I gave this interesting-sounding pasta a shot, and it was a surprise hit, especially considering the sauce is mostly cauliflower! The kids liked it too. I will definitely make again, with a few adjustments.

From Food 52/Andy Bennett

Creamy Cauliflower Pasta Carbonara

Ingredients:

Pasta Carbonara

• 1 tablespoon (12g) olive oil
• 1 cup (100g) sliced spring onions or green onions
• 2 tablespoons (20g) roughly chopped garlic
• 1 cup (200g) Creamy Cauliflower Sauce (from below)
• 2 cups dried pasta, (250g) cooked al dente pasta (from about 125g dry pasta—for the rigatoni we used, this was about 2 cups dry pasta)
• ²/₃ cup (90g) fresh or frozen green peas, cooked in salted water
• ¹/₂ cup Scant, (10g) chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 6 tablespoons (12g) finely grated Parmesan
• Smoked sea salt, to taste (optional)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon (4g) toasted breadcrumbs, or more to taste

Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

• 2 cups (200g) cauliflower florets (in roughly 1/2-inch pieces)
• 2 ¹/₄ cups (500g) vegetable stock or broth
• ¹/₂ cup (100g) neutral oil such as canola
• Salt to taste

Directions:

Pasta Carbonara:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the spring onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until the onions and garlic are turning light golden. Add the sauce, pasta, and peas and heat everything through, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes.
2. Once hot, stir in the cheese and parsley, season with smoked salt and black pepper to taste and place in a serving bowl. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and serve immediately. 

 Creamy Cauliflower Sauce:

1. In a medium saucepan, cover the cauliflower with vegetable stock and simmer, partially covered, until really tender, about 20 minutes. Blend the cauliflower and stock till smooth with a blender or hand blender. While the blender is running, slowly pour in olive oil to emulsify.
2. Store any leftovers airtight in the refrigerator and use as a creamy sauce, warm or cold.