Roasted cauliflower is one of my favorite fall and winter pantry staples. Not only is it a good palette for spices, there’s at least a 50 percent chance my kids will eat it, making it a top-performing vegetable in our house.

I usually roast the big florets in the oven, but pan-roasting is another good way to achieve the flavor in a little less time. The trick to roasting on the stovetop is to chop the cauliflower into smaller pieces. I went for tiny florets in this recipe, but you could chop your cauliflower even smaller and reduce the cooking time further.

This dish is a riff on a Food52 recipe. I used our Italian Herbs blend, a classic medley of oregano, basil, marjoram, rosemary, thyme and sage that complements pasta, breadcrumbs, dressings and tomato-based sauces. I reach for Italian Herbs when I’m making a pasta sauce, breading a cutlet or making a crusty loaf of garlic bread.

Note that this is not a saucy pasta. If you prefer a saucier style, I think adding a white wine or cream-based sauce would be a delicious twist.

A couple other ideas: Use the cauliflower component without the pasta as a side dish to serve with fish or chicken. Or, toss it with mixed greens, olive oil and lemon juice for a delicious salad.

I have made this with and without anchovies, and it’s delicious either way. The anchovies melt down to nothing, leaving a layer of umami saltiness. If you omit the anchovies, you could try adding capers or chopped olives to add some of that briny flavor back in.