Baked Rigatoni with Roasted Cauliflower In A Spicy Pink Sauce

Before I talk about this recipe, I want to thank "Emily White Designs" for my blog makeover.  I loved the first design that she created for me, almost three years ago. I just felt ready for a new and fresh look.  I love it,  I hope you find it to be user-friendly.

If you've been reading my blog for a while, I tend to post step-by-step photos on how to recreate the recipe.  I didn't really intend to blog this recipe, because I was tired (and hungry).  It was dark outside, and I didn't want to set up a light stand in order to photograph.  The recipe turned out to be very easy to make, and by the time I took the dish of baked pasta out of the oven-- and I took a taste-- I knew I had to share this.

I subscribe to Fine Cooking Magazine, and I signed up for their "Make It Tonight" newsletter. The star of the show is the "pink sauce".  You need canned tomatoes (I used San Marzano), onion, garlic, fresh parsley and red pepper flakes.  I pureed the tomatoes in my food processor in no time at all.
Once you saute' onion, garlic& red pepper flakes, you add the pureed tomatoes and 1/2 cup of heavy cream-- and that' s not a lot of cream, considering this recipe makes 8-10 servings.  (Next time, I'll cut the recipe in half).

The original recipe cooks the cauliflower in the pasta water.  Roasted veggies are  my favorite way to prepare them as a side dish.  So, I drizzled olive oil on cauliflower florets and roasted them (on a baking sheet) , to al dente,  for about 15-20 minutes.  If you hate cauliflower, no worries!  Just use broccoli, or squash-- or use sausage, if you wish.  You can't go wrong, because the sauce is full of flavor and is so simple to make!  I cleaned out my fridge by using a Quattro-Formagio (four-cheese) package from Trader Joe's and a small wedge of Fontina cheese (which I grated, of course)  You can use whatever cheeses you like, but I'd stick to a white cheese.  Some freshly grated Parmigiano- Reggiano completed the topping. 

TASTING NOTES: We enjoy vegetarian dinners, and I loved the "crunch" and texture of the cauliflower. I doubled the amount of fresh garlic, and it was perfect.  I didn't find the sauce to have a lot of spicy heat, so don't be afraid to kick it up if you prefer.  The next day, this pasta reheated well as leftovers.  The pink sauce is a keeper!  From start to finish, this dinner was on the table in about 45 minutes.  I hope you give this simple dinner a try. I'm sure glad that I did.

As always, a printable recipe is at the end of this post.