We eat a lot more pasta at this house than you might guess from just looking at this blog. Like at least once a week. And yet, this post is one of only two devoted to that starchy comfort that easily loans itself to pantry-cooking. I usually stock some type of spelt/whole grain noodle or brown rice penne in my little grain/cereal drawer. One of those two options with red sauce is both my man’s and my own comfort food of choice. If we’re having pasta for a nicer mid-week dinner though, I’ll be doing a light olive oil-based sauce with cooked vegetables, chickpeas, pine nut parm, greens etc., just to make it more special.
A little while ago, I received a copy of a new book from America’s Test Kitchen: The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. The anticipation over a plant-based collection from ATK was evident when I excitedly ripped the packing envelope one snowy afternoon. As I flipped through chapters focusing on hearty mains, soups, pasta + noodles, rice, grains, sides, salads, beans + soy, snacks, flatbreads, and more, I noticed a lot of the recipes that were jumping out at me were mostly comprised of items I already had in my pantry. I love when vegetarian recipes focus on building flavour with accessible, everyday ingredients, and this book really seems to understand that.
So onto today’s recipe… I chose this one because I had a giant head of cauliflower in the fridge and a pasta with that and roasted garlic sounded too cozy to pass on. We’re in a proper cold snap and it called to me from the page. I made a few minor changes (omitted the parmesan, subbed arugula for parsley), but kept the lightly sweet and full-flavoured roasted garlic and lemon sauce completely intact. I honestly can’t wait to make it again. You just mash some roasted garlic cloves with olive oil, lemon and chili flakes, thin the mixture out with starchy pasta water, and toss it with hot pasta and roasted cauliflower.
Roasted Garlic & Cauliflower Pasta with Walnuts
Ingredients
- 2 heads garlic, top quarter cut off to expose cloves
- 6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ pinchteaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 head cauliflower (2 lbs)
- sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus extra
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 lb short brown rice pasta, such as penne or fusilli
- 2-3 handfuls baby arugula
- 1/4 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped
Notes
- From America’s Test Kitchen’s The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook
- ATK lists an alternative version of this pasta with broccoli and almonds as well if that catches your interest. The original recipe calls for chopped parsley, but I used handfuls of baby arugula because I happened to have it in my fridge.
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, place a naked baking sheet on the rack and preheat to 500°F. Tear two squares of aluminum foil and place cut garlic heads in the centers. Drizzle exposed garlic tops with 1/2 tsp olive oil each. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme leaves (if using). Wrap garlic bulbs up securely and place in the oven. Roast until garlic is browned and mushy/tender, about 40 minutes.
- While garlic is roasting, trim the cauliflower leaves and the extra bit of stalk at the bottom. Cut the head right down the middle, from top to bottom. From there, cut each half into 4 wedges. In a medium bowl, toss the cauliflower wedges with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Remove the pre-heated baking sheet from the oven and carefully lay the cauliflower wedges onto the surface, leaving some space around each piece. You should hear sizzling. Roast cauliflower until tender and well-browned, about 25 minutes (I flipped mine halfway).
- Once slightly cooled, transfer cauliflower to a cutting board and cut into bite-size pieces. Unwrap roasted garlic and squeeze cloves out into a small bowl. Mash roasted garlic with a fork to make a smooth puree. Whisk in the lemon juice, pepper flakes, some salt + pepper, and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Set aside.
- Cook brown rice pasta according to package directions with a fat pinch of salt in the water. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining. Once drained, return cooked pasta to the pot. Add chopped cauliflower, garlic sauce, arugula, extra lemon juice to taste, and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water. Add more cooking water as necessary to achieve desired consistency. Serve pasta with handfuls of chopped walnuts on top and extra chili flakes.
brown basmati rice, butternut squash, mushrooms, warming spices, and a cuisinart – all serve to make vegetarian fare more hearty or filling which is a requirement for my husband!
I love America’s Test Kitchen! I currently own three of their books and quite the stack of their magazines. I love the food science aspect of it and it is what got me into cooking. I am so glad they are coming out with a plant-based book! My top five pantry staples are: Utopia organic canned tomatoes, dried lentils/chickpeas, liquid braggs, chia seeds and black rice noodles. I can’t wait until this book comes out to see all of their recipe ideas and taste profiling! Even if I don’t win, I will purchasing a copy. What a great giveaway!
lentils, tahini, nuts, sh-t loads of veggies, spices!
