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    Home > Meal Type > Main Dishes

    Roasted Cauliflower Pasta with Creamy Garlic Sauce

    Updated: Aug 16th 2019 • Published: Nov 12th 2018 • 18 Comments

    Jump to Recipe SaveSaved!
    overhead pan of pasta with text at the top
    close up of the pasta dish with text at the top

    This Roasted Cauliflower with Creamy Garlic Pasta is an elegant yet simple vegetarian pasta dinner. Perfect for entertaining or dinners on meatless Monday. The cream and garlic come together to make a creamy dreamy sauce that is pure comfort food, whilst the roast cauliflower gives some texture to the pasta. This really is a delicious vegetarian dinner.

    cast iron skillet filled with cream pasta and roast cauliflower, with a parmesan grater in the background

    Jump Menu

    • Roasted Cauliflower
    • How to roast cauliflower
    • Creamy Garlic Sauce
    • How to make the sauce without using a ton of cream??
    • Which pasta shape to use for Cauliflower Pasta?
    • Recipe - Roasted Cauliflower Pasta with Creamy Garlic Sauce

    Roasted Cauliflower

    Roasting cauliflower in the oven turns something plain into something super special. The edges caramelize, the flavour sweetens and the texture is beautifully yielding without a hint of soggy. Roasted Cauliflower will please vegetarians and carnivores alike.

    How to roast cauliflower

    • Preheat the oven to 400º F/200ºC.
    • Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
    • Remove the outer leaves of the cauliflower then cut the florets into large bite sized chunks.
    • Lay the cauliflower out in a single layer on the prepared tray.
    • Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the cauliflower.
    • Season everything generously with salt and pepper.
    • Roast in the oven for 25 minutes until tender and caramelized on the edges.
    overhead of a cast iron skillet filled with roasted cauliflower pasta

    Creamy Garlic Sauce

    The creamy garlic sauce comes together so quickly, you can easily make it whilst the pasta is cooking.
    Plus there is only  ⅔ cup of cream for 4 people!!! With a couple of tricks you can have decadent and elegant creamy pasta without the excessive calories.  And this doesn't mean we are skimping on sauce! This sauce coats each strand of pasta with a silky creamy sauce perfectly.

    How to make the sauce without using a ton of cream??

    The key is the starchy pasta cooking water. It thickens the sauce, makes the cream go further and gives it the amazing ability to coat the pasta.

    Start by cooking the pasta for a little less than the packet suggests, this is because it is going to finish cooking in the creamy garlic sauce. Then before you drain the pasta reserve 2 cups of the water.

    This water gets used to thin the cream sauce and then the pasta is added back in and everything just comes together into a big skillet of deliciousness!

    Talking of pasta.....

    Which pasta shape to use for Cauliflower Pasta?

    For the photos I used a thick spaghetti, but you could go with a linguine or tagliatelle.

    I know not everyone is like me and doesn't mind slurping and swirling pasta and then getting hot cream sauce on their chin 😉 so if you love short pasta then go for something flat like a farfalle/bow-tie pasta. Avoid tubular pasta or shells as they will fill up with the creamy sauce and you might find there isn’t enough sauce to coat everything beautifully.

    close up on a piece of roast cauliflower, showing the caramelization on it

    Serving Suggestions:
    Side: Swerve the bread and instead go for a crisp bright salad to balance the creamy sauce in the cauliflower pasta. For the salad toss baby kale leaves with a lemon and olive oil dressing.

    Wine:
    To cut through the creamy sauce pick an unoaked chardonnay or a dry pinot gris. For the red wine lovers something light like a Barbera d’Asti or a Merlot will work with the garlic and cream in the cauliflower pasta.

    showing the spaghetti with the creamy garlic sauce

    For more delicious Pasta recipes try these:

    • Garlic Butter Pasta with Garlic Chicken (for garlic LOVERS)
    • Shrimp Chorizo Pasta
    • Creamy Rosemary Chicken Pasta
    • Pork Stroganoff with buttered Noodles
    • Creamy Pepper Steak Pasta
    • Pasta with Roasted Fennel
    • Creamy Salmon Pasta
    • Parsnip and Bacon Pasta
    • Black Truffle Pasta

    Enjoy x


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    sq picture showing the roasted cauliflower in a pan with creamy pasta
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    4.34 from 15 votes

    Recipe - Roasted Cauliflower Pasta with Creamy Garlic Sauce

    This Roasted Cauliflower with Creamy Garlic Pasta is an elegant yet simple vegetarian pasta dinner. Perfect for entertaining or dinners on Meatless Monday. The cream and garlic come together to make a creamy dreamy sauce that is pure comfort food, whilst the roast cauliflower gives some texture to the pasta. This really is a delicious vegetarian dinner.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time25 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Main
    Cuisine: Italian
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 535kcal
    Author: Claire | Sprinkle and Sprouts
    For more great recipes follow me on PinterestFollow @sprinklessprout
    Need Metric Measurements?Use the options below to toggle between cups and grams (if relevant)
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    Ingredients

    US Customary - Grams

    For the Cauliflower

    • 1 head cauliflower
    • 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    • ½ teaspoon thyme leaves

    For the Pasta

    • 11 oz dried spaghetti
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 teaspoon olive oil
    • 4 garlic cloves
    • ⅔ cup heavy cream
    • 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

    Instructions

    For the cauliflower

    • Preheat you oven to 400º F/200ºC.
    • Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
    • Remove the outer leaves of the cauliflower and cut the florets into large bite sized chunks.
    • Lay the cauliflower out in a single layer and drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil.
    • Season the cauliflower generously with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 25 minutes until tender and caramelized on the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside until needed.

