Brown Butter Sage Pasta with Cauliflower & Bacon
Brown Butter Sage Pasta with Cauliflower & Bacon. A creamy cacio e Pepe like sauce to coat all the goodies in this dish. A little cheesy, a little nutty from the brown butter. Tossed with loads of cauliflower and crispy thick-cut bacon and sage leaves. Because it’s Tuesday and a little bit of a decadent pasta is definitely necessary !!
To be honest, I am not getting any spring or summer vibes from this pasta which at first kind of made me a little sad. Because I am just so into those vibes, colors, and flavors right now. BUT after tasting this pasta, I really didn’t care so much anymore about what it looked like.
This pasta dish is all about the flavors and taste. And trust me, there are a lot of good flavors filling this dish. The pasta is coated in a creamy, cheesy cacio e Pepe like sauce mixed with a sage brown butter sauce. Those are like two of the best pasta sauces mixed into one…how could you go wrong with that?! Then toss in those crispy cauliflower, bacon bits, and sage leaves. Absolutely decadent and delicious !!
Tuesday night pasta is looking pretty good tonight even if the spring vibe is missing, the flavors are all there !!
Ingredients
1 head cauliflower; cut into florets
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 pound thick-cut bacon; diced
2 tablespoons butter
25 sages leaves
1 pound pasta
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Directions
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzle the cauliflower with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat in a 425 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until it starts to brown.
Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add the butter to the bacon fat. When sizzling, add the sage and fry until crispy. Transfer the sage leaves to the plate with the bacon.
Cook the pasta. While pasta is cooking add a few large spoonfuls of pasta water to the skillet with the bacon fat. Stir to loosen the brown bits. When pasta is cooked, drain and reserve 1 1/2 cups of cooking water. Pour some of the water into a bowl with the grated cheese and mix until creamy. Transfer the pasta to the skillet. Add the cheese mixture and toss to combine over low heat. Add the pasta water as needed until sauce is creamy. Add the cauliflower, bacon, and sage leaves. Toss until combined and heated through. Serve topped with additional grated cheese.
