Pasta with Cauliflower, Tomato, and Parmesan

INGREDIENTS   

• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
• 15-oz can of whole tomatoes, chopped, or diced tomatoes, including juice
• ½ lb. small elbow macaroni
• 3 T. tomato paste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ t. of crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large head of cauliflower, core removed and discarded, florets coarsely chopped
• 2 T. anchovies packed in oil, minced (about 6 anchovies)
• 1 onion, chopped (about 1½ cups)
• 6 T. olive oil, divided
• 1 cup breadcrumbs 

DIRECTIONS   

1. Sauté onions with garlic and anchovies: Heat 2 T. olive oil in the skillet on medium low heat. Add the onions, garlic, and anchovies.
2. Crush the anchovies with the back of a spoon so that they smear well over the onions. Cook for 5 minutes, until the onions are soft. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside.
3. While you are cooking the onions, cook the pasta.
4. Sauté cauliflower florets: Heat 4 T. olive oil in the skillet on medium high heat. Add the cauliflower, stir infrequently, allowing the cauliflower edges to brown. Cook until the cauliflower florets are lightly browned, 3-5 minutes.
5. Add red pepper flakes to the pan, and salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, onion mixture: Dissolve tomato paste in ½ cup of water. Lower the heat to low. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and anchovies, stir to combine well.
6. Add the cooked pasta to the cauliflower mixture.
7. Stir in about half of the parsley, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan (leave the rest for garnish on top).

Recipe Author: Simply Recipes