Alfredo sauce is meant to be creamy, buttery and cheesy. How would making a healthier version of alfredo sauce even come close to the real thing? It couldn’t. Never. Cauliflower? No way!
As it turns out, I was wrong. This lightened up alfredo sauce maintains its creamy consistency and taste. You would never know that the bulk of the sauce comes from puréed cauliflower. Still don’t believe me? I didn’t entirely believe it either until all that remained on our plates were creamy swirls and stray shavings of parmesan cheese.
Once again Joe had an evening test, giving me the perfect opportunity to trick him make a healthier vegetable based alfredo sauce. And it totally worked! I let him finish his pasta and express his true feelings (love) for the cauliflower sauce (he hates cauliflower). Then I broke the news. Immediately he claimed that he thought it smelled funny 
And guess who didn’t eat any of the leftovers…oh well, just left more for me!
I found this recipe on Pinch of Yum. In my version, I increased the amount of cream slightly and added some freshly grated parmesan cheese, peas and mushrooms. It was fabulous and really does taste like the real thing. I love my alfredo with chicken or prosciutto. Add your favorite alfredo toppings to this creamy cauliflower-based pasta.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces bow tie pasta
- 1 large head cauliflower, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1/8 cup plus ¼ cup cream - I used table cream since it’s what I had
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pinch of nutmeg
- pinch of black pepper
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup water
- 4 white mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup frozen peas, steamed or microwaved
Bring the broth to a boil and add the chopped cauliflower. Cook for 15-20 minutes until cauliflower is soft. Making sure the cauliflower is very soft with create a smoother sauce.
While the cauliflower cooks melt the butter in a large skillet and sauté the garlic over medium-low heat for a few minutes until the garlic is soft and fragrant.
Meanwhile cook the pasta.
Once the cauliflower is soft, transfer to a blender or food processor along with ¾ cup of the broth. Add the sautéed garlic, 1/8 cup of the cream, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Once the sauce is moving through the blender or food processor, add the olive oil while continuing to blend. Continue blending or processing until very smooth. If the sauce is too thick add more olive oil or broth so that it is able to move through the blender more easily.
While you purée the sauce, add the mushrooms to the large skillet and sauté over medium-low heat. Add cauliflower purée to the skillet with the mushrooms and stir in the remaining ¼ cup cream and a ½ cup of water. Add steamed peas and keep the sauce warm until the pasta is ready.
Stir pasta into the sauce and serve with extra parmesan cheese.
{Adapted from Pinch of Yum }
Comments
I’ve always been on the hunt for an alfredo recipe that is still creamy and doesn’t taste “healthy”. This looks delicious! I definitely have a love for alfredo sauce
I couldn’t believe how much it tasted like real alfredo!
Way to go, fooling Joe. This recipe really is healthier and I want to try it.
Thanks! I don’t think he was too pleased about it
Wow – though Joe may not be thrilled about the switcharoo, I definitely am! This looks and sounds amazing. So rare to find something that tastes so decadent and is healthy. Definitely trying this! Pinned
I’m with you Rachel. I was so excited by how “real” this alfredo tasted!
This looks really good! I would also have to make this while my boyfriend Gilbert was out of the kitchen, or he’d be biased from the start. He likes cauliflower but he couldn’t even imagine how this Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart from Smitten Kitchen could be good (http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/02/cauliflower-and-caramelized-onion-tart/) so I don’t know how he’d handle this haha.
Wow, that tart looks amazing (I love Smitten Kitchen!). If you get the chance to sneak this to Gilbert, I’d love to hear if he can be fooled too.
What a great idea! It looks delicious. I love the addition of peas, too. They make it so pretty (and that’s a food my toddler actually likes, yay!)
Thanks Kare! Peas are one of those things I always have in my freezer and always put in my alfredo. I love them frozen too! Hope your toddler likes it!
Jimmy made this a few nights ago, and though he told me it was cauliflower, I forgot. Tasting it did not jog my memory, and kept taking these smaller servings one after another, until he happened to mention the cauliflower, then I took a really BIG one!
Nancy
Nancy, I’m so glad you liked it! I kept eating spoonfuls of the sauce as I was making it