Ever eat spaghetti alla carbonara? It's one of my favorite dishes–spaghetti with an egg (and sometimes cream) sauce and pancetta. Well, last night I decided to make a whole new version, and sadly, there were no leftovers!
(serves 4 hungry adults or according to the pasta's nutrition facts…8 servings)
You'll need:
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into about 1″ x 1″ pieces
- 1 lb spaghetti
- 1/4 cup 1% milk
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup pancetta (diced or in strips)
- 1 large leek [optional] thinly sliced
- salt & pepper to taste
- pasta water
- Heat 1 tsp of oil in a large pan on medium heat with the garlic cloves for 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower and 3/4 cup of water. Cover the pan and let the cauliflower cook until the pieces break apart with a wooden spoon (15-20 mins)
- Drain off any extra water in the pan. Put all of the pan's contents into a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Cook the pasta according to the package's instructions. Before straining the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the pasta's cooking water
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp of olive oil on medium high in the same pan you were using. Add the pancetta and leeks, if using. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the leeks are completely wilted.
- Add the cauliflower puree to the pan, along with any salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked pasta and any pasta water to thin out the sauce if needed.
Serve with grated parmesan cheese
*This dish is perfect or picky eaters! It is so creamy, you may never want to make another cream based sauce..just use cauliflower! I used leeks because they were ready to be harvested from my garden, and we all loved it
Marina Bedrossian is a Northport, NY dietitian nutritionist who helps people with holistic nutrition solutions and food sensitivities. Visit this page to schedule an appointment and don’t forget to join the private Facebook group “Ingredients For Healthy Families” more information here.