Easy Romanesco Pasta with Lemon & Garlic

Let’s Go Romanesco! Pimp up your pasta and have a fabulous weeknight meal that takes no time at all, but feels a little bit special. This seasonal easy romanesco pasta dish is a taste sensation. It’s quick and simple to make and is eminently suitable for vegans.

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What is Romanesco?

Romanesco, also known as the Roman cauliflower is actually half cauliflower, half broccoli. It looks almost alien with its strange structure and lime green fractal florets. But don’t be put off, it’s one of the tastiest brassicas out there and it’s perfect for an all Italian late autumn or winter meal. I was inspired by the delicious roasted romanesco at River Cottage a few weeks back and have been experimenting at home with frying it rather than roasting.

Its inherent nuttiness is enhanced when fried or roasted. It also has an affinity with garlic, lemon, chilli and almonds. So for this romanesco pasta dish I used all four. Luckily I didn’t have to go to Italy for the romanesco as we grow plenty of them here in Cornwall. It’s always nice to enjoy local produce where possible.

For a roasted version, head over to this recipe for roasted romanesco buddha bowls.

Barilla Pasta & Sauces

Barilla is Italy’s top selling pasta brand. It uses only top quality durum wheat and water. Oh, and some Italian passion apparently! I was sent a selection of their pasta and sauces to try. For this recipe I went with the wholewheat fusilli; I prefer to eat whole foods when given the choice.

I also like the fun twisty shape and find it holds a tomato sauce very well. The ingredients are %100 whole durum wheat semolina and water – talk about elegant simplicity.

Barilla also make a fantastic Arrabbiata sauce, or what I’d call tomato & chilli sauce. It contains only natural ingredients, is rich and flavoursome with just enough chilli to make its presence felt. Italians are not hot headed, or at least when it comes to chillies.

If you’d prefer to make your own tomato sauce, I have a few homemade ones to choose from.

Easy Romanesco Pasta with Lemon and Garlic

The romanesco is first steamed, then fried with lemon and garlic. This tops the pasta and tomato sauce. My easy romanesco pasta is then finished with toasted flaked almonds to make a delicious dish fit for anyone, including vegans. The flaked almonds could, of course, be swapped for some grated Parmesan cheese. Or even my ready to roll vegan ‘parmesan’ cheese.

The fusilli pasta was one of the best I’ve tried. I’ve noticed some of the brands go a bit mushy on the outside whilst the inside isn’t quite cooked. The sauce had a good consistency and excellent flavour and the whole dish was truly scrumptious. CT kept telling me just how delicious it was – he’s not generally one for going into raptures.

Other Vegan Pasta Recipes You Might Like

• Homemade ravioli with lentils & mushrooms
• How to make whole wheat pasta
• Mac and cheese: a healthier pumpkin version
• Miso marinated tofu with My Pasta’s Last Stand
• Pasta alla puttanesca
• Sicilian pasta salad with tomatoes, olives & fresh herbs

For more pasta inspiration, head over to my pasta pleasure board on Pinterest. You’ll be surprised at just how many different dishes you can make with pasta.

Keep in Touch

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this easy romanesco pasta, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate it. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?

If you’d like more vegan recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.

Choclette x

Easy Romanesco Pasta. PIN IT.

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5 from 3 votes

Romanesco Pasta with Lemon & Garlic and Tomato Chilli Sauce

This quick & easy weekday meal is served with tomato chilli sauce and romanesco with lemon & garlic to make it a bit more special. Sprinkle toasted almonds over the top instead of cheese for an all inclusive vegan bowl of goodness.

Cook ModeToggle to keep screen awake

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: midweek meal, pasta, quick, romanesco, tomato sauce, vegan

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 445kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 romanesco rinsed & drained
• pinch sea salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic the plumper the better
• ¼ organic lemon zest and juice
• 20 g flaked almonds
• 180 g wholewheat fusilli pasta (I used Barilla)
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 200 g tomato & chilli sauce (I used ½ jar of Barilla's arrabbiata )

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

• Trim the romanesco of outer leaves and tough stalk.
  1 romanesco
• Place in a medium sized pan with a couple of centimetres of boiling water and the pinch of salt. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the romanesco is just tender.
  pinch sea salt
• Dry fry the almonds over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally until golden.
  20 g flaked almonds
• Remove the romanesco into a colander and allow to drain, then pull apart into florets .
• Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 11 minutes or until al dante.
  180 g wholewheat fusilli pasta, ½ tsp sea salt
• Meanwhile warm the sauce gently in a pan, stirring occasionally until near simmering.
  200 g tomato & chilli sauce
• Heat the oil on a non-stick frying pan. Add the romanesco florets and fry over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes – the florets should be just beginning to char. Grate in the lemon zest and add the garlic after the first 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, squeeze in the lemon juice and stir.
  1 tbsp olive oil, 1 clove garlic, ¼ organic lemon
• Divide the pasta into 2 bowls. Spoon the sauce over the top, then add the romanesco and finish with the almonds.

Notes

Double the quantities for 4 people.

If you’re really hungry, allow 100g pasta per person instead of 90g.

Prefer to make your own tomato sauce? Why not click on the link and choose one of my homemade recipes?

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1113mg | Potassium: 603mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 433IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 4mg

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below letting us know how you got on and do share a photo on Instagram. Tag @choclette8 or use hashtag #tinandthyme.

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Linkies

I’m sending my romanesco pasta to Jac at Tinned Tomatoes for this week’s Meat Free Monday. It also goes to Katie over at Feeding Boys for Simple and in Season. Likewise I’m sending my romanesco pasta off to Sneaky Veg and Hijacked by Twins for #CookBlogShare. And lastly, I think! It goes to A Mummy Too for #recipeoftheweek.

Post commissioned by Barilla. I was not expected to write a positive review and all opinions are, as always, my own. Thanks to my readers for supporting the brands that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging.