Tomato Stains

The combination of leftover pasta, wearing a church dress, and not using the high chair tray should have  been enough of a red flag to make me change something- nope.  I think I have way too much optimism when it comes to these things.  Sure enough, after a few bites there's a red splotch on C's tights and I'm blotting and wiping and wishing she owned another pair of white tights.  From that moment on I was on guard.  I added the tray and wiped her mouth every few bites.  I cleaned her hands off whenever she touched the food or her face. We left for church and I felt pretty good about things.  Only one drop of tomato sauce- not bad.  Then, I reach down to pick C up.  There it is- right in the middle of her dress- a bright red smudge.  A good mom probably would have dragged her back inside, put on a new dress or at least tried to clean up the stain.  But, we were late.  And besides, she needed something to match the stain on her tights that I apparently didn't clean off.

Baked pasta is kind of a wonderful thing.  I like the added dimension it gives to the ingredients- just a little bit of caramelized goodness.  I decided to try bumping it up a step and roasting some cauliflower before mixing it in. The result was fabulous.  

Roasted Cauliflower Baked Pasta

About 1 1/2 cups of cauliflower florets

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 lb. Italian sausage

4 oz. pasta- use any shape, cooked to al dente or a little before

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce

4 oz. mozzarella, shredded and divided

Preheat oven to 375.  Take the cauliflower and place on the rimmed cookie sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, just enough to coat well.  Stir to coat and sprinkle with kosher salt to taste.  Bake until dark golden brown.  Stir occasionally for even browning. 

Saute red bell pepper and onion with Italian sausage until sausage is cooked through.  

To the cooked pasta add the sausage mixture, cauliflower, pasta sauce, and 3 oz. mozzarella.  Stir to coat everything in sauce.  Pour into 9x9 glass baking dish.  Cover with remaining cheese.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until cheese has melted and is starting to turn brown.