Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- Generous pinch saffron threads
- Kosher salt
- 1 head cauliflower, cored
- 1 tablespoon EVOO
- 1 pound bulk Italian sweet sausage
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 thin cinnamon stick (2 to 3 inches long)
- One 28-to-32 ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes (look for the DOP label)
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound penne rigate
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces mild provolone, caciocavallo or young Asiago cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1/2 cup grated pecorino
- Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat the stock with the saffron in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Meanwhile, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a pot and season with salt. Add the cauliflower, cover and steam until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and break into florets.
Heat the EVOO in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and crumble it into very small pieces with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Add the garlic and onions and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze with the wine, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, tomatoes and saffron stock and stir to break up the tomatoes. Simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to just shy of al dente, about 7 minutes. Reserve a ladle of the starchy cooking liquid and drain the pasta.
Return the pasta to the pot. Add the heavy cream, cauliflower, sausage sauce and
a little of the reserved cooking liquid and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and top with the cheeses and parsley. Bake until the top is browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Divide among plates.
Cook's Note: The unbaked casserole can be covered and refrigerated for a make-ahead meal. Bake as directed before serving.
Photo: Baked Penne with Sausage, Tomato and Cauliflower Recipe















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By MathildaM
on May 01, 2012
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Made this for my family and they loved, Had enough for lunch and one more dinner the next day
By gkpita1
Elgin ,IL.
on April 29, 2012
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I give it 5 stars it had a great taste!!!Didnt have the saffron so I just added other spices that I had. Makes a lot but we had it the next day and it tastes even better !!! Well make this again!!!!
tasty
By RHNYC
on April 23, 2012
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This was excellent, and the cauliflower was the perfect addition to a casserole. Baked 1/2 the night of, and saved the other half for another night later in the week.
If you can't buy bulk sausage meat, just buy uncooked sausages from your butcher and remove the casings yourself with a knife.
Didn't have saffron - used turmeric and paprika instead.
There was a lot of liquid left in the pot after 30 min of simmering, so I didn't add the full 2 cups of stock, nor did I add the full cup of cream. 1/4 cup of cream went a long way.
Used whatever cheeses I had in the fridge - mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan. It worked out great. Next time I'll add spinach or swiss chard as well, to make it a little healthier.
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