Cheesy Baked Pasta with Cauliflower & Tomatoes

I have a couple family friendly comfort food pasta casseroles to share. In my house, this type of dish always seems to be the perfect meal in cold weather.

We recently enjoyed this one on a snowy evening- eating by candlelight. I thanked my lucky stars that it had finished baking before our power went out… hence the candlelight! 😉

This recipe was adapted from Bon Appétit, contributed by Chris Morocco. I used diced tomatoes and substituted fontina for provolone. I suppose half and half could be substituted for some (or all) of the heavy cream, but I went for the full indulgence on this (dark and cold) occasion.

• 1 pound pasta, such as medium shell or tube pasta (I used Capunti pasta)
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 8 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, coarsely grated
• 4 ounces fontina, coarsely grated
• 2 ounces extra sharp cheddar, coarsely grated
• 2 ounces Parmesan, finely grated
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ head of cauliflower, coarsely chopped
• room-temperature butter or nonstick cooking oil spray (for pan)
• fresh herbs such as thyme, basil, or parsley, for garnish, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350°, preferably on convection.
2. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until about halfway cooked (it needs to be very firm at this stage so that it doesn’t overcook when baked). Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid, and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well.
3. Combine mozzarella, fontina, cheddar, Parmesan, cream, diced tomatoes, and reserved ½ cup pasta cooking liquid in a large bowl; mix to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper.
4. Add cauliflower and cooked pasta and toss to coat.
5. Grease a 3-qt. or 13x9x2″ baking dish with butter or cooking oil spray.
6. Scrape in pasta mixture and spread out into an even layer.
7. Cover dish tightly with foil and bake pasta until hot throughout and steaming when foil is lifted, 20–25 minutes.
8. Remove foil and increase oven temperature to 425◦, preferably on convection.
9. Continue to bake pasta until sauce is bubbling and top is browned and crunchy in spots, 20–30 minutes.
10. Let cool slightly before serving. Garnish with fresh herbs, as desired.

Note: Pasta can be assembled 2 days ahead. Cover and chill until ready to bake.

One Year Ago: Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie

Two Years Ago: Oscar Night Waffles

Three Years Ago: Chicken Parmesan with Chicken Thighs

Four Years Ago: Chicken, Shrimp, & Clam Jambalaya

Five Years Ago:

• Margherita Pizza with Tomatoes, Mozzarella, & Basil
• Perfect Pizza Sauce