purple
cauliflower and pasta

I thought of my girl friend Karen when I made this purple cauliflower and pasta recipe and added it to my vegetable pasta recipes page. She is so crazy about purple she calls it an obsession. But what a brilliantly colored Italian pasta recipe tradition with an artistic twist! It looked so pretty on the plate I almost didn't want to eat it.

Almost!

If you are a vegetarian, pasta with vegetables might be a pretty big part of your diet so I'm sure you like to keep it creative by using interesting combination's of foods and colors. After all we eat with our eyes first.

This is a Southern Italian tradition combining Rigatoni, pine nuts and raisins. Raisins are a big part of the Southern Italian Region and are as abundant as charming Italian waiters.

You'll find them in Southern Italian pesto recipes, seafood dishes, as well as luscious desserts and sweets.

Pasta with Cauliflower Ingredients:

  1. 1 lb of Rigatoni pasta, cooked al dente
  2. 1 head of purple cauliflower cut into florets
  3. ⅓ cup of toasted pine nuts
  4. ½ cup of golden raisins
  5. some chopped parsley
  6. ½ cup Olive Oil
  7. ¼ cup of grated parmigiano
  8. 4 cloves of sautéed, crushed garlic

Cauliflower and Pasta Preparation:

Boil a large pot of water and a medium pot of water at the same time. The large pot is to cook the Rigatoni. Cook it al dente, rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process, toss in a drizzle of olive oil and set aside.

The small pot is to steam the cauliflower. Cook it till it's steamed but still firm, drain and set aside.



In a small sauté pan add the pine nuts and toss in the heated pan until they are golden brown. Set them aside as well.

Sauté the Crushed garlic in a pan coated with olive oil, then the raisins and then the purple cauliflower. When they are well blended you can add the pine nuts, the rigatoni and the olive oil and toss.

Remove from heat and toss in the grated parmigiano cheese.

Isn't it beautiful?
Que Bella!

Vivere, Amare, Ridere e Mangiare Bene
Live, Love, Laugh and Eat Well!
Kira Volpi

Do you have a pasta recipe to share? Just like this cauliflower and pasta recipe I will post it right here on this site for a whole page dedicated to your Italian pasta recipe.

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VEGETABLE PASTA RECIPES

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