Bowl of rigatoni coated in a smooth green cauliflower and cashew sauce, topped with breadcrumbs and lemon zest.
WRITTEN BY
SERVES:
2-4 PEOPLE
Prep Time:
10 MINUTES
Cook Time:
20 MINUTES

Green Cauliflower Pasta is what happens when you treat cauliflower as the base of a sauce instead of a side. Boil it with garlic and a handful of spinach, then blitz the lot with cashews and olive oil into a smooth, savoury coat for rigatoni or tortiglioni. No roux, no cream, just blended greens. Finish with breadcrumbs for crunch and lemon zest to lift it. Only have a regular white cauliflower? It still works with a bit of kale or silverbeet stirred in for colour. A low-effort weeknight dinner that quietly clears out half the greens in your box.

Recipe by: Kylee Newton (@themodernpreserver)

INGREDIENTS:

  • ½ large or 1 small green cauliflower
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • 100g spinach, silver beet or kale
  • 30g raw cashews
  • 40ml olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 240-500g tortiglioni or rigatoni (dried)
  • Extra virgin olive oil, to serve
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Breadcrumbs, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add 1 tsp salt.
  2. Cut the cauliflower into big chunks and peel the garlic cloves, leaving them whole.
  3. Boil the cauliflower and garlic for 3 minutes, then scoop out with a sieve or spider strainer and place into a high-speed blender. Keep the water boiling.
  4. Dunk the spinach into the boiling water, scoop it out after 30 seconds and run cold water over it to stop it cooking. Squeeze out the excess water and add to the blender.
  5. Add the raw cashews and olive oil to the blender, season with salt and pepper, and blitz into a very fine sauce.
  6. Add the pasta to the boiling salted water, about 120g per person, and cook until al dente. Drain, then return the pasta to the large pot.
  7. Fold the green sauce through the pasta until fully coated. Plate up and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of breadcrumbs and lemon zest over the top.
wonkybox

Green Cauliflower Pasta

Green cauliflower blitzed with cashews and spinach into a silky, no-cook pasta sauce. A clever way through your spring greens.
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