Pasta with Cauliflower, Sausage, and Mozzarrela

Tonight's meal is a recipe that we made a long time ago and had been forgotten about. While flipping through our recipe book, we were quickly reminded how good it was and quickly decided to make it again. The original recipe is from The Kitchn food blog and calls for using a sweet Italian sausage. We substitute chicken sausage that we get from Trader Joes, but that's the only modification that we make to the recipe. There is one other modification that I make and that's to the title of the recipe. Originally, the mozzarella is not included in the title, but the breadcrumbs are showcased instead. This makes no sense to me. Gooey delicious mozzarella is a much better sell than toasted breadcrumbs. Either way, it's delicious.

Pasta with Cauliflower, Sausage, and Mozzarrela
(Adapted from a recipe on The Kitchn food blog)

Serves 6

Olive oil
1 large shallot, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz chicken sausage, cut in half and then sliced (I used the spicy jalapeno from Trader Joes)
1 head cauliflower, cut into small, bited-sized pieces
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 lb. penne rigate pasta (the type of pasta that can be used is really at your discretion)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 lb mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Toss in the shallots, season with salt and pepper, and saute until soft. Add in the garlic, cook for another 1-2 minutes, and then throw in the sausage pieces. Continue to cook until the sausage is beginning to brown.

Once the sausage is ready, add in the cauliflower florets. Season with some more salt and pepper and add a little bit more oil to help it all cook. Stir occassionally, but let the cauliflower cook so that it is beginning to brown.

Once the cauliflower is beginning to brown, pour in the can of diced tomatoes and raise the heat on the dish. Scrape up all the good stuff on the bottom of the skillet, bring the dish to a simmer, put the lid on, lower the heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked through.

While the cauliflower is cooking, boil the pasta. Also spread the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and toast under the broiler until browned. Once the pasta is ready, drain the pasta, return it to its original pot, carefully add the cauliflower mix into the pot and mix well. Add in the cubes of mozzarella and mix until gooey. Garnish with the breadcrumbs and enjoy!