The pasta and cauliflower is a great idea to enjoy a delicious vegan first course. The trick to being satisfied with few Weight Watchers points or calories is to dress the pasta with lots of vegetables to give the dish volume and fill your stomach… and cauliflower is perfect for this purpose. And then how tasty it is!
For me, the only problem with cauliflower, aside from the fact that it can sometimes cause bloating, is that no one in my house likes it. The Dutchman only enjoys it as crudités with some sauces, but as soon as he sees (and smells) it cooked, he makes a face. In fact, for the reinforced salad I have to cook it very little! Oh well, I cook it just for myself and that’s fine!
Preparing pasta and cauliflower is simple even though it requires a bit more time since I cook the pasta in the sauce. But believe me, it’s worth it because in the end, it becomes more flavorful and also very creamy. And of course, very light, just use a little oil. Let me show you how I prepare it…
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Seasonality: Winter, Spring
Ingredients
- 5 oz pasta (preferably whole grain)
- 1 cauliflower (small or half a large one)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (2 measuring teaspoons)
- 1 bunch parsley
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- Points per serving = 8 WW points
Tools
No special tools are needed to prepare this recipe.
- 1 Pot
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Knife
Steps
Wash the cauliflower, separate the florets, and chop them coarsely. Sauté the sliced garlic in the oil, but if you don’t digest garlic well, leave it whole so you can easily remove it after browning.
Add the cauliflower and a bit of salt, mix well, then pour in a couple of glasses of water. Cover the pot and let it simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes or until the cauliflower starts to break down. If it gets too dry, add another glass of water.
When you see that the cauliflower is tender, add a little more water and salt and bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, pour the pasta directly into the sauce with the cauliflower. Stir and continue cooking, adding a little water at a time only when the sauce thickens. Essentially, the famous risotto-style pasta!
Continue stirring and adding water until the pasta is cooked. Taste and adjust the salt if necessary.
Our light and vegan pasta and cauliflower is ready! Serve it on a serving plate with a nice handful of chopped parsley and, if you like, a sprinkle of pepper.
You’ll see how creamy it becomes! This is thanks to the method of cooking the pasta directly in the sauce. In Naples, many pasta dishes with vegetables or legumes are prepared this way, never with the pasta cooked separately, always cooked directly in the sauce. This way, the pasta is “embraced” by the sauce… so good!
I recommend trying to make pasta and cauliflower this way if you haven’t done so before. It becomes super creamy and very tasty. Let me know in the comments below if you liked it and post a picture of your dish on Facebook!
Enjoy your meal,
by Giovanna Buono
Tips
A trick to reduce the smell released by cauliflower while boiling is to place a paper towel soaked in vinegar around the rim of the pot: the lid will keep it in place. It really works, at least for me (the Dutchman wrinkles his nose less!).
When cooking the pasta with the cauliflower, you can also use vegetable broth instead of plain water if you like. It will add even more flavor to the dish without using extra points.
I save a few small pieces of cauliflower to add to the final dish; I like having that bit of crunchiness among all the creaminess!
