Roasted cauliflower, crispy pancetta, and cream-filled burrata cheese finish off this unique twist on pasta carbonara. The trick to the sauce is to temper the eggs first, resulting in a perfectly creamy sauce that’s out of this world.
Yield: 4 servings
Total Time: 30 minutesminutes
Ingredients
1headcauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-sized florets
olive oil, for roasting
4ounces/ 113gpancetta, cut into cubes
½largeonion, chopped
2clovesgarlic, minced
3largeeggs, at room temperature
1cupgrated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
8ounces/ 226gfusilli col buco, bucatini, or spaghetti
1ballburrata cheese, torn into chunks
fresh chopped parsley, for topping
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with foil; spray with cooking spray. Toss cauliflower florets with a tablespoon or two of olive oil; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread onto prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring part way through, until tender and golden brown in spots.
Cook pancetta in a large skillet set over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and set aside.
Return skillet and leftover rendered fat to medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook about 1 minute less than package instructs, until just barely al dente. Try to time the pasta so it is done at the same time as the onions and garlic.
When pasta is just barely al dente, transfer to hot skillet with onions and garlic using tongs or a slotted spoon, reserving 1/2 cup or so of hot pasta water. Toss pasta until well coated and onion/garlic is evenly distributed throughout, 3 to 4 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk egg, parmesan, and a hearty pinch of salt and pepper until smooth. Slowly whisk in reserved pasta water, drizzling slowly as you whisk, to temper and thin the sauce.
Remove skillet from heat and immediately add whisked egg mixture, stirring vigorously, until sauce thickens and coats the pasta. Transfer to serving bowls and top with browned cauliflower, crispy pancetta, chunks of burrata and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Serve immediately.