Linguini with roasted cauliflower and bacon

Everybody is going on about low carb. And I get it, I don’t think eating a lot of carbs is good for you either. But you guys, how can you not want a bowl of pasta every now and then? I have kind of lost my love for pasta a little lately. I would just much rather use my carb points up with things like creamy risotto or crunchy bread or zesty tacos. But every now and then the only thing that will satisfy me is a good bowl of pasta.

I remember as a little girl being entranced by my dad and his love of pasta. He would eat pasta, cooked “al dente” (pronounced in a very over-the-top Italian accent) simply with some garlic he had sauteed in lots of butter, finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a bit of parsley. This was his easy, no-fuss Sunday night dinner when my mom and I had cucumber sandwiches and boiled eggs with tea. To this day, he still enjoys this simple delight every now and then and I always think of him when I cook pasta. I also try to keep it really simple, putting focus on the sauce enhancing the pasta and not the sauce drowning the pasta. This simple dish really does that.

I love how the subtle wheaty (yes, that’s a word) taste of the linguini is enhanced by the sweet, roasted cauliflower and the salty, smoky bacon. Add a splash of cream and a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan and you have a bowl of simple beauty.

Linguini with roasted cauliflower and bacon

Sweet, roasted cauliflower with smoky bacon makes the perfect sauce for al dente linguini.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: linguine pasta, linguine recipe, Linguini

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 507kcal

Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

for the cauliflower and bacon sauce

• 1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• 250 g streaky bacon chopped
• 1 garlic clove thinly sliced
• 50-100 ml cream to your own preference
• squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• salt & pepper to taste

to serve

• 500 g linguini cooked (reserve 1 cup of the cooking water)
• Parmesan grated

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°c.
• Place the cauliflower on a roasting tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Season to taste with the salt and pepper then place in the oven.
• Allow to roast for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Fry the bacon in a hot frying pan until crisp and golden then pour off the bacon fat (reserve for the best ever roast potatoes).
• Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds then pour in the cream and lemon juice.
• Add the cauliflower then season to taste.
• Toss the sauce with the cooked pasta and if necessary, add a bit of the pasta's cooking water to loosen everything a bit.
• Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

Nutrition

Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 99g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 45mg | Potassium: 598mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg