Romanesco Pasta with Curry Cauliflower Sauce

This vegan romanesco pasta dish is sautéed with apples, poblano pepper, and farfalle pasta, and tossed in a vegan creamy cauliflower sauce. The cauliflower sauce is so creamy that you'll swear there's cream in it. Or at least some milk. But no, not a drop. Pectin in its florets thickens cauliflower into a velvety sauce.

This pasta dish is ready in 30 minutes.

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One of the fun things about eating more vegetarian dishes is trying new vegetables. One of them, for me, was romanesco. I've seen it in the market, looking like something out of Star Trek with its spiral shape. Or something that I expect to see a hobbit sleeping under. But never felt the urge to actually buy it and take it home.

🤷‍♀️ What is romanesco?

Have you tried romanesco yet?

I call it "broccoli light", because that's what it tastes like, but it really is a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. And with parentage like that, it's unsurprisingly nutritious.

👩‍🍳 3 Simple Ways to Prepare Romanesco

Now that you've brought some of this spiral vegetable home, now what? Here are 3 simple ways to prepare it.

1. Eat Raw. Cut the florets from the central core 'trunk', separate any that are attached to each other, and eat raw.
2. Steam. Once the florets are cut up, steam for several minutes until just tender, and toss with olive oil, lemon zest, and Parmesan.
3. Roast. Preheat the oven to 425˚F, drizzle with the cut romanesco florets with olive oil, and sprinkle with dried Italian herbs, salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Roast until tender, 15 - 20 minutes.

👩‍⚕️ Top 5 Nutritional Benefits of Romanesco

• Detoxifies the blood, making it the perfect vegetable to eat after the holidays
• Boosts overall immune function
• High in a flavonoid compound shown to kill cancer cells and prevent the formation of new ones
• Anti-inflammatory
• High in fiber, promoting fullness without the calories

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.

📝 Instructions Overview

Detailed instructions for making this romanesco cauliflower pasta dish are in the recipe card below, but here's a quick overview!

Step 1

Cook the pasta. Bring water to a boil, add a little salt, and cook the pasta according the package directions.

Step 2

Make the sauce. Simmer the cauliflower florets and shallot in vegetable broth under tender. Add it to a blender along with the spices, and whirl it like crazy until smooth.

Step 3

Cook the romanesco. Cook the romanesco on the stovetop with the scallion, poblano pepper, garlic and apple until the romanesco is tender.

Step 4

Combine and serve. Add the pureed sauce and cooked pasta to the pan with the romanesco. Toss and serve topped with some grated Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, and a flurry of red pepper flakes.

⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time

• Purchase cauliflower already cut into florets for the sauce.
• Make the sauce ahead of time, and keep in the sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Cook the pasta ahead and keep in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

🥬 Make it Vegan

Substitute 1 - 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast for the optional cheese or use a plant-based cheese. Or completely omit.

📇 More Vegetable Pasta Dishes For You

If you grew up with chicken tetrazzini as a kid and loved it, I recommend checking out this vegetarian tetrazzini with cauliflower, kicked up with poblano peppers. I love it so much, I included a version of it in my cookbook!

Make this asparagus carbonara and see how easy it is to make carbonara without bacon. Oh, and it's topped with horseradish breadcrumbs. Yum!

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Romanesco Pasta with Apples and Curry Cauliflower Sauce

Romanesco looks like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower, and is related to both.  It looks like spiral, spiky trees, that form kind of into a ball. Eat it raw in salads, steam it for a side dish, or add it to a pasta like this recipe.

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Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: Any

Keyword: Romanesco pasta

Servings: 4

Calories: 541.9kcal

Author: Susan Pridmore

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot
• Chef's knife
• Large skillet
• medium pot
• countertop blender

Ingredients

Romanesco Pasta with Apples

• 3 tablespoons olive oil plus a drizzle at the end
• 1 cup sliced scallions including the green stems
• 2 -3 tablespoons small diced poblano pepper
• 1 - 2 tablespoons garlic paste
• ½ Fuji apple unpeeled, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup romanesco florets about 1 medium head romanesco
• ½ cup Creamy Cauliflower Sauce, recipe below
• 2 cups farfalle pasta
• ½ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 ½ tablespoons grated Asiago cheese optional
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt to taste
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon toasted breadcrumbs
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional, if needed

Curry Cauliflower Sauce

• 2 cups cauliflower florets cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 ¼ cups vegetable broth
• 1 medium shallot peeled and quartered
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup olive oil

Instructions

Romanesco Pasta with Apples

• Heat water in a large pot to cook the pasta, and follow the directions on the package to cook to al dente. Scoop out ¼ cup of pasta water, and set aside. Drain.
• Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the scallion and poblano and sautè, stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrent, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the romanesco florets and cook another 2 minutes. Add the apples and sautè until the apples are slightly soft, about 2 minutes.
• Add the sauce and cooked pasta along with a couple tablespoons of the cooking water, and toss until everything is heated through, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes.

  Top with the parsley, cheese, and breadcrumbs. Finish with a little salt and a few grinds of pepper. If you want a little more heat, sprinkle with a dried red pepper flakes.
• Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve warm.

Curry Cauliflower Sauce

• In a medium saucepan, cover the cauliflower and shallot with vegetable stock and simmer, partially covered, until very tender, about 20 minutes.

  Add everything to a blender along with the spices, and whirl until smooth. While the blender is running, slowly pour in olive oil to emulsify.
• Store any leftovers airtight in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 541.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 42.5g | Protein: 9.1g | Fat: 39.2g | Saturated Fat: 5.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 27.7g | Cholesterol: 1.3mg | Sodium: 1344.3mg | Potassium: 593.5mg | Fiber: 5.9g | Sugar: 8.2g | Vitamin A: 1242.8IU | Vitamin C: 117.2mg | Calcium: 105.4mg | Iron: 4.2mg