Cheesy Baked Penne with Cauliflower and Crème Fraiche
- Minutes to Prepare:
- Minutes to Cook:
- Number of Servings: 8
Ingredients
1 ½ to 1 ¼ pound head of cauliflower, cored, cut into 1-inch florets2 large heirloom tomatoes5 tablespoons butter, dividedCoarse kosher salt2 tablespoons all purpose flour1 cup heavy whipping cream3 cups coarsely grated comte cheese (or half Gruyere and half Fontina: about 9 ounces), divided¾ cup finely grated parmesan cheese, divided1 cup crème fraich1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard10 ounces penne (about 3 ½ cups)1 cup fresh breadcrumbs bade from crustless French bread.
Cook cauliflower in large pot of boiling salted water until tender crisp, about 5 minutes. Using large sieve, transfer cauliflower to bowl. Add tomatoes to pot; cook 1 minute. Remover from water; peel and dice tomatoes. Reserve pot of water.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add cauliflower; sauté until beginning to brown about 5 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
Melt 2 tablespoons of better in large sauce pan over medium low heat. Add flour and stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in cream. Cook until sauce thickens, whisking occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add 2 cups Comte cheese; whisk until melted and sauce is smooth. Whisk in ½ cup parmesan cheese, then crème fraiche and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Return pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook until just tender but still firm to bite stirring occasionally. Drain; return pasta to same pot. Stir in cauliflower mixture and sauce.
Butter 13x9 glass baking dish. Spoon in half pasta mixture; sprinkle with ½ cup Comte cheese. Top with remaining pasta mixture and ½ cup Comte cheese. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in skillet. Add breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Remove from heat; mix in remaining parmesan sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pasta.
All this may be done 2 hours ahead of time and let stand at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pasta uncovered until heated through and bubbling, about 35 minutes.
Makes 8 servings
Number of Servings: 8
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user COMMANDERMANDER.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add cauliflower; sauté until beginning to brown about 5 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
Melt 2 tablespoons of better in large sauce pan over medium low heat. Add flour and stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in cream. Cook until sauce thickens, whisking occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add 2 cups Comte cheese; whisk until melted and sauce is smooth. Whisk in ½ cup parmesan cheese, then crème fraiche and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Return pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook until just tender but still firm to bite stirring occasionally. Drain; return pasta to same pot. Stir in cauliflower mixture and sauce.
Butter 13x9 glass baking dish. Spoon in half pasta mixture; sprinkle with ½ cup Comte cheese. Top with remaining pasta mixture and ½ cup Comte cheese. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in skillet. Add breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Remove from heat; mix in remaining parmesan sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pasta.
All this may be done 2 hours ahead of time and let stand at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pasta uncovered until heated through and bubbling, about 35 minutes.
Makes 8 servings
Number of Servings: 8
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user COMMANDERMANDER.
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 577.8
- Total Fat: 38.4 g
- Cholesterol: 125.1 mg
- Sodium: 318.7 mg
- Total Carbs: 32.4 g
- Dietary Fiber: 4.6 g
- Protein: 17.2 g