Sausage-Cauliflower Spaghetti

I've really been into pasta lately.

Now let me drop some knowledge on you.  Pasta is not your friend in the summertime.  Why can't I understand that?  Oh, I can't.  I'm too busy eating pasta. I guess it didn't help that I bought more than 2 lbs of pasta from Flour City earlier this summer.  Hmmm...probably not the smartest move.  (My taste buds would disagree with that statement.)

As I was flipping through one of my favorite recipe sources, a Sausage-Cauliflower Spaghetti recipe jumped out at me.  It was from one of my favorite sections of the Food Network magazine, which is Weeknight Cooking.  All of these recipes are relatively quick to whip up which pretty makes it appealing to me.  Lately I've been wearing myself down with the amount of time spent at work, working out, running errands, hanging with friends...Ok, I could go on but I'll spare you and just say that I needed to make this.  Now.

Sausage-Cauliflower Spaghetti

slightly adapted from The Food Network Magazine's recipe

Print Recipe

• 12 oz spaghetti
• Salt
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 12 oz Andouille sausage, casings removed
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped (for me this equaled 6 scallions)
• 1 1/3 cup grated Manchego cheese

1)  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add a handful of salt.  Pour in the spaghetti and cook until al dente, or to desired texture.

2) Reserve two cups of cooking water, then drain the spaghetti.

3) In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add the sausage and cook, breaking the sausage up as it lightly browns.  Cook the sausage until it is no longer pink.

4) Clear a space in the pan and add the garlic . Cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes.

5) Add the cauliflower and cook until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes.

6) Add 1 cup of the reserved cooking water, cover the pan, and reduce the heat to medium.

7) Cook the mixture until the cauliflower is tender, about 5-8 minutes.

8) Uncover the pan and boil over high heat until the liquid is almost evaporated.

9) Add the spaghetti and scallions to the pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.  

10) Toss the pasta with the sausage and cauliflower for about a minute, in order to wilt the scallions and coat the pasta with the sauce.  Add the extra cup of cooking water, if a looser sauce is desired.

11) Remove the pan from the heat, sprinkle with the Manchego and toss.  Drizzle with more olive oil, if desired.

I really didn't change much about this recipe.  It was quick and easy and that's exactly what I was looking for.  The recipe list wasn't crazy out of control either, which means that I could totally handle making this happen.  And it happened.  The combination of spicy sausage, tender and sweet cauliflower, and melted cheese all came together with the pasta and sauce to provide the perfect quick meal.