Roasted cauliflower & hazelnut carbonara

Stir roasted cauliflower, hazelnuts, eggs, double cream and thyme into penne pasta for a vegetarian version of the classic carbonara

  • Prep:15 mins
    Cook:40 mins
  • Serves 4
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 693
  • fat 37g
  • saturates 10g
  • carbs 54g
  • sugars 7g
  • fibre 7g
  • protein 33g
  • salt 0.7g

Ingredients

  • 1 large cauliflower (about 700g), cut into small florets
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • small bunch thyme, leaves picked
  • 100g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
  • 350g penne
  • 100g Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 tbsp double cream
  • small pack parsley, chopped

Method

  1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the cauliflower with the oil, thyme and seasoning, and spread out on a large baking tray. Roast for 15-20 mins until starting to soften and caramelise. Sprinkle the hazelnuts over the cauliflower and cook for another 5 mins until the nuts are lightly toasted and the cauliflower cooked through. Meanwhile, cook the pasta following pack instructions.

  2. Drain the pasta, reserving the cooking water, then return to the pan. Take the baking tray out of the oven and add the cauliflower and hazelnuts to the pasta, then stir in the Parmesan, egg, cream, parsley and 1 tbsp of cooking water. The heat from the pasta should be enough to just cook the egg without scrambling it. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash more cooking water. Check the seasoning and serve.

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