Cavatappi pasta is corkscrew shaped and great with creamy sauces. Serve it with a creamy white sauce, spinach, and sundried tomatoes for an easy dinner!
This post was created in partnership withDeLallo. All opinions are our own.
Heres a tasty pasta recipe thats comfort food with a healthy spin: our creamy cavatappi pasta! Its one of Alex and my favorite pasta shapes, paired with a creamy sauce that coats the noodles perfectly. Its cheesy but not too rich, made with a secret ingredient to infuse nutrients. It perfect as a weeknight pasta dinner but fancy enough for entertaining. Our son Larson could not get enough of this mac and cheese (his words)! Its made with our favorite Italian pasta brand: Delallo. Theyre a family business that knows how to make the best pasta out there.
What is cavatappi pasta?
Cavatappi means corkscrew in Italian! Cavatappi pasta is macaroni thats shaped into corkscrews. Its best eaten with creamy or chunky sauces. Our favorite is this creamy cavatappi recipe (scroll down), or it makes a mean mac and cheese! Alex and I love this pasta shape because its unique and substantial: we find that the unexpected shape slows us down to really enjoy each bite.
Whats in this cavatappi pasta recipe?
This recipe is a fantastic way to eat cavatappi! The sauce is creamy and cheesy, but its hiding some good-for-you ingredients too. Here are our secrets to this creamy cavatappi pasta recipe:
- Cavatappi pasta. Cook it to al dente to enjoy the full effect of this dish. Get the best quality pasta you can find (heres the Delallo cavatappi we used).
- Creamy cauliflower sauce. Heres the secret: cauliflower! Our cauliflower sauce is a healthy alfredo sauce that blends cauliflower with garlic, spices, and a little Parmesan. Its terrifically good and its got all the nutrients of cauliflower.
- Baby spinach. A few handfuls of spinach make for another dose of nutrients. Youll cook the spinach in the pasta water in the last minute, so you dont need to dirty an extra pot!
- Sundried tomatoes. Finely chopped sundried tomatoes add a savory component that makes the entire dish just right!
All about Delallo pasta!
Delallo is our favorite Italian foods brand, a family business thats been around since the 1950s. Theyre obsessed with quality and making the very best in Italian foods. Pasta, tomatoes, pesto, meats and cheeses, olives and antipasti, bruschettathey do it all.
DeLallos pasta (like this cavatappi pasta) comes from Southern Italy, in an area just below Naples known as the birthplace of pasta. Its made with only wheat and water, with the highest of quality ingredients. Then its extruded with bronze dies: this creates a surface perfect for absorbing and capturing every type of sauce. Does it really make a difference? Yes! Alex and I have taste tested and bronze die pasta really does absorb the sauce flavors better. Check out all of Delallos pastas here!
How to cook pasta to al dente
Now for a truly authentic experience, you absolutely must cook your cavatappi pasta to al dente. What doesal dentemean? In Italian it means to the bite and refers to pasta that is still firm on the inside when cooked. The ideal al dente texture is a tender exterior balanced by a firm bite with a fleck of white at its core. Heres how to cook pasta to al dente:
- Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water.
- While cooking, be sure to check pasta continually for doneness.
- As soon as the pasta has a tender exterior but a fleck of white at its core, drain it! Even a few seconds can be the difference between al dente and limp noodles.
Why make a creamy cauliflower sauce?
Why make sauce with cauliflower? This sauce is like a healthy alfredo sauce, but unlike the traditional version, youll feel light and vibrant afterwards! The standard cheesy pasta often feels too rich and I end up with an upset stomach. This cauliflower sauce is much lighter. Even better, you get all the nutritional benefits of cauliflower. So this cavatappi pasta works as an easy, healthy dinner idea. Heres a breakdown of cauliflower nutrition (sourceHarvard Medical School):
- 1 cup of chopped cauliflower has only 25 calories and 5 grams carbs
- Its a great source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B and potassium.
- Caulifloweris high infiber (1 cup has about 10% of your daily needs).
How to reheat cavatappi pasta
You can save any leftovers of this cavatappi pasta in the refrigerator. Alex and I even found a great way to reheat it so its creamy again after refrigerating! Heres how to reheat leftover cavatappi pasta:
- Place it in a skillet and add a splash of milk. Use a ratio of about 1 cup noodles to 1 tablespoon milk.
- Heat over medium heat and stir until creamy.
This cavatappi pasta recipe is
Vegetarian.
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Creamy Cavatappi Pasta
(6 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
- Author: Sonja Overhiser
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Prep Time: 10 minutes -
Cook Time: 25 minutes
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Total Time: 35 minutes
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Yield: 8
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Cavatappi pasta is corkscrew shaped and great with creamy sauces. Serve it with a creamy white sauce, spinach, and sundried tomatoes for an easy dinner!
Ingredients
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 small head cauliflower (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), enough for 6 cups florets
- 4 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 2 cups vegetable broth, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 pound Delallo cavatappi pasta
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 3 tablespoons Delallo sundried tomatoes, minced
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tablespoon finely minced parsley
Instructions
- Make the cauliflower sauce: Mince the garlic. Chop the cauliflower.
- Heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and saute for 4 minutes until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the vegetable broth, garlic powder, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook 6 to 7 minutes on medium high heat until the cauliflower is tender when pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, make the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until it is al dente (start tasting a few minutes before the package recommends: you want it to be tender but still a little firm on the inside). When the pasta is just about al dente, add spinach to pasta water in last 45 seconds (it only needs this long to cook). Then drain the pasta and spinach and return to the pot.
- Blend the cauliflower sauce: When the cauliflower is cooked (in Step 3), carefully transfer the hot cauliflower and broth mixture to a blender. Blend on high until a smooth sauce forms. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and an additional 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and blend again.
- Serve: Once the pasta is done, pour in the cauliflower sauce. Add the chopped sundried tomatoes, the additional 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes (if using). Taste and if desired add salt or fresh ground pepper. Top with parsley and serve. Store leftovers refrigerated (see reheating instructions above.
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Category: Main Dish
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Method: Stovetop
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Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Cavatappi pasta, Pasta dinner ideas, Cauliflower sauce