Red Pepper Cauliflower Pasta

You know when you are craving that big bowl of creamy carby pasta but you don't want the heavy feeling that follows. Enter this creamy red pepper and cauliflower pasta… you get the satisfying carbs (which feed the soul) but it is also packed with veggies to nourish the body. And, as I always try my best to do, it is super easy to make, it just requires a bit of time for the veggies to roast in the oven.

As I have mentioned many times before, I love cauliflower, and this recipe uses cauliflower in TWO ways. The cauliflower is roasted on two sheet pans in the oven, one containing just cauliflower with olive oil salt and pepper… and the other is tossed with red peppers, tomatoes and garlic (also in olive oil, salt and pepper). Once everything is roasted, the contents of the sheet pan with the red peppers and tomatoes goes into a blender to become the sauce. The cauliflower helps create the super creamy texture, along with the help of a little oat (or almond) milk. The other sheet pan of just deliciously golden roasted cauliflower is mixed in with the cooked pasta which is then coated in the luscious creamy red pepper sauce. 

So while you enjoy a large bowl of this creamy pasta, you can feel better knowing that the combination of roasted cauliflower with pasta equates to less carbs in your bowl. And the creamy red pepper sauce is made from vegetables and not a heavy dairy-filled sauce. If gluten-free is your thing you could easily swap for a gluten-free pasta variety.

And if you enjoyed this recipe, you should also check out my vegan cauliflower alfredo recipe for another creamy veggie-filled pasta.

Yield: 4-6

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Red Pepper Cauliflower Pasta

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 30 grape tomatoes (roughly 1 3/4 cups)
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/2 lb. (or 1/2 box) pasta
• 1/2 cup oat or almond milk
• juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
• olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Optional: red pepper flakes and extra lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

1. ROAST: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and prepare two baking sheets. On one sheet place the red peppers, tomatoes, garlic cloves and about 1/3 of the cauliflower, toss in roughly 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. On the second sheet pan, place the rest of the cauliflower, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put both sheet pans in the oven, roast the veggies for 40 minutes. Stir the veggies half way through and if you need to swap positions on oven racks for more men roasting. 
2. COOK: While the veggies are in the oven, cook half a box of pasta according to the package instructions. 
3. BLEND: When the veggies are all browned and fully cooked, remove them from the oven. Place everything from the pan with peppers and tomatoes into a high powered blender. Add oat milk, lemon juice and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust for you preference. You can also add more milk if you want to thin the sauce out more. 
4. COMBINE: Add the pasta, roasted cauliflower and red pepper sauce to a large bowl or pot and stir until all the pasta and cauliflower are coated with sauce. 
5. SERVE: Serve with extra red pepper flakes and a wedge of lemon. Enjoy! 

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