Let's just say first - my family was not excited about cauliflower...I think they were plotting to order pizza while I was cooking. I myself had never tried cooked cauliflower before, I usually eat it raw in salads.

The point of this blog though is to try things, to step outside of the box that we have put ourselves in. So when this recipe from RealSimple.com landed in my e-mail box - I thought let's give it a try!

So glad I did. It's simple, fast and it was very delicious!

Pasta With Bacon and Cauliflower

By Kate Merker, March 2010

Ingredients

• 12 ounces spaghetti (3/4 box)
• 6 slices bacon
• 1/3 cup fresh sage leaves - Oops I forgot to buy sage...
  
• 1 small head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into small florets
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 3/4 cup grated pecorino (3 ounces) - I used Parmesan
  

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ¾ cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a paper towel–lined plate. Crumble.
3. Add the sage to the bacon drippings in the skillet and cook over medium heat, turning once, until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to the paper towel–lined plate.
4. Add the cauliflower, ¼ cup water, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper to the bacon drippings in the skillet and cook, covered, for 2 minutes. Uncover and cook, tossing frequently, until golden and tender, 3 to 4 minutes more.
5. Add the reserved pasta water and ½ cup of the pecorino to the pasta and toss until creamy. Add the cauliflower, sage, and bacon and toss. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of pecorino.

Hubby rated it 5 spoons. He even asked if we could try a few more cauliflower recipes! :) Love it! - The kids and I say 4 spoons...they loved the pasta and bacon and I would have loved to add in a few more veggies for color.