Across Italy · No.59 / 103
Pasta with cauliflower
Pasta with cauliflower
Finely chopped stems and small florets cook in stages before conchiglie finishes in garlic-and-chili oil with pasta water.
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Meet the dish
An Italian vegetable pasta that sautés cauliflower stems and florets in garlic oil
Rather than reducing cauliflower to a complete purée, chopped stems and small florets retain bite after a 7–8 minute high-heat sauté. Very firm conchiglie finishes in the skillet, trapping garlic oil, chili, browned vegetable pieces, and cooking water inside each shell.
Pasta shapes to use
- Ridged conchiglie that catch finely chopped cauliflower
Key ingredients
- Cauliflower
- Conchiglie
- Skin-on garlic
- Dried chili
- Extra-virgin olive oil
Follow the cooking scenes
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Step 1: Separate stems and florets
Remove tough outer leaves, finely chop the cauliflower stems, and divide the head into small florets. Start salted water for conchiglie and place skin-on garlic and dried chili in an oiled skillet.
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Step 2: Sauté stems first for 7–8 minutes
Once the oil is fragrant, cook the stems first, then add the florets. Sauté over assertive heat for 7–8 minutes to brown some edges; use a small splash of pasta water to dissolve the browned residue.
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Step 3: Finish very firm pasta in the skillet
Drain conchiglie well before normal al dente and add it to the cauliflower. Finish with several small additions of pasta water, tossing chopped stems into the shells, then add raw olive oil.
What to watch for
- Finely chop and start the stems before the florets. Adding both together leaves either hard stems or overcooked florets.
- Begin with only enough water to deglaze the skillet. Flooding the pan erases the sautéed flavor and turns the vegetables into a boil.
What sets it apart
The cauliflower remains textured: stems and florets cook in stages and lodge inside conchiglie instead of becoming a purée.