
1. coconut milk
2. garbanzo beans
3. fresh ginger (more of a fridge item rather than pantry, i know)
4. pinto beans (i cook these in bulk and like to start soaking a new batch right when i run out the previous one)
5. Oats! rolled or steal cut
I always have olive oil, wheat and rye flour, canned tomatoes, garlic, onion. Not really a meal but fresher stuff changes so frequently based on what looks good this season :)
things I always try to have on hand in the pantry:
garlic
lemons
sunflower/pumpkin seeds
chickpeas/white beans
buckwheat/freekeh/quinoa/millet
quinoa, chick peas, coconut milk, almond butter, olive oil Yayayayayaya!!!
These are the 5 items I always keep around for quick vegetarian meals: Tomato Paste, Paneer, Onions, Greens, Rice.
This looks amazing! And that photo of the head of garlic is making me swoon!! My favorite five to keep around are: brown rice, fire-roasted tomatoes, garbanzo beans, olive oil, and broccoli.
I always have rice, almond butter, dark red kidney beans, lentils, and walnuts in my pantry. :)
This looks delicious! And I love Jovial pasta too. I always keep chickpeas, brown rice, lemons, miso, and tahini. They make a meal with any vegetables I wind up buying.
My top 5:
Coconut milk
Steel cut oats
Avocado
Kale or cauliflower
Nori
1. olivo oil
2. nuts
3. brown rice
4. veggies
5. canned beans
I’m sure that there are more than 5 items, but here are some favorites: olive oil, quinoa, chickpeas, vinegar (many types), and nuts (always at least almonds and cashews).
Can I just say I am soooo excited for this ATK edition to come out! I can only imagine the pages of deliciousness that await.
My go to 5 would be… 1) almond butter, 2) noodles, never the same to keep things fun, 3) sweet potatoes 4) gaaaarlic 5) onions.
xoxo
I am SO EXCITED for this book! I always have rice, lentils, canned tomatoes, nutritional yeast and canned beans!
Looks delicious! In my pantry I always try to have: chickpeas, quinoa, nuts, tahini, Sriracha!
DAMN LAURA THIS LOOKS BOMB. I love the simplicity of it — isn’t it funny how the simplest recipes always tend to be the most delicious? I also agree with everything you wrote about ATK and Cook’s Illustrated; I’ve been burned by other recipes I’ve found online, so it’s always nice using sources where you know everything’s been tested multiple times over.
This looks delicious! You can never go wrong with roasted garlic.
5 foods that I always have in my pantry are short grain brown rice, canned beans, tamari, olive oil, and tahini!
Picking just five is hard, but here goes
Quinoa
sunflower seeds
edemame
coconut oil
canellini beans
Thanks!
Good Morning…will definitely be making this recipe…awesome! :) My (5) are: garlic / walnuts / lentils / barley / tofu! Thanks and chees, Valerie :)
What a lovely giveaway!
quinoa, tahini, olive oil, canned crushed tomatoes, red lentils!
I am so excited about this book!! I love ATK, and am psyched they are focusing on veggie based this time around. I always have canned and dry beans, fire roasted canned tomatoes, greens (kale, chard, broccoli, frozen peas and okra), eggs, and walnuts. Bonus items, Frontera salsa and Annie’s mac!
Only five?
kale
olive oil
quinoa
mushrooms
squash