Recipe: Cauliflower and sausage pasta bake

The colder days call for comfort-food dishes. And this easy, cheesy pasta bake truly hits the spot.

Warm and creamy, the delicious dish features baked cauliflower, sausage and bechamel cheese. With pasta, too, of course. It’s perfect for when you want a good stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal.

1 head of cauliflower cleaned and cut into florets

12 oz (340 g) rigatoni pasta

11 oz (312 g) spicy or sweet sausage meat

3/4 cup (180 mL) breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup (125 mL) grated Parmigiano cheese

Fresh basil leaves

Bechamel sauce

5 tbsp (75 mL) butter

1/4 cup (60 mL) all-purpose flour

4 cups (1,000 mL) milk

1 tsp (5 mL) salt

1/4 tsp (1 mL) fresh grated nutmeg

Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter until it bubbles. Add the all-purpose flour to the melted butter. Whisk constantly for 1 to 2 minutes so the flour cooks out and loses its raw taste without turning dark. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking vigorously to prevent lumps. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 10-20 minutes stirring often until the sauce is thick and smooth enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the salt and fresh grated nutmeg.

Boil the cauliflower florets in salted water until tender-crisp then drain. In a large pot of salted boiling water cook your pasta until al dente (a minute or two shy of package instructions) then drain.

In a skillet over medium heat sauté the crumbled Italian sausage meat until browned and cooked through. Set aside. Preheat oven 350 F. Lightly grease a baking dish and sprinkle some breadcrumbs. Spread about a quarter of the bechamel sauce across the bottom of the dish. In a large bowl combine the cooked pasta, steamed cauliflower florets and browned sausage. Pour the pasta mixture into the baking dish then top evenly with the remaining béchamel sauce. Sprinkle with remaining breadcrumbs and Parmigiano cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 F for about 35 minutes until the top is bubbly and golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil leaves (optional).

Serves 4.

Maria Fazzari Larosa is a cookbook author of Maria’s Italian Cucina of Burnaby who shares her recipe creations online @mariascucina on Instagram.