Cauliflower and chickpea one pot pasta

It is the school holidays.  We are still in lockdown.  I miss the days when we could go to the city, wander around shops, catch a movie and eat lunch somewhere new. Instead we spend it watching too much tv and doing a drive through covid test.  It feels like opportunities for change and novelties are greatly reduced while our activities are so restricted.  I have lots of time but not lots of energy.  The best solution is a meal that lasts for nights on end.  However it gets a bit dull to eat the same thing night after night.  So today I share a one pot pasta I made last week and served in lots of different ways.

I love one pot pastas and was attracted to a recipe for one pot pasta with broccoli and yoghurt because I had yoghurt to use.  I did not have broccoli.  However there was a neglected orange cauliflower in the fridge.  I liked the pasta but it was not the creamy texture I expected.  Instead it was quite soupy with the pasta being served in a broth on the first night.  By the next morning, the pasta had soaked up the broth and was quite flavoursome.  There were quite a few ungarnished bowls of the pasta for lunch or dinner during the week but I also liked serving it in different ways.

I had some leftover rocket, haloumi and candied walnut salad.  So on one night I served the pasta with chopped tomato and salad.  This pasta dish welcomes any salads.  Not that I have had many salads in my kitchen lately.  I knew it is September but I still feel in Winter mode.  It takes a while to warm up to a new season but better produce and more salads are on the way.

Another night I fried up some kale, tomatoes and leftover tofu nuggets.  This pasta makes a nice side dish.  I had almost added kale to the original pasta dish but decided against it because I wanted it blonde and beige.  But adding some colour always make dinner feel more healthy.

On one lunch time I had pasta and spinach on toast with mozzarella melted on top.  I bought a bag of grated mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan which has been great.  You will see below I have been using it a lot.  I even had one night (where I didn't take a photo) when I just baked some leftover pasta with the mozzarella mix on it and loved how crispy it was.  But the above fancy cheese on toast was crisped up under a low heated grill.  And it made a great lunch.

The I baked a potato, scooped out the flesh and mixed it with the pasta, cheese, spinach and some olive oil.  Then I stuffed it back into the potato cup, topped with mozzarella and grilled until it was crispy on top.  I served it with some simple coleslaw.  These baked potatoes were made with Otway Red varieties I bought at the farmers market and were amazing.

Finally I finished the batch of pasta by sprinkling it on a pizza.  I enjoyed the pasta but it needed a bit more oomph.  My idea was that it would benefit from olives and capers.  So when I made the pizza I added some olives and capers as well as cheese and tomato sauce.  

I would have liked to add olives and capers to the pasta but didn't have any on hand.  By the time I made pizza, my first ever delivery from the supermarket had arrived.  Next time I will be more organised.  Naaah, who am I kidding!  I will just hope they are about and if not, I will just look about to see what I have in the kitchen!

More one pot pasta meals on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One pot pasta with beans and tomato sauce (v)
One pot pasta with chickpeas and zucchini (v)
Pasta e ceci (v)
Quick one pot mac and cheese
Silverbeet and ravioli stew

Cauliflower and chickpea one pot pasta
Adapted from The Kitchn
Serves about 8

1 small cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
350g dried macaroni pasta
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon seeded mustard
1 teaspoon garlic salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
!/4 cup chopped green olives stuffed with piementos (optional)
2 tbsp capers (optional)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Place everything except the parmesan into a large saucepan.  Stir and bring to the boil.  Simmer for about 8-9 minutes and remove from heat.  Stir in parmesan, olives and capers.  Serve with more parmesan.  

If you want to serve it straight away it is a bit soupy with the liquid not absorbed.  I found that leaving it for half an hour or so helped some more of the liquid soak in.  If you have leftovers the liquid is all soaked in overnight.

NOTES: I did not add olives and capers but think I will next time.  If you don't have macaroni pasta you can use other small pasta such as small shells or ditalini.

On the Stereo:
Don't try this at home: Billy Bragg