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Pasta with Cauliflower, Lemon and Pistachios
We drew on the flavors of bagna cauda—the sauce-like dip from Italy's Piedmont region that is a harvest ritual—pairing pasta and skillet-seared cauliflower with the bold flavors of garlic and anchovies. The anchovies melt away, leaving behind a salty-savory tang, while butter and some of the pasta cooking water help create a quick pan sauce. Toasted pistachios add crunch; lemon juice and zest brighten the dish. Campanelle is a frilly, trumpet-shaped pasta that catches both cauliflower and sauce; other short pasta shapes, such as farfalle and cavatappi, also worked well.
4
Servings
Tip
Don't cook the pasta until entirely al dente. The pasta will soften further when tossed with the sauce.
30 minutes
Ingredients
-
12
ounces campanelle pasta or other short pasta
-
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Directions
-
01In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add the pasta and 2 tablespoons salt and cook until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain and set aside. Meanwhile in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add the pistachios and cook, stirring, until fragrant and bright green, 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer to a small bowl.
Reviews
August 4, 2026
Delicious!
I had to use slivered almonds in place of the pistachios, but that was no problem. This is delicious. Garlic, anchovies, lemon … how could it not be??
July 15, 2026
Fine Restaurant-Quality Flavors!
We are slow cooks, and we doubled the recipe, so it took us a little longer to prep the ingredients and cook everything. But MAN, it is delicious! The savory anchovies meld together with the pistachios, cauliflower, and garlic beautifully to create a deep, toasty, melt-in-your mouth flavor! Then the lemon zest, lemon juice, and flat-leaf parsley add a perfect counterbalance of freshness and zing! No issues with doubling the recipe. At first, overcrowding the pan made the cauliflower steam rather than sear, so we seared the cauliflower in four sessions rather than two. Highly recommend this one!
March 12, 2024
Easy Weeknight Dish
Love this dish for a quick weeknight dinner. Lots of interesting flavors and textures. We like it with NY Sfoglini pasta.
December 8, 2023
Favorite recipe ever!
I make this recipe almost once a month, it's so easy and so tasty!
August 15, 2023
Oh yeah
Amazing
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I subbed barley for pasta (toasted, then boiled for 15 minutes, drained; thinned the cooking water for use in recipe).
Use less anchovy.