Recipe: Baked Shells with Cauliflower and Taleggio

Cauliflower with pasta.  You're probably thinking, "Really???" or "Weird!!!"

We made the Baked Shells with Cauliflower and Taleggio recipe from Food and Wine Magazine (April 2013, p. 108), and it was quite good!

The recipe is from Renato Sardo and Dario Barbone of Baia Pasta in Oakland, CA.

Honestly, I don't think the recipe would have been as good without the hot sausage that we added.  Me thinks it would be too one-dimensional and a little bland.

Here is what we changed and tips for making the dish:

• Add 3 hot spicy sausage links (cook them separately and add them to the pasta and cheese sauce)
• There is NO NEED for large shells.  In fact, penne would work nicely.
• The 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs was hardly enough.  I think I quadrupled the amount.
• When serving, sprinkle the top with fresh parsley.