Sausage - Cauliflower Spaghetti

I LOVE making pasta dishes and especially love trying new options. I was thrilled to see a recipe for Sausage - Cauliflower Spaghetti in Food Network Magazine. I was somewhat taken back at the idea of having cauliflower in pasta, but I did try their recipe that included potatoes with pasta and that was amazing, so I had to give this a try. Coincidentally, the night before making it, Iron Chef America: Battle Cauliflower was on FN. It was a sign! I had to make this dish.

After fumbling around my kitchen preparing this dish (because I didn't read the directions before hand, oops!) I sat down with my best friend Renee, who was visiting for the weekend, and devoured my meal. I loved how well the cauliflower and sausage married together, and a small pop of scallions really made the dish kick. I will definitely make this again. It's a great way to get all your main food groups in on bowl. :)


Recipe:
Salt
12 ounces spaghetti
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
12 ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small head cauliflower, broken into small florets
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 cup grated parmesan cheese


Directions

1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook as directed. Reserve 2 cups of cooking water, then drain.

2) Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage into the skillet and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned and no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Clear a space in the pan, add the garlic and cook until just golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook until the edges are browned, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the reserved cooking water, cover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 8 more minutes. Uncover and boil over high heat until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 2 more minutes.

3) Add the spaghetti to the skillet along with the scallions. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Toss for a minute or two to wilt the scallions and coat the pasta with the sauce adding up to 1 cup cooking water, if needed, to loosen. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with the cheese and toss. Divide among shallow bowls and drizzle with more olive oil, if desired.

Photos Courtesy of: Renee Thomas