For vegan meals (and any meal, really) I always try to have on hand:
1. Fresh basil
2. Onion
3. Fresh garlic
4. Good olive oil
5. Whole black peppercorns.
I think you can do just about anything with those 5 things as a jumping off point. :-)
Garbanzo beans
Olive oil
canned tomatoes
garlic
onions
Raw nuts
Coconut milk
Coconut oil
Quinoa
Avocado
This looks so delicious! I am really into cauliflower right now. My husband and I have roasted whole cauliflowers for a snack. Cauliflower is so delicious! I always keep vegetables on hand especially cauliflower, broccoli, kale, onion, garlic. But what I MUST have in my pantry (because there’s no going around the corner to pick up some in a pinch) is tempeh, tofu, raw cashews, nutritional yeast, and coconut milk. I am a vegetarian extremist – vegan! Can’t wait to try this recipe. Love your beautiful delicious photography, too.
I always keep tomato paste, dried beans, tofu, almond butter, and baby spinach on hand!
I’ve always got nuts, beans, quinoa, oats, and some kind of canned tomatoes on hand.
I always have onions, garlic, brown rice, chickpeas and at least one green vegetable at all times! I have a problem of over-stocking for the week and then not knowing where to start, actually! I love making stuff up out of what I have available and being pleasantly surprised when the meal turns out well!
xo
maria anne
chickpeas, almonds, lemons, garlic, coconut oil
Vegetarian ingredients I rely on are pulses such as lentils, navy beans, peas, & limas; fats such as olive & coconut oils; nuts & seeds and their butters, squashes for healthy digestible starches; fresh & dried seasonings like ginger, garlic, herbs & spices. I am not vegetarian and following a GAPS type diet to heal some digestive issues.
What a gorgeous meal!! My 5 favorite pantry items are: quinoa, black beans, sweet potatoes, goat cheese, and canned tomatoes! (And I always seem to have fresh herbs and lemon too) :)
Love your recipes…and the pics. I always have lentils, coconut oil, chia, quinoa, and garlic in my pantry, along with a lot of other staples. I have a BIG pantry because I love to cook.
I always have: brown rice, canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, and lemons, on hand. Then there’s always something I can make for dinner.
I love delicious yet simple meals! Will have to try this one out for sure! I always come back to quinoa, nuts, dried berries, good oil and honey in my pantry. And popcorn…always popcorn.
Your blog is so inspiring. I am so happy when I see a new posting in my mail….and your photography is in a word…succulent!!
My five items…dried chick peas, tofu, sesame seed oil, chard or kale, brown rice..
i love cooks illustrated. Excited for this book!
I always have on hand for tasty vegetarian meals:
Olives
Fresh herbs
Fresh citrus of some kind
Nuts
Garbanzo beans
I’m still learning to cook and I wouldn’t say I have pantry staples or enough go-to recipes yet. If I had to pick five things, I’d say probably pasta, quinoa, diced tomatoes, chickpeas and tofu. Definitely too much tofu–I’m frequently guilty of throwing sauce on a block of tofu and calling that a meal. I’m working on diversifying my diet and it’s helpful/interesting to read all the different responses to this question!
PS where do you find fire roasted tomatoes?! I’ve never seen them, I just assumed they were an American thing.
Hey Naadia! I live right by a US/Canada border, so I trek over to the USA for them every once in a while.
-L
Can’t wait to try out this dish! It looks fabulous. I always try to have chickpeas, nut butter, farro, rolled oats, and fresh herbs on hand.
grains (quinoa, brown rice), nutritional yeast, yams, raw nuts and nut butters and canned black beans/chickpeas.
There also must be popcorn and dark chocolate in my pantry at all times!
The things that I always have on hand are.
Nutritional yeast
Pasta
Chickpeas
Cashews
Chocolate
This recipe is stunning! (As are the photos!) I can’t wait to give it a try. Roasted cauliflower is one of my favorite wintery comfort foods and I’ve actually just recently tried brown rice pasta – after several years of not being able to eat white pasta. It’s so delicious and I don’t miss white pasta at all!
