This is a light pasta dish…no marinara…just a little olive oil.
Ingredients:
Kosher salt
12 ounces spaghetti
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
12 ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small head cauliflower, broken into small florets
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 cup grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese
Instructions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook as the label directs. Reserve 2 cups cooking water, then drain.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage into the skillet and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned and no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic to the pan and cook for about two minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage/garlic mixture from the pan and set aside.
Add the cauliflower to the pan and cook until the edges are browned, about 2 minutes. (If there is too much oil in the pan to put the cauliflower in, drain some of it off first and then add the cauliflower.) Drain remaining oil and add 1 cup of the reserved cooking water, cover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 8 more minutes. Uncover and boil over high heat until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 2 more minutes.
In a large bowl, combine pasta, sausage, cauliflower and scallions. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Toss to coat.
Add up to one cup of the reserved water to moisten. Sprinkle with cheese and toss again.
Divide among shallow bowls and drizzle with more olive oil, if desired.
What did the family think? Well, I happened to have some marinara in the pantry, so I got it out because I know how ALL of my boys feel about pasta without marinara. I told them, however, that it would be MUCH better without the marinara as they heaped generous portions of marinara onto their pasta. Hubby said I was right, it was better without the sauce. I think the kids were happier with the sauce though. Also, we next to never have cauliflower. Seriously, I can’t think of one time that I have made cauliflower in the past five years. The boys were a little wary. Our oldest did eat some of it but he wasn’t very impressed. Our youngest ate around the cauliflower.
from Food Network