Alison Roman’s Creamy Cauliflower Pasta With Pecorino Breadcrumbs
23
- Prep Time10 min
- Total Time45 min
- Makes4 servings
This recipe is wonderful for many reasons: A whole head of cauliflower caramelizes in a skillet before being simmered with heavy cream, black pepper, pecorino cheese, and a bit of lemon zest, breaking down into a special (and yes, decadent) sauce to coat the pasta shape of your choosing...it’s all very dreamy. But really, it’s the pecorino breadcrumbs we’re here for, and that’s okay—they’re magnificent.
A crunchy, oily, salty vehicle for more cheese and much-needed texture, they’re the ideal finish to a saucy pasta such as this, but please don’t stop there. Use them as tiny croutons to finish a Caesar salad or scatter them over the top of a pot of saucy beans. Once they’re in your life, you’ll never want to be without them.
Ingredients
6 tbsp olive oil
¾ cup fresh coarse or panko breadcrumbs
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup finely grated pecorino cheese, plus more
8 oz dried rigatoni, ziti or campanelle
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 lbs), sliced about ½ inch thick
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest, plus more
½ cup finely chopped chives
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat evenly in the oil and cook, tossing occasionally, until they’re evenly toasted and golden brown, 4–6 min. Add ¼ cup of the pecorino and toss to coat, letting the cheese melt and clump among the breadcrumbs (think granola-like clusters). Remove from the heat and transfer to a small bowl or plate; set aside.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente; save about 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
Wipe out any crumbs from the skillet and heat the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cauliflower and season with salt and plenty of pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the cauliflower has completely softened and both the cauliflower and shallots are beginning to caramelize and brown, 12–15 min.
Add the cream and lemon zest and bring to a simmer, then let the cream reduce and thicken, 2–4 min. Season with salt and plenty of pepper.
Add the pasta to the cauliflower along with the remaining ¼ cup pecorino and ¾ cup of the pasta water. Cook, tossing to coat the pasta and thicken the sauce, until it’s thick and glossy and almost resembles macaroni and cheese, adding more pasta water by the tablespoon as needed, 4–6 min.
Remove from the heat. Divide the pasta among bowls and top with pecorino breadcrumbs, chives, more lemon zest, red pepper flakes (if using) and more cheese if you like.
Find more delicious recipes from Alison Roman’s Something From Nothing, plus a decadent holiday feast from Nothing Fancy.
Something from Nothing Copyright © 2025 by Alison Roman. Photographs copyright © 2025 by Chris Bernabeo. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Excerpted with permission from the publisher.
Alison Roman is a New York–based cook, writer and author of the New York Times bestselling cookbooks Nothing Fancy, Dining In, Sweet Enough and Something From Nothing. She writes the newsletter titled A Newsletter, hosts the cooking show Home Movies on YouTube and runs First Bloom, a corner store in Bloomville, New York,