I always try to keep plenty of greens stocked in my kitchen (especially kale or chard), lemons, tahini and/or almond butter, coconut oil, and dried lentils, chickpeas or quinoa.
We always have on hand:
– black beans
– Canned tomatoes
– nutritional yeast
– onions & garlic
– frozen veggies of all sorts (broccoli, peas, green beans, corn, carrots, pearl onions)
kale, chickpeas, quinoa, avocados, goat cheese
in my pantry:
1- lentils
2- brown rice (of different varieties)
3- dried beans
4- nuts/nut butters
5- pickled everything
Favorites I always have on hand in the pantry..
chickpeas
almonds
quinoa
fire roasted tomatoes
tahini
My pantry seems to always be overloaded with odds and ends that end up in a soup, bowl or stew. But my staples are: olive oil, canned beans, pasta, canned tomatoes and salt!
avocados, sweet potatoes, beans (any variety), canned tomatoes, and green roughage
looks awesome – i love the crispy edges of cauliflower when it’s roasted!
ohh how fun! i always keep:
1. canned chickpeas
2. almond butter
3. sun-dried tomatoes
4. kalamata olives
5. brown rice pasta
I love ATK, one of the few cooking shows I enjoy. This cookbook sounds brilliant.
My always stocked pantry items: olive oil or coconut oil, canned tomatoes, brown rice or quinoa, olives, nut butter.
Thanks for all the great recipes and inspiration.
diced tomatoes, spinach, pasta, nuts, frozen broccoli
My vegan Fab 5 would be:
1.yams/sweet potatoes
2.nutritional yeast
3. Kale
4. Coconut oil/ spread
5. Qunioa
Quinoa, high quality olive oil and white balsamic vinegar, every kind of nut, kale and cannellini beans
This recipe sounds wonderful!! Can’t wait to try it.
My fave pantry staples are garlic, good olive oil, nutritional yeast, red lentils and fresh herbs.
Pasta in general is my comfort food, and this version looks so good! I love sweet roasted garlic. The five ingredients I try to have in my pantry for quick vegetarian meals are a brown and wild rice blend, tahini, a full black peppercorn grinder, diced tomatoes and chickpeas.
Oh man, I’m SO excited that there is finally an ATK vegetarian book, yesss!! I always try to keep chickpeas, pasta, canned tomatoes, broccoli and peanut butter!
Beans, brown rice, onions, olive oil, and lots of spice!
This looks so good! I can’t wait to try it. I love pared down recipes that don’t comprimise flavor. My top veg staples: forbidden rice, nori, lentils, quinoa and canned tomatoes.
My tummy is insistant that I make this dish for dinner tonight :)
And the top five ingredients that my boyfriend and I make sure we have stock of are turmeric, cumin, kale, brown rice, and onions. Can you tell we make a lot of curry?
Five vegetarian staples that I *always* have around are chickpeas, lentils, carrots, peanut butter, and pasta!
Looks Yummm…to make it even healthier, skip the pasta and just make this as a side dish along with other veggies. My pantry ‘go to’s’ are toasted sesame oil, good olive oil, Bragg liquid aminos, Bragg raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and homemade maple syrup from our property.
My 5:
*dried pasta
*olive oil
*vegetable broth
*bagged spinach
*red pepper flakes
I always have short grain brown rice, black beans, chick peas, canned tomatoes, and couscous. (And I never run out of peanut butter!)
Love the idea of mixing crispy roasted veggies into a bowl of pasta. This looks delicious!
Yum! Our 5 staples include:
red lentils
cashew butter
ginger
sliced almonds
yellow onions
weekly grocery list always includes a head of broccoli and cauliflower – roasted at 400-450 with olive oil and a bit of salt..we eat a giant head in one meal!
Olive oil, dried beans, garlic, onion, fresh ginger!
Looks like a fabulous book! I always keep these on hand:
black beans, chickpeas, peanut butter, an assortment of rice & lentils.
Nutritional yeast
Chick peas
Lentils
Diced tomatoes
Ginger
This is such a stunner! Love, love, love all the fun flavours in here.