Roasted Cauliflower, Tomato and Prosciutto Pasta

School is definitely getting harder, and the days are getting colder (except for this weird burst of warmth which I wish would continue for just a few more days....) which basically means the equivalent of carb loading...pizza, pasta, fried foods are all definitely my friends right now.  

I saw this recipe on a few blogs and have been dying to try it, but always forget about it when I'm actually in the grocery store, or when I do have the ingredients, I'm too tired to actually cook.  This time, I remembered to pick up the prosciutto and since I already had sage leftover from the Chicken Thighs recipe and a big cauliflower sitting in my fridge, I knew I had no excuse not to whip it up, even after a long day of studying and class.

Mmmm the pictures of this pasta are making me hungry all over again!  This pasta is an amazing, well rounded delicious and fairly healthy meal that is great for leftovers.  I am definitely glad I ended up making it.

What you'll need:

any type of pasta (I went with whole wheat spaghetti)

1 cauliflower

About 1/4 pound of prosciutto (try domestic prosciutto, it's cheaper)

Sage

Garlic

Italian cheese (I used pecorino, but parmesan or mozzarella would be nice as well) 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and begin by boiling the pasta.  Set the pasta aside with a little bit of the pasta water.

Then, cut the cauliflower up into little pieces like this:

Put the cauliflower in the oven and stir occasionally, until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  This will take about 15 minutes.  

When the cauliflower is in the oven, put the tomatoes in a small pot with a touch of olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic and turn the heat on low.  While the cauliflower is in the oven, the tomatoes will get soft and sweet, a perfect light sauce for the pasta.

Chop up the garlic, sage and prosciutto and throw it on the cauliflower when the cauliflower is done.  Cook for another 5 minutes.  Your kitchen will smell amazing by this point!

When everything is ready, toss it all together and sprinkle cheese on top.  

Delicious!  Save some leftovers for lunch the next day!