Cauliflower Pasta with Bacon and Parmesan

A friend told me the other day that cauliflower is “in” (as in hip, trendy, cool). What? In the vicious struggle for vegetable world domination cauliflower is knocking kale off its mighty perch? And for those of us who are fangirls of both, do we take sides?

Hah! If cauliflower is finding a place among the trendy fooderati, well I say, about time. I mean really. Cauliflower is delicious. It’s great in cauliflower soup, roasted with Parmesan, or in curry. It’s also great with pasta.

In this dish we are browning some bacon and onions, cooking small cauliflower florets in the bacon fat, and tossing everything together with pasta, lemon zest, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This is one of those dishes that never left the kitchen because we ate every last bit of it.

Have a favorite creative dish that makes use of cauliflower? Let us know about it in the comments!

Cauliflower Pasta with Bacon and Parmesan Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 ounces thick-cut sliced bacon, cut into half inch pieces
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 cups thinly sliced red onion (1 large red onion)
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
• 4 cups small bite-sized cauliflower florets (see How to Cut and Core Cauliflower)
• 1/2 pound cavatappi, gemelli, or fusilli dry pasta
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Read More: Cauliflower Pasta with Bacon and Parmesan