Piping hot rigatoni, crispy bacon, and roasted cauliflower tossed with rich and velvety egg yolks and salty parmesan cheese. This riff on a classic carbonara is topped with crispy, garlicky panko breadcrumbs for an unexpected twist!
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 star ingredients of any carbonara recipe are eggs, bacon and parmesan cheese. 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?
Ingredients You’ll Need:
All you need is a few simple ingredients to make this recipe: a head of cauliflower, bacon, eggs, panko bread crumbs, pasta, butter, parmesan cheese (freshly grated is best) and garlic.
Recipe Steps:
Step 1. Roast the Cauliflower and Bacon
Cut the bacon and cauliflower into small pieces then roast on a sheet tray until golden brown and crispy. Get my all-time favorite sheet trays here!
Step 2. Cook the Pasta
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water. Reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
Step 3. Make the Sauce
In a large bowl whisk together the egg, egg yolk, parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper. Pour the hot cooked pasta directly into the bowl and start tossing right away. Add in some pasta water to achieve a velvety consistency.
Add the pasta and yolk mixture back into the pot that the past was cooked in, do not turn on the stove. Continue tossing the pasta and egg yolk mixture allowing the residual heat from the pot to gently cook the eggs and thicken the sauce. Last, fold in the bacon and cauliflower.
Divide the carbonara between bowls, top with garlic breadcrumbs, serve immediately!
Garlic Breadcrumbs:
These crispy panko breadcrumbs can be made 2-3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Melt butter and garlic in a pan over medium heat then add the panko, stirring frequently until golden brown. Season with salt.
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 direct heat from the stovetop.
Recipe FAQs:
It sure can! Carbonara is best reheated in the microwave. To reheat, cover the carbonara with a damp paper towel then warm in microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or so to avoid overcooking the egg.
Usually, I’m all about a short-cut but in this one case it’s better to grate the parmesan cheese yourself. Pre-grated cheeses are coated in anti-caking ingredients that can make sauces like carbonara gritty and clumpy.
A simple salad will do like Herb Salad with Shaved Parm or The Everyday Dinner Salad. You could also make a side of Broccolini with Calabrian Chilis and Garlic.
Check Out More Delicious Recipes:
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Roasted Cauliflower Carbonara with Garlic Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower cut into small florets
- 8 oz bacon diced
- 1 whole egg
- 5 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1 c freshly grated parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- 1 pound rigatoni
- salt and pepper
Garlic Bread Crumbs
- 1 ½ 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 half way through, 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. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Place the pot back on the stove with the heat off; you will use it again.
- In a large bowl whisk together the whole egg, egg yolk, parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper. Pour the hot cooked pasta and ¼c pasta water directly into the bowl and start tossing right away. Add the pasta and yolk mixture back into the pot that the past was cooked in, do not turn on the stove. Continue tossing the pasta and egg yolk mixture allowing the residual heat from the pot to gently cook the eggs and thicken the sauce. Add more pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce. Last, fold in the bacon and cauliflower.Divide the carbonara between bowls, top with garlic bread crumbs, black pepper and extra grated parmesan, 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.
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