I made this last night as a special treat for myself. DH, who doesn't care for cauliflower, is out of town. I was intrigued by how easy this dish looked- all you need is a knife, a cutting board, and a big pan. You don't even need a colander to drain the pasta!

Anyway- this was indeed easy, and very very good. The pasta and cauliflower cook together and the cooking water reduces to form a sauce. You stir in the parmesan and voila! A creamy, yummy pasta. I do think good parmesan is important since the only flavoring/seasoning is garlic, cheese, salt, and pepper. I can see adding some frozen green peas during the last few minutes of cooking for color.

I didn't have a skillet that was deep enough, so I used my wok instead and it worked fine. I ended up adding about 3/4 cup of additional water.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Cauliflower Rotini

Recipe By : Paul Genaux, Bremerton, WA - in Sunset Magazine
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Entree Pasta

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic -- minced
1 head cauliflower -- (about 1 3/4 lb.) rinsed, trimmed from core, and separated into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces rotini -- or other 1" pasta shape
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

1. Pour oil into a 12-inch frying pan with 2-inch-high sides over medium heat. When hot, add garlic and stir until fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute. Add cauliflower and stir to coat, about 1 minute.

2. Stir in pasta and 3 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then cover, reduce heat, and cook, stirring often, until pasta is just tender to bite and liquid has reduced to a creamy sauce, 15 to 20 minutes; if mixture begins to stick before pasta is done, add more water 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in cheese and add salt and pepper to taste.

Source:
"Sunset"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 477 Calories; 14g Fat (26.9% calories from fat); 20g Protein; 67g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 16mg Cholesterol; 386mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 2 Fat.

NOTES : Paul Genaux learned how to make this simple pasta dish in a cooking class he took in Naples, Italy. Using imported Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese makes a big difference in the flavor of the dish.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0