Pasta w/ Cauliflower & Brussels Sprouts

When Real Simple asks if you want to be apart of their Stress Free Month of Dinners Blog Relay  you say YES, right?

Good. I thought so.

Here’s a little carb background for you: I like a little pasta with my vegetables. My husband likes a little vegetables with his pasta. That’s why I picked this recipe. Depending how you scoop out a serving, we both get exactly what we want.

I loved the roasted vegetables in this pasta dish. The tang of the Pecorino and the browned leaves of the Brussels sprouts were fantastic. The onions, cauliflower & thyme were pretty great too. The addition of a lemon spritz at the end woke it all up. I’m pretty sure I got my suggested daily serving of vegetables in this recipe and I can’t wait for leftovers.

Best part of it all is that it took me less than 25 minutes to make this whole dish. That in itself deserves an award.

You can follow along the Blog Relay by checking here. I can’t wait to see some of my favorite bloggers try out Real Simple recipes & share them on their blogs.

And we’re off!

Ingredient gathering. Not pictured? Lemon.

Cut up the vegetables. Place them on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper & thyme.

ROAST.

While the vegetables are roasting, cook your pasta.

Reserve some of the liquid. This helps us make a sauce and moisten up the pasta.

Grate the Pecorino.

ROASTED!

COOKED.

Return the pasta to the pan and toss in the vegetables, cheese & olive oil.

Stir! Add a little reserved pasta water to lubricate.

A few squeezes of lemon brighten up the dish & seals the deal.

And we’re ready to serve!

Bing bang BOOM. That was easy.

In fact, it was Real Simple. See what I did there?

Rigatoni with Roasted Cauliflower & Brussels Sprouts

serves 4

recipe slightly adapted from Real Simple Magazine

  • 3/4  pound  rigatoni or some other short pasta
  • 1/2  medium head cauliflower (about 1 pound), cut into florets
  • 8  ounces  Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (quartered if large)
  • 1  medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
  • 2  sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4  tablespoons  olive oil
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2  ounces  grated Pecorino (about 1/2 cup), plus more for serving
  • 1/2 lemon

Heat oven to 450° F. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
Meanwhile, on 2 large rimmed baking sheets, toss the cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and onion with the thyme, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Roast, tossing the vegetables once and rotating the sheets halfway through, until golden brown and tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the vegetables, Pecorino, ½ cup of the reserved cooking water, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pasta and toss to combine (add more cooking water if the pasta seems dry). Squeeze half fresh lemon over pasta and stir. Serve sprinkled with additional Pecorino.

  • Marie

    An other great recipe, like usual. 🙂
    I don’t like pasta very often, except for carbonara, but I will try roasted Brussels sprouts for sure!
    Thanks and have a lovely weekend!

  • Kristin A.

    Such great photos Tracy! This recipe is definitely on my list of must-try dishes.

  • Ashley

    I am so ready for brussel sprouts! I’m like you and like a little pasta with a lot of veggies. Happy Friday!

  • Amber

    I have to try this! I have the hardest time incorporating veggies into meals some days. May have to mix this dish up with different veggies that my little will try. Thanks!

  • Mal @ The Chic Geek

    Yum, this looks so wonderful!

    Have a lovely weekend!

  • Jackie

    This looks delicious, but as a fellow list-lover, I’m missing your Friday list! Hope you have a great weekend!

  • Kayla

    I love Brussels sprouts! I might add bacon.. for protein, of course 😉

  • Eileen

    Yes! Roasted veg and pasta is such a wonderful quick fall dinner. I’m so excited to cook with brussels sprouts again!

  • Sarah

    I love roasted vegetables! Yummy!

  • Amy Powell

    oh how yum! this is the perfect recipe for next week 🙂

  • Diane

    Heh. Lubricate.

    On a more mature note: these are exactly the kind of meals I love. Something I can toss together in a couple of minutes without too much foresight. Except the gentleman wouldn’t count it as “dinner” if I didn’t toss some protein in there, too. (Men.)

  • Michelle

    So, so yum! I will eat a pile of roasted vegetables like nobody’s business!

  • Sarah @ Snap A Bite

    My boyfriend is not too fond of Brussels sprouts. Cauliflower however is by far his favorite vegetable so maybe if I change the amounts, I might be able to serve it right here. It seems like a recipe that can be made fairly fast. I’m always a fan of that!

  • Saar Dockx

    I live in Belgium, so how can I not love this recipe?
    It’s perfect for winter I think!

    love, Saar

  • becky d

    I totally loved this…made it w/ whole-wheat rotini and added some crushed red pepper flakes too. DELISH. There isn’t a recipe with b-sprouts that I wouldn’t try.
    Mmmmmmm, sprouts!

  • Kara West

    Just made this tonight and I’ve never seen my husband eat so many brussel sprouts! I’m also excited because I have enough left over for a few lunches. Might add some garlic before roasting next time – I’m just such a sucker for those crunch bits of garlic goodness that comes with roasting.

  • i'm pam

    I just wanted to say your blog is my one of my favorites. I found you thru Joy the Baker – my other favorite blog. Your photos, recipes, links and comments are right there with me.

    I made this recipe tonight. Darn good. My husband loves the pumpkin pecan doughnuts.

    Keep posting! I’ll keep reading.

    xoxo pam

    • Tracy

      Thank you sooo much for your kind words! I’m so glad you found me and took the time to say how you felt! xoxoxox

  • Rigatoni with Brussels Sprouts & Cauliflower – jadedlovely

    […] is an amazing blog that I read daily.  Most of the new recipes I try come from her.  This recipe, rigatoni with roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, is so worth a try if you’re looking for an easy fresh weeknight […]

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