I never understood Meatless Monday. If you do grocery shopping on the weekend, doesn’t it make sense to cook with fresh meat early in the week (i.e. MONDAY)? I guess normal people go Meatless on Monday to try to kick off the week on a healthy note. Not me. I’m usually the reverse. Fresh protein for the first half of the week, then vegetarian / pantry meals for the second half of the week! So I’m not sharing this on a Monday to jump in on Meatless Monday. I’m sharing this because I’m one of those people who just can’t resist a bargain, and when giant, beautiful heads of cauliflower were on sale for $1.49, I bought 3 of them. THREE. Yup, that’s the way I operate. Did you think that I planned out the recipes I post with military precision? I’m sorry to burst that bubble! Despite my best attempts, I can’t stick to a recipe posting schedule. I go to the shops with a shopping list designed around things I plan to make, but I always get side tracked by whatever fresh produce is on special! Like lamb shanks. 🙂 That’s why I shared my Lamb Shanks recipe – they were 30% off!

I don’t think people ordinarily associate cauliflower with pasta, but can I tell you – it goes SO WELL! When cauliflower is roasted or browned in a skillet, it gets a slightly nutty flavour. About as different as you can get to bland, boiled cauliflower! But the crowning glory of this pasta has to be the pangrattato. “Pangrattato” is known as the “poor man’s parmesan” in Italy and was invented as an economical substitute for parmesan. It’s just small chunky bits of bread, either toasted of pan fried with olive oil and seasoned with salt. Anything you sprinkle it on – WOW! Salty bursts of crunchy, golden bread, it really can elevate the most ordinary of things into something seriously delicious! I sprinkle it on pasta, gratins and bakes, roasted vegetables (try this Roasted Broccoli with Pangrattato!) and it’s fantastic sprinkled on salads too! Cauliflower pan fried until golden in garlicky butter tossed through pasta with lemon and chili, topped with crunchy salty pangrattato. THIS  is Meat Free for Carnivores! – Nagi x

And more GREAT meat-free pastas!

One Pot Vegetable Pasta Pesto Pasta – with plenty of pesto sauce! Creamy Tomato Pasta Fettuccine Alfredo Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni Vegetarian Lasagna

More cauliflower recipes

Roasted Parmesan Crusted Cauliflower Roasted Cauliflower with Almond Sauce (Ester Restaurant) Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Crunchy Bread Chunks Creamy, Dreamy Cauliflower Soup Chipotle Lime Roasted Cauliflower

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