Cauliflower Baked "Ziti"

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Nothing says Friday night like a bowl of warm stuff with cheese. Or is it just me? Fridays I love to just come home, put on pjs, and fiiiinally decompress after a long week...which also means I don't want to spend hours cooking (or even be that healthy...I mean, does a Friday night salad feel the same?!). SO finding this recipe on Delish opened my eyes to the world of cauliflower as pasta, which is 1000x healthier but still elicits the same warm, cheesy emotions while catching up on a week's TV. Plus you can eat a huge portion since, it's good for you!

Cauliflower Baked "Ziti" (serves 2)

Adapted from Delish

  • 1 head cauliflower, chopped into ~1-2 inch pieces

  • 1 T olive oil

  • 1/2 onion, diced

  • 8 oz ground turkey

  • 1 c marinara sauce (I like Rao's)

  • 1/2 c ricotta

  • 1/2 c shredded mozzarella

  • 2 T grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 375.

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower and simmer until the cauliflower is soft, 5-10 minutes. Drain and place in a medium bowl.

Heat olive oil in large stainless steel pan (or other oven-friendly pan) over medium heat. Add the onion and sautee until translucent. Then, add the ground turkey and cook, continuously breaking apart with a wooden spoon until it's in small pieces and all browned. Add the marinara and stir until heated through.

Add the sauce to the cauliflower and stir to combine.

In the same pan you cooked the sauce, add half of the cauliflower and sauce mixture. Take 1/4 c of ricotta and put little pieces of it all over the cauliflower. Then, take 1/4 c of mozzarella and sprinkle evenly over top, followed by 1T of parmesan. Add the rest of the cauliflower mixture on top, repeating the layers (ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan).

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, until the cheese is melty.

RecipeSophie Jewkesweeknight dinner