Cauliflower-Feta Pasta Bake

I certainly don't cook nearly as often as my sister, but I didn't want to let you guys go without while she was living it up in Disneyland. I love pasta but to eat it with alfredo sauce(my favorite) all the time would put on more pounds that I don't have because of my love for sugar. So I do like to try new and different recipes with pasta. This one caught my attention because to mix cauliflower and feta with pasta? It seemed strange to me. It was alright, not anything I'd make because I crave it. But when I want pasta and something different, then this is it.


I got the recipe from my Menu Planner in the Rachael Ray Magazine, March 2009 issue. I have since lost it and cannot for the life of me find it on her website, so the recipe from memory is...

3/4 pound pasta(I used small shells because its what I had)
1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
olive oil
14 ounce can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes
2 cups olives(I used regular black instead of kalamatas)
1/2 cup of feta, crumbled

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss cauliflower and olive oil. Spread onto a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, boil water for pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, drain the pasta. Mix pasta, reserved pasta water, crushed tomatoes, olives and feta cheese together. Pour into a 13x9 baking pan. Top with roasted cauliflower. Heat in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until dish is heated through.

I also added some shredded mozarella on the top because I like cheese. Shamelessly.