Roasted Cauliflower with Walnuts, Capers, and Pasta #recipe from Molly MacRae

 

Roasted cauliflower is so much more interesting than steamed. Mix it with minced garlic and pasta, add tasty extras like toasted walnuts, salty capers, grated Parmesan, and bright lemon zest and juice, and you have a delicious meal.

My pictures of this dish don’t exactly match the title. But that just shows how versatile the recipe is. When I made it, I only had 1 pound of cauliflower on hand and the recipe calls for 2. No problem. I chopped up a big wedge of cabbage and a couple of big carrots to make up for the missing cauliflower. They added color and even more flavor.

You’ll find a free, downloadable, printable pdf of the recipe below the cooking directions. 

Roasted Cauliflower with Walnuts, Capers, and Pasta 

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

2 pounds cauliflower, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (Only have 1 pound of cauliflower? No worries. Make up for the missing cauliflower with a combination of other vegetables – cabbage, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onions, etc. Chop your substitutes into 1/2-inch pieces.

Salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons capers

1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

12 ounces rotini or other pasta

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower florets (and other vegetables if using) with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Roast until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown and caramelize, 20 to 30 minutes (possibly more).

Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add the pasta and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the garlic, capers, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

When the vegetables are roasted, add them to the skillet with the garlic mixture along with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the reserved pasta water, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and the remaining tablespoon of oil.

Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss everything to combine. Taste and season with more lemon juice if desired. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan, the parsley, and the walnuts. Serve.

 

click here for a free, downloadable, printable pdf of this recipe

 

 

Out now!

All Shell Breaks Loose

Book 3 in the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries! 

On North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island, Maureen Nash sells exquisite seashells to locals and tourists—with Bonny the shop cat and the ghost of a Welsh pirate for company. And when needed, she steps in to help the police solve a murder . . .

Dr. Irving Allred is boasting around town that he’s about to get his hands on an authentic haunted sword. But minutes after Maureen hears the story, a woman walks into the Moon Shell, sword in hand. She found it while walking her bulldog on the beach—and its blade is stained with what looks like blood. Looks like it’s time to call the sheriff’s department.

Allred is furious that his prize is now in police custody—and even more agitated that an unknown buyer was trying to outbid him. He’s convinced the sword will lead him straight to the ghosts he’s been hunting. He’s not the only one on the Outer Banks who’s been searching for spirits, though. An odd visitor also showed up at Maureen’s shop claiming the ability to sense them . . . though somehow she didn’t seem to notice Maureen’s spectral friend hanging about.

When a man who’d been camping nearby is found cut down along the shore, Maureen starts providing some unofficial assistance to Captain Rob Tate by digging into the island’s maritime history. But it’s not the only mystery she’s facing—because the shop’s resident ghost is seeing ghosts himself . . . 

Writing as Margaret Welch

Happy reading! 

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries, and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Instagram or Bluesky.