Large white oval serving platter topped with a lentil penne, chickpea, cauliflower, radicchio, feta, and mint pasta recipe

Penne with Moroccan-Spiced Cauliflower

5
Points®
Total Time
45 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
25 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
A complex spice mix adds unexpected depth to this impressive-looking and crowd-pleasing pasta dish. The spice mix features ground turmeric, cinnamon, cumin coriander, ginger, allspice, and salt. For added convenience, you can serve this pasta hot or at room temperature. Radicchio adds lots of color and texture to help balance out the spices, but if you don’t like the slight bitterness the radicchio has, you can try adding endive, watercress, or even mixed greens instead. Canned chickpeas provide even more heartiness and satisfaction, and all of it is topped off with feta cheese, fresh mint, and lots of black pepper.

Ingredients

Ground cinnamon

¼ tsp

Ground cumin

¼ tsp

Ground turmeric

¼ tsp

Kosher salt

¼ tsp, plus more for salting water

Ground allspice

tsp

Ground coriander

tsp

Ground ginger

tsp

Cauliflower

4 cup(s), chopped, florets

Olive oil

1 Tbsp

Uncooked yellow lentil pasta

8¾ oz, penne variety

Canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

15½ oz, rinsed and drained

Radicchio

2½ cup(s), shredded, thinly sliced

Lemon zest

2 tsp

Fresh lemon juice

1 tsp

Crumbled feta cheese

½ cup(s)

Fresh mint leaves

¼ cup(s), chopped

Black pepper

½ tsp

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. To make spice blend, in small bowl, combine cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, 1⁄4 tsp salt, allspice, coriander, and ginger. On rimmed baking sheet, toss cauliflower, oil, and spice blend until cauliflower is well coated. Roast until cauliflower is very tender, about 25 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1⁄2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta.
  3. In large bowl, combine roasted cauliflower, pasta, chickpeas, radicchio, and lemon zest and juice and stir well, adding a little reserved cooking water if pasta is too dry. Top pasta with cheese, mint, and black pepper.
  4. Serving size: 1¾ cups