Friday, February 21, 2014

Whole Wheat Penne with Roasted Cauliflower and Parsley Pesto

City Greeners, in our last post, we shared a recipe for Parsley Pesto we saw in USA Weekend's February 14-16 issue - Part One of a two-part recipe series.

Well City Greeners, it's time for Part Two. This recipe takes the pesto and pairs it with penne pasta and some dynamite veggies. Just like with the pesto recipe, feel free to make this recipe your own! Try a different shape of pasta or swap out the olives for cherry tomatoes. Happy cooking!


Whole Wheat Penne with Roasted Cauliflower and Parsley Pesto


Ingredients

  • 2 pounds cauliflower, sliced into 2-inch-by-2-inch pieces
  • Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
  • Kosher sea salt, as needed
  • Ground black pepper, as needed
  • 8 ounces whole wheat penne pasta
  • 2/3 cup Parsley Pesto (see recipe here)
  • 3/4 cup oil-cured black olives (such as nicoise, kalamata, or Cerignola), pitted and cut in half lengthwise 
  • 1 cup canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • Crushed red pepper, as needed (optional)
  • 3/4 cup Asiago or Parmesan cheese, thinly shaved
  • Fresh mint sprigs for garnish, as needed (optional)

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees-F.
  2. Brush both sides of the cauliflower with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Put in the oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, or until the cauliflower is nicely browned and tender.
  3. In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the pasta until just al dente, about 9 minutes (about 3 if using fresh pasta from Midwest Pasta Co.). Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. 
  4. In a large warm bowl, add 1/2 cup of the pesto and some of the reserved hot water, stirring to create a sauce. Add the hot pasta along with the cauliflower, olives, beans, and crushed red pepper (if using); toss to coat with the pesto sauce. If the mixture seems dry, adjust by adding a small amount of the reserved hot water and the remaining pesto. 
  5. Top with cheese and mint. Serve warm or at room temperature. 


Per serving: 451 calories, 15g protein, 45g carbohydrates, 9g fiber, 24g total fat (6g sat fat), 721mg sodium, 22g cholesterol

Recipe and photo courtesy of USAToday.com

No comments:

Post a Comment