Silky, creamy rigatoni carbonara tossed with crispy bacon, roasted cauliflower and topped with garlicky panko breadcrumbs!
My love for a quick + easy weeknight pasta is well documented at this point. See examples here: Bucatini al Limon, The Perfect Fall Pasta, 5-Ingredient Turkey Meatballs. This roasted cauliflower carbonara fits right into that category of super simple (and delicious!) dinners that come together fast!
The main ingredients of any carbonara recipe are just eggs, bacon, parmesan cheese, and pasta. Most of these items are already in my fridge on any given day, even if I haven’t been to the grocery store in a while. The addition of roasted cauliflower and garlic breadcrumbs is my twist on this classic recipe. The cauliflower is roasted in the oven with bacon until it’s golden brown and caramelized then folded into the velvety rigatoni carbonara. Top it all off with buttery, garlicky breadcrumbs, what’s not to like about that?
Carbonara tips + tricks:
- Use room temperature eggs. Take your eggs out of the fridge an hour before you plant to make carbonara. Cold eggs can lead to lumps in your sauce.
- Whisk the egg yolks and parmesan cheese together thoroughly. This will give your sauce a more silky, uniform texture.
- Keep things moving. Stirring helps reduce contact with the hot pan and aerates the eggs. Add the hot rigatoni to the parmesan-egg mixture with one hand while continuously stirring with the other. This takes a little finesse, but you can do it!
- No direct heat! The gentle, residual heat from the noodles is what cooks the eggs to create that velvety, custardy sauce, not the heat from the stovetop.
Recipe Steps:
Step One: Preheat the oven to 400. Place the bacon and cauliflower onto a large baking tray—season with salt and pepper. Toss the cauliflower and bacon together. Roast 30 to 40 minutes stirring halfway through, until the cauliflower is golden brown and the bacon is crispy and caramelized.
Step Two: Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add in the garlic, breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt. Cook the breadcrumb mixture, stirring often, until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer the breadcrumb mixture to a paper towel-lined plate.
Step Three: In a large bowl whisk together the egg yolks, parmesan cheese and a few turns of freshly cracked pepper.
Step Four: Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, occasionally stirring, until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid. Place the pot back on the stove with the heat off; you will use it again.
Step Five: Immediately add the rigatoni into the bowl with the egg and parmesan mixture. Stir until the egg mixture evenly coats the pasta then toss everything back into the pot the pasta was cooked in, (it should still be warm). Add in the roasted bacon and cauliflower, then stir everything together until the sauce thickens, adding pasta water by tablespoonfuls if needed—season with salt and pepper.
Divide the carbonara between bowls, top with garlic bread crumbs, serve immediately!
Roasted Cauliflower Carbonara with Garlic Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower cut into small florets
- 8 oz bacon diced
- 6 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1 c parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- 1 pound rigatoni
- salt and pepper
Garlic Bread Crumbs
- 1 1/2 c panko bread crumbs
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 4 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400. Place the bacon and cauliflower onto a large baking tray. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the cauliflower and bacon together. Roast 30 to 40 minutes stirring every 5-10 minutes until the cauliflower is golden brown and the bacon is crispy and caramelized.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, occasionally stirring, until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid. Place the pot back on the stove with the heat off; you will use it again.
- In a large bowl whisk together the egg yolks, parmesan cheese and a few turns of freshly cracked pepper.
- Immediately add the rigatoni into the bowl with the egg and parmesan mixture. Stir until the egg mixture evenly coats the pasta then toss everything back into the pot the pasta was cooked in, (it should still be warm). Add in the roasted bacon and cauliflower, then stir everything together until the sauce thickens, adding pasta water by tablespoonfuls if needed—season with salt and pepper.Divide the carbonara between bowls, top with garlic bread crumbs, serve immediately!
Garlic Bread Crumbs
- Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. When the butter is melted add in the garlic, breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt. Cook the breadcrumb mixture, stirring often, until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer the breadcrumb mixture to a paper towel-lined plate.
Notes
- Use room temperature eggs. Take your eggs out of the fridge an hour before you plant to make carbonara. Cold eggs can lead to lumps in your sauce.
- Whisk the egg yolks and parmesan cheese together thoroughly. This will give your sauce a more silky, uniform texture.
- Keep things moving. Stirring helps reduce contact with the hot pan and aerates the eggs. Add the hot rigatoni to the parmesan-egg mixture with one hand while continuously stirring with the other. This takes a little finesse, but you can do it!
- No direct heat! The gentle, residual heat from the noodles is what cooks the eggs to create that velvety, custardy sauce, not the heat from the stovetop.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag me @craving_california and use #cravingcalifornia on Instagram so I can see it!
Check out more delicious recipes:
Creamy Mushroom and Garlic Pasta
Bucatini al Limone with Wilted Kale
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