Baked Penne with Cauliflower and Pancetta

I'm a sucker for melty, cheesy, toasty, crunchy, baked pasta. This penne dish with roasted cauliflower, heaps of fontina cheese, crisp pancetta and a savory creamy garlic tomato sauce checked all of those boxes for me. Perhaps not ideal nearing swim suit season (I keep reminding myself that it's rapidly approaching despite the recently chilly temps)- however the splurge was well worth it.

Serves 6 Ingredients:
- 1 pound of penne pasta
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 4-6 ounces of diced pancetta or bacon
- 1 to 1 1/2 jars of your favorite marinara sauce
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 4 large cloves of garlic, minced or grated
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme (or half a teaspoon of dried)
- 1/3 cup freshly chopped parsley
- 2 cups of Italian Fontina cheese (could substitute mozzarella), grated
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cut the cauliflower into florets- drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet at 375 degrees for approximately 35 minutes (until tender and golden brown.) This can be done in advance.


Boil the pasta per package directions. After draining it- toss it back in the pot with a drizzle of olive oil to keep it from sticking together. Set aside. Pour cream into a large sauce pan over medium low-heat.

Add the grated garlic and simmer for 5 minutes or so until warm and fragrant. Don't let it boil. Add 1 to 1/2 jars of marinara to the saucepan and cook together for another 5 minutes until warmed through.



Toss the cauliflower and half of the cheeses (save the other half for the topping) into the pot with the cooked pasta.

**Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the sauce to serve alongside the past. Pour the remaining sauce over the pasta and then add the parsley and thyme. Toss together with a large spoon and then transfer to a buttered/sprayed baking dish. (roughly 9 x 13 in size). You could also freeze half of the pasta at this point as well if you're cooking for 2. (John and I ate left overs for days..)

Top the pasta with the remaining cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until melted and brown.

If making ahead of time, you can freeze or refrigerate the baking dish covered tightly with foil and plastic wrap. Bake covered with foil for an extra 15-20 minutes if its cold when it goes into the oven.

While the pasta bakes, cook the pancetta or bacon in a skillet over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil until crispy and brown. (About 4 minutes) Spoon the cooked bits onto a paper towel lined plate to drain. Serve the pasta with a spoonful of the extra sauce in the bowl and ateaspoon or so of the pancetta/bacon bits over the top.




By the way if you think you don't like cauliflower- you probably haven't tried it roasted versus the boring old boiled-to-death variety. It's truly delicious and adds the perfect element of toasty flavor and texture to the pasta. And don't skip the fresh parsley! You'll be glad its there.

Adapted from recipe found on foodandwine.com.