Sometimes I want a beige meal.
No... this is not some psychological Return to the Nursery thing. For example... tonight I wanted pasta. And I had a head of cauliflower. And some toasted breadcrumbs. And a bit of chicken stock... i.e., the makings of a beige meal!
So I cut the cauliflower into medium-sized pieces, began to sauté it in EVOO... added some (OK... a lot) of minced garlic, and red pepper flakes... then some water to steam it...
When the water was gone, I tossed in some chicken stock. When the cauliflower was very close to being tender, I added almost cooked pasta and a bit of pasta water. When the pasta and cauliflower were perfect, I tossed in the breadcrumbs... tasted for salt and black pepper... added a last fillip of EVOO...

And settled down to a lovely no-cheese pasta meal.