The Wimpy Vegetarian

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Cauliflower Tetrazzini with Poblano Peppers

27 Comments

Vegetarian tetrazzini loaded with cauliflower and poblano peppers, and switches out traditional sour cream or heavy cream for yogurt.
Cauliflower Tetrazzini with Poblano Peppers and yogurt, lightened

I hope all of you had memorable holidays, as we wrap it all up with a huge football weekend (go Steelers!!). My stepson and 3 of his 5 kids came to visit us in Tahoe for several days of fun. Skiing, sledding, bowling, go-kart racing, Star Wars VII, and playing games were all on the menu, along with celebrating two of my grandsons' birthdays.

Cauliflower Tetrazzini with Poblano Peppers, lightened with yogurt

Before I know it they'll be sulky teenagers, way too cool to spend time with me. So I take as much advantage of these years as I can.

Cauliflower Tetrazzini with Poblano Peppers lightened with yogurt

One of their favorite dinners is chicken tetrazzini. It's the tetrazzini their dad grew up with, and he now he makes it for them. I made it over the holidays for them, and admit it was really good. But since I'm crazy for cauliflower (the one white food we should all be eating lots of), I wanted to make a vegetarian version. I hope you enjoy it.

Cooking Tips:

Make this ahead and keep covered in the refrigerator for up to several days. Just re-warm in a 350˚F oven before serving.

I made this at around 7000 feet since we live in the mountains. At sea level, the baking time may be 5 minutes less, and the tetrazzini will be a little more saucy. Either way, it's now one of my favorite dishes. As a little twist on it, add curry powder.

Tips for Omnivores at the Table:

Add roasted chicken + 50% additional liquid sauce. The sauce includes the milk, yogurt, broth, garlic paste, herb paste, butter, and flour.

Cauliflower Tetrazzini with Poblano Peppers
Print Recipe
4.89 from 9 votes

Cauliflower Tetrazzini with Poblano Peppers

A vegetarian twist on the popular chicken tetrazzini, this one is loaded with cauliflower and spiced with poblano peppers.
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time1 hr
Total Time1 hr 30 mins
Course: Casserole Dinner
Cuisine: Italian, Vegetarian
Keyword: tetrazzini
Servings: 6 servings
Author: The Wimpy Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower, 4 cups cut up
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/8 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
  • 1 - 2 poblano peppers, blistered, peeled and seeded (depending on how much heat you prefer)
  • 2 small-medium leeks diced, white and light green parts (about 1/2 cup when cooked)
  • ½ pound uncooked spaghetti
  • ¾ cup low-fat milk
  • ¾ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
  • ½ cup vegetable broth or stock
  • 1 tablespoon garlic paste, or minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon Italian Herbs Paste, or finely chopped basil or oregano
  • 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
  • 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400˚F and butter one large baking dish. Line two baking sheets with foil or parchment paper.
  • Cut the head of cauliflower into bite sized pieces (I separate out the florets and halve or quarter them depending on their size). Toss in 1 Tbsp olive oil, paprika, and 1/2 tsp salt. Arrange on the first baking sheet along with the poblano peppers, and roast until the cauliflower pieces are tender, and the peppers are blistered and charred, about 20 minutes.
  • Wash and slice the leeks into 3" X 1/2" strips. Toss in the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt. Arrange them on the second baking sheet and roast until very tender and some edges begin to crisp, about 30 minutes. It's fine to have the leek strips overlapping and even laying on top of each other. Both baking sheets can be in the oven at the same time, with the leeks on a shelf lower than the cauliflower and peppers.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Break the spaghetti pasta into thirds (around 3” long) and cook according to the directions on the box.
  • Whisk the milk, yogurt, broth, garlic and herb pastes together in a medium bowl. Peel off the top papery skin from the charred poblano peppers, remove the seeds, and coarsely chop. Add the cauliflower, chopped peppers, and leeks to the milk and yogurt mixture.
  • In a large pot over medium heat, melt 3 Tbsp of the butter. When the butter is melted and sizzling, whisk in the flour to form a loose paste. Add the milk-cauliflower mixture to the pot and stir well. Bring to a simmer to thicken the sauce. Stir in the pasta and pour into the baking dish.
  • Toss the breadcrumbs and cheese together and spread over the casserole. Dot with the remaining Tbsp butter. Lower the oven temperature to 350˚F, and bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbly.
  • Serve warm with a hunk of crusty butter and green salad!

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Comments

  3. TerriSue says

    Susan, This one sounds fantastic. I went shopping yesterday and decided not to get the cauliflower. I guess I’ll have to wait until next week. It will definitely be on my list next week though. I have to try this one out!

    Reply

  10. Rita Held says

    Yes, cauliflower has lots of possibilities. I often make simple mashed cauliflower rather than mashed potatoes. The only difference is the garlic I add while cooking the cauliflower. And yes, Greek yogurt rather than sour cream.

    Reply

  14. Rosemary Mark says

    This recipe is YUMMY! My carnevorous maxiumus man said ‘this is good!’ on the first bite, by the third bite it was ‘this is REALLY good!”. We had the leftovers last night after a late-night movie and it was even better!
    (I had quite a few re-reads on the recipe — like the peppers mention roasted in the instructions, and also to roast with the cauliflower; the leeks say diced, but strips in the instructions. I can adapt and it looks almost exactly like yours, minus the great photography and styling. I’ll email photos to you 🙂

    Reply

  21. Denimo says

    Susan, I’ve pinned so many of your recipes, I thought I’d better go ahead and subscribe so I wouldn’t miss anything in the future. Really enjoy your blog.

    Reply

  22. Shelly says

    This was a home run!!! Thank you!!! I feel like I get into a vegetarian rut with my Mexican and eggplant parm norms and this is so different from those 🙂

    I found it much easier to save dishes and time by:
    -Broiling poblanos (takes 3-4 min) separately directly on rack; then could peel white cauliflower roasting
    -not roasting the leeks; instead I sautéed them til soft in the large pot then added fresh garlic, then the flour to coat for a rue. Then the wet ingredients and cheese for the sauce and then the veggies and spaghetti.

    Can’t wait to try more of your recipes! 🙂

    Reply

    • The Wimpy Vegetarian says

      For the Garlic Paste, finely minced garlic of the same amount is fine. The bought version just saves times, that’s all. For the Italian Paste, substitute 2 teaspoons of dried herbs. A combination of oregano and basil are good ones to go with. If you opt for fresh, I recommend 4 teaspoons minced herbs of basil, thyme, and oregano. Hope that helps!

      Reply

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