Go Back
+ servings
Lemon Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower & Chickpeas on herringbone background A white low bowl of pasta with crispy chickpeas, roasted cauliflower and Italian parsley on a white marble herringbone background.
Print

Lemon Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower & Chickpeas

This delicious Lemon Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower & Chickpeas is a meatless Monday favorite! It's packed with roasted cauliflower and plant-based proteins.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Diet Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 people
Calories 1049kcal
Author Mara

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower, clean & cut into florets
  • 15 ounces chickpeas, drained & rinsed
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 12 ounces dry pasta ( I used calamarata)
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 1 lemon (or more or less depending on your taste)
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup finely grated cheese I used ¾ cup parmesan & ¼ cup pecorino romano
  • ¼ cup Italian parsley

Instructions

  • Pre-heat an oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower florets and chickpeas with olive oil and spices until well coated. Place the cauliflower and chickpeas on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil, parchment or a silicone mat. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until roasting of your liking. Make sure to shake the pan 1-2 times during cook time to ensure even cooking.
  • While the chickpeas and cauliflower are cooking, cook pasta in another large pot of boiling water which is well salted. Stir occasionally, until the pasta is al dente. Pasta will finish cooking in the sauce.
  • Finely grate lemon zest into a large non stick skillet (or Dutch oven). Cut lemon in half and squeeze into a small bowl; set aside. Add heavy cream (optional: add red chili flakes) to the pot. Heat over low heat until simmering.
  • Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to the cream and stir until melted and sauce is creamy and emulsified. Repeat with remaining butter. Once all the butter, is added remove the sauce from the heat.
  • Just before pasta is al dente, scoop out 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Add ½ cup pasta cooking liquid to cream sauce and return to sauce pan/pot to medium heat. Transfer pasta to pot with sauce (it’s okay if a little water comes along with it). Cook, tossing often. Next, add grated cheese ¼ cup at a time, until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy. Stir in reserved lemon juice; season with more salt, if needed.
  • Divide pasta among bowls. Season with pepper, salt then top cauliflower, chickpeas and parsley. Serve hot!

Notes

Spice or not to spice? Sometimes I like my pasta a little bit more lemony and other times a little spicy. When I want a more spice-forward pasta, I go heavier on the chili flakes and spices. When I want the lemon
Lemon is the ZEST! I serious love the flavor of lemon! I sometimes use 1-3 lemons depending on how much lemon flavor I want. Make sure to taste the finished pasta in the sauce with the cauliflower and chickpeas and then adjustment and add more lemon juice and zest if needed. 
Nutritional information for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. Please calculate your own nutritional information if you want it exact to what you make and use my calculations as a guide only.

Nutrition

Calories: 1049kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 64g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 760mg | Potassium: 960mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2156IU | Vitamin C: 92mg | Calcium: 436mg | Iron: 5mg