Baked pasta with cauliflower and prosciutto is a savory and tasty first course, a simple recipe perfect for everyday lunch. There’s no béchamel because I didn’t have it ready and I didn’t feel like making it. Yes, it happens to me too sometimes. So I just used what I had: some leftover cauliflower, a couple of slices of prosciutto from the night before, and mozzarella. Plenty of Parmesan and into the oven. As I always say, you can customize and adapt the recipe to your ingredients: cooked ham, speck, classic or smoked provola, caciotta, fontina, asiago. There are many alternatives. In the meantime, I recommend trying this baked pasta with cauliflower and prosciutto as it is.
Not to be missed
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Stove, Oven, Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz cauliflower (cleaned)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 slices prosciutto
- 4.4 oz mozzarella
- 5.3 oz short pasta
- to taste salt
- to taste grated Parmesan
Tools
- 1 Shallow Casserole
- 1 Pasta Pot
- 1 Baking Dish
- 1 Microwave Steamer
Steps
Clean the cauliflower: remove the outer leaves, separate the florets from the stem, wash them, and place them in the microwave steamer. Cook at 900 w for 12 minutes. If you don’t have a microwave, you can boil the cauliflower in plenty of boiling water for ten minutes. Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the florets. To check if they’re done, pierce the stems of the florets with a fork: if it goes in easily, they’re ready; otherwise, continue cooking until the florets are tender. In a shallow casserole, heat the oil and sauté the cauliflower for a few minutes. Adjust the salt, but be careful with the amount since the prosciutto and Parmesan will make the pasta very flavorful. Cut the prosciutto into strips and the mozzarella into cubes. Boil the pasta in plenty of salted water, drain it al dente, and toss it with the dressing. Add the mozzarella, prosciutto, and grated Parmesan. Mix well and transfer to a baking dish. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and broil in a preheated oven at 392 °F until a nice crispy crust forms (about ten minutes).
