Smitten Kitchen has so many great vegetarian recipes. I love traditional pesto however, I enjoy mixing up traditional recipes and trying something new. If you love cauliflower and cheese this is a delicious sauce and so simple to make. The cauliflower makes the dish creamy paired with the salty flavor of capers makes this dish so tasty. The nutty crunch and flavor of the almonds add an extra kick of flavor. You can also substitute the almonds for cashews or pine nuts.
Cauliflower Pesto Pasta
Serving size: 2
Total Time: 30 minutes
Source: Recipe adapted from SmittenKitchen cookbook.
Pinch of salt
1 pound linguine
1 small head cauliflower
1/2 cup unsalted almonds
2 or 3 dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1-ounce chunk pecorino Romano cheese
1 medium clove garlic
1 tablespoon drained capers
About 8 flat-leaf parsley leaves
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, or more as needed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, or more to taste
Step 1: Set a large pot of water to boil.
Step 2: To prepare the pesto. Pulse half the cauliflower in a food processor until it looks like mixed sizes of couscous. Transfer the cauliflower to a large bowl and repeat with the second batch adding it to the same bowl when you are finished. If your cauliflower looks like the perfect texture but one large chunk insists upon escaping the steel blade’s grasp, pick it out and pulse it separately.
Step 3: Pulse the garlic, chili flakes, almonds, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and parsley in a food processor until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Transfer to the bowl with cauliflower, add the olive oil, the smaller amount of vinegar, and add a few pinches of salt and stir until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Step 4: Once water is boiling, add the linguine and cook until it is al dente. Reserve about 21/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain the rest. Immediately toss the hot pasta with the cauliflower pesto and half of your reserved cooking water, until everything is nicely dispersed. If the pesto still feels too thick, loosen it with the remaining reserved cooking water. Top with extra parmesan cheese and Enjoy!
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