Cauli-power Fettuccine “Alfredo” (Vegan)

Eric is in love with this creamy cauliflower pasta dish. I mean, in love. In fact, he asked if we could make it together on Valentine’s Day. Who am I to deny a grown man cauliflower? Plus, creamy pasta and Valentine’s Day go hand and hand. Chocolate too, of course. I’d say it’s a win-win.

Traditional Alfredo sauce is mostly made up of butter, cheