Pasta Surprise

©Diane Eblin

©Diane Eblin

When I started out to cook dinner I didn’t realize I had already eaten the vegetables I was going to sauté for this meal.  The only vegetable I had left was cauliflower, which my husband really does not like.  So what should I do, hide it of course.  When he was eating dinner he thought it was ground meat and did not notice until I listed the ingredients.  He was pleasantly surprised that he really did like the meal.

Ingredients:

1 sweet organic onion
½ head organic cauliflower
4 slices organic bacon (can omit to keep vegetarian)
½ cup vegetable stock
½ cup red wine (only what you would drink)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp rosemary salt
1 jar or large can of whole or crushed tomatoes (Lucini or Mur Glen are my fav)
2 tsp olive oil
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1 box Quinoa Rotelle Pasta (contains protein)

Directions:

Start your pasta water and bring to a boil as you begin the sauce.  Before adding the pasta, remember to salt your water.
pasta-with-cauliflower-close Slice the onion and sauté on medium high pre-heated pan with oil.  As that cooks take apart the cauliflower.  Break it into small florets, as small as you can get, and you may even slice off any stems so it gives the appearance of ground meat.  This will take some time so in the mean time, cut the bacon into small pieces and add to the onions.  After they both start to brown add in the cauliflower to absorb the flavors and brown.
Next add in the stock and wine and again allow the cauliflower to absorb the flavors, approximately 5-8 minutes.  Add in your tomatoes, if whole crush, and your spices.  Cover and simmer until pasta is ready.  Please taste your sauce before adding in the pasta so you can make any adjustments needed.

Once your pasta is ready, drain it and add to the sauce.

When serving you can top this off with a little more rosemary salt but keep in mind it is powerful salt, and add a few toasted pine nuts if you have them on hand.  Of course if you eat dairy Parmesan reggiano can’t be beat.

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4 Responses to Pasta Surprise

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