TGIF guys!  This week had been dragging for me, and I am super excited about the weekend finally arriving.  Tomorrow night I get to dress up in a ball gown and Canean will be looking dashing in a tux because we are attending a Mardi Gras Ball!  To be honest I'm really excited, we haven't gotten this dressed up since our wedding almost seven years ago!  It's our last Mardi Gras here in Louisiana so it will be a great way to go out with a bang.  As far as the rest of the weekend goes, I'm going to be doing a little blog planning, house de-cluttering, and eating comfort food like my Roasted Cauliflower and Whole Wheat Pasta with Pork Meatballs.

This recipe is one of my favorites.  It's pretty healthy and the cauliflower adds extra volume to the dish and you end up eating less pasta.  It's on regular rotation at our house because cauliflower happens to be one of my favorite veggies, especially when it's roasted and it's in season right now!  The flavor is nutty and adds so much to this pasta dish.  And we all know I am meatball obsessed and my pork meatballs are my favorite to make and are the perfect third component to this recipe! 

Your whole family will go nuts over this dish and it's perfect for these chilly nights and cozying up with a big bowl, a glass of wine, and your favorite Sunday night TV show.

Ingredients:

• Pork Meatballs (get recipe here and if you didn't want to make meatballs, chicken sausage or Italian Pork Sausage would be a good substitute and even omitting meat all together would be delicious here)

• 1 Head of Cauliflower

• 1 Lb. Whole Wheat Pasta, I used Bow-Tie

• 1 Onion, Sliced

• 1/2 Cup of White Wine

• 1 Tbsp. Butter

• 1/4 Cup of Fresh Basil

• 1/4 Cup of Fresh Parsley

• 1/4 Cup of Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

• 1/4 -1/2 Cup of Pasta Water

• 2 Tsp. Salt

• 2 Tsp. Pepper

• 1 Tsp. Red Chili Flakes

• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cauliflower with 1 tbsp. of olive oil and 1 tsp. of salt and pepper and roast for about 45 minutes until the cauliflower is caramelized and soft. Set aside.

• Form your meatballs, and add your olive oil to the pan. Cook over medium heat, flipping every 5 minutes or so until meatballs are cooked through. Place lid on the pan during some of the cooking time to ensure your meatballs stay moist.

• Remove meatballs from the pan, and add your sliced onion and red chili flakes. Saute for a few minutes until onions start to soften. If you need a little liquid, a trick to not having to add more oil is to add a couple of splashes of water!

• Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Salt heavily and add your pasta. Cook until al dente.

• Add your wine to the onions to deglaze the pan and reduce the wine for about 3-5 minutes adding your salt and pepper.

• Add your butter to thicken the sauce and then add your meatballs back into the pan.

• When pasta is done, drain while reserving 1/2 Cup of Pasta Water.

• Toss pasta and cauliflower with the meatballs and sauce and add your herbs and parmesan cheese along with 1/4 cup of pasta water. Add more pasta water if sauce isn't the right consistency.

• Serve immediately.

Roasted Cauliflower and Whole Wheat Pasta with Pork Meatballs is a winner here at our house and I think it will be in your house too!  

Happy weekending guys. What do you have planned?