Baked Cavatappi with Bacon, Roasted Cauliflower and Italian Cheese

This baked cavatappi is rich, creamy and savory, with crispy bacon folded into a smooth Italian cheese sauce.

Roasting the cauliflower before it goes into the pasta gives it tender edges and deeper flavor, while scallions add a fresh finish to every serving.

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Ingredients

2 unit ScallionsView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

10 ounce Cauliflower FloretsView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

6 ounce Cavatappi PastaView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

4 ounce BaconView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 tablespoon FlourView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

6.75 ounce MilkView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 unit Chicken Stock ConcentrateView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

0.5 cup Italian Cheese BlendView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

2 teaspoon Olive OilView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 tablespoon ButterView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

Salt, to tasteView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

Pepper, to tasteView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry the produce.
2. Thinly slice the scallions, separating the white parts from the green parts.
3. Place the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet. Toss with the olive oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Roast until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. When the water is boiling, add the cavatappi. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9 to 11 minutes. Drain and set aside.
5. While the pasta cooks, heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off the bacon grease, leaving about 1 teaspoon in the pan.
6. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the scallion whites and butter to the same pan. Stir until the butter melts and the scallions begin to soften, about 1 minute.
7. Sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, until the flour no longer smells raw.
8. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking or stirring to make a smooth sauce. Stir in the chicken stock concentrate and simmer until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.
9. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Italian cheese blend until melted. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
10. Crumble the cooked bacon into small pieces. Stir the bacon, drained cavatappi and three-quarters of the roasted cauliflower into the cheese sauce.
11. If the pan is ovenproof, keep the pasta mixture in the pan. If not, transfer it to a lightly oiled medium baking dish. Scatter the remaining roasted cauliflower over the top.
12. Bake until the pasta is hot and bubbling, 5 to 7 minutes.
13. Divide between plates and garnish with the sliced scallion greens before serving.

Recipe Tips

FAQ

Can I make this without an ovenproof pan?

Yes. After mixing the pasta, bacon, cauliflower and cheese sauce, transfer everything to a lightly oiled medium baking dish before baking.

Why roast the cauliflower first?

Roasting helps the cauliflower become tender and develop browned edges before it is folded into the creamy pasta.

What pasta shape is used in this recipe?

This recipe uses cavatappi, a curly pasta shape that holds the cheese sauce well.

When should the cheese be added to the sauce?

Remove the pan from the heat before stirring in the cheese so it melts smoothly into the thickened milk sauce.