    For the pasta

    • Bring a large pot of water to boil and then add a good amount of salt.
    • Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. (usually around 1 minute less than the packet suggests)
    • Meanwhile, peel and finely slice the garlic.
    • Heat the butter and olive oil in a deep skillet over low heat.
    • Add the garlic slices and sauté for 2 minutes (don't let them colour).
    • Add the cream and bring to boil.
    • Add in the thyme leaves, salt and pepper, then turn heat down to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
    • Before draining the pasta, scoop out 2 cups of cooking water and keep to one side.
    • After reserving the cooking water drain the pasta in a colander.
    • Transfer the pasta and ½ cup of reserved pasta water into the pan with the sauce.
    • Place it over a medium heat and gently turn the pasta in the sauce to create a silky coating on each strand.
    • Add more cooking water if needed.
    • Stir in the roasted cauliflower and serve with grated parmesan and thyme leaves.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 535kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 344mg | Potassium: 295mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 670IU | Vitamin C: 14.4mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1.2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @sprinklesandsprouts or tag #sprinklesandsprouts

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cindy says

      July 21, 2022 at 3:03 am

      5 stars
      I love this recipe and have made it many times. The last time I made it (today), instead of sautéing the garlic cloves, I roasted 2 bulbs of garlic in a packet of foil with olive oil at the same time I roasted the cauliflower. When the garlic was soft, I mashed it with a spatula in the sauté pan before adding cream and other sauce ingredients (I didn’t need the butter or olive oil in the sauce this time). I also added a splash of white wine to the sauce and loved the touch of acidity. It was a big hit at the office luncheon!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        August 05, 2022 at 2:00 pm

        Wow!! Love it Cindy!
        So happy everyone enjoyed it!
        Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment 🙂
        Cx

        Reply
    2. Shelley Spies says

      October 23, 2019 at 7:08 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious and easy! We added a handful of wild arugula right before serving, due to the fact that I forgot to prepare a salad. Thank you for the recipe, I look forward to trying more from this site!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        October 25, 2019 at 5:11 am

        Oh I bet the arugula was a fabulous addition!
        So pleased you enjoyed the dish.
        Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment 😀
        Cx

        Reply
    3. Helen says

      October 17, 2019 at 2:52 am

      5 stars
      Really lovely and surprisingly tasty, easy to prepare. I just added some spinach to up the vegetable quotient and some toasted pine nuts for texture

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        October 18, 2019 at 2:17 pm

        I love the idea of the spinach and pine nuts!!!
        So pleased you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for coming back to comment.
        Cx

        Reply
    4. Momdukes says

      June 07, 2019 at 3:19 am

      5 stars
      Great recipe! Even my meat-eating family members thought it was superb. I will definitely make it again.

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        June 07, 2019 at 5:04 am

        Oh yeah 😀 😀
        So pleased your family enjoyed it!
        Thank you for coming back to comment
        Cx

        Reply
    5. Pranita says

      January 27, 2019 at 11:35 pm

      Yummy, delicious & easy to make .

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        February 22, 2019 at 1:17 pm

        Thank you Pranita, it is one of our favourite #MeatlessMonday dishes 😀

        Reply
    6. Darshan says

      January 24, 2019 at 6:14 pm

      5 stars
      This Roasted Cauliflower with Creamy Garlic Pasta is Very Nice.
      Best startup Business In Indore.

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        February 22, 2019 at 2:31 pm

        I am so pleased you enjoyed it Darshan, it is one of my favorite vegetarian pasta dishes

        Reply
    7. Nic says

      November 19, 2018 at 9:57 am

      5 stars
      Eating a 2nd dinner, because the first was so good. yum!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        November 19, 2018 at 5:18 pm

        Hehe, now that sounds like the perfect plan 😀
        So please you loved it!

        Reply
    8. Cynthia says

      November 18, 2018 at 3:43 pm

      5 stars
      Great suggestions for the wine, wish everybody would do that! We went wine shopping for a "romantic evening" we had last week, and being there noticed neither me nor my husband knows anything about wine!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        November 19, 2018 at 9:05 am

        I am so pleased you found it useful 😀
        It is something I am slowly introducing on my posts as I get friends asking me what wine they should choose for the dish and I thought perhaps my readers would too.

        Reply
    9. Karly says

      November 16, 2018 at 11:10 pm

      This looks so good!! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        November 18, 2018 at 6:41 am

        Thank you Karly, it is a family favorite 🙂

        Reply

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