Baked Penne with Sausage, Tomato and Cauliflower
Add cream and cauliflower to a sauce seasoned with saffron, sausage, tomatoes and wine and toss with pasta. Cover with three cheeses and parsley and bake.
Cook's Note: The unbaked casserole can be covered and refrigerated for a make-ahead meal. Bake as directed before serving.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- A generous pinch of saffron threads
- Kosher salt
- 1 head cauliflower, cored
- 1 tablespoon EVOO
- 1 pound bulk Italian sweet sausage
- 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 thin cinnamon stick (2-3 inches long)
- 1 can whole San Marzano tomatoes (28-32 ounces), look for the DOP label
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound penne rigate
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces mild provolone cheese, caciocavallo cheese or young Asiago cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese
- Chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 400°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 onion 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 water and drain the pasta.
Return the pasta to the pot. Add the heavy cream, cauliflower, sausage sauce and a little of the reserved cooking water and stir to combine.
Cook's Note: The unbaked casserole can be covered and refrigerated for a make-ahead meal. Bake as directed, below, before serving.
Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and top with the cheeses and parsley. Bake until the top is browned, 35-40 minutes. Divide among plates.
