Pasta is a much debated dish in our house. I love it like I was born to eat it. Plus, as a mom of two young children, you know it’s bound to be a crowd-pleaser. The difficult one to convince is my husband; and, to be fair to him, it just doesn’t fill him up like a high-protein meal might. But if I can find a way to up the ante, then we’re in business. Of course, this isn’t as easy to do as a vegetarian…
A few weeks ago, I bought way too much basil. (It wasn’t my fault. There were only large bunches at the supermarket, and too much basil seemed like a better problem than no basil.) So I decided to add a pesto into the week’s meal plan. And to appease the whole family, husband included, I added cauliflower and walnuts to the pesto puree.
This meal is a bit involved and messy, but it isn’t complicated. Save it for a day where you feel like making something delicious from scratch, when you’ve got a craving only comfort food can fix.
Ingredients
1 cauliflower, chopped1 bunch basilHandful of chopped walnutsGarlic saltCherry tomatos (optional)Parmesan (optional)
– Boil the entire cauliflower until tender.
– Toss cauliflower, basil, and walnuts into a food processor and drench in olive oil and garlic salt.
– Puree until smooth. (You may have to do this in stages.)
– Boil and drain pasta.
– Toss pasta in pesto puree, salt to taste.
– Garnish with tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Serve hot!
This recipe and post is written by Sarah Ann Noel. You can find more from Sarah right here.
Yum! As a protein-rich alternative you could look at lentil pastas! We've had to switch over due to dietary restrictions (very difficult as an Italian lady to give up pasta) and I've found the Tolerant brand lentil pastas are super yummy and REALLY filling!! Our toddler loves it! Could be a crowd pleaser for your family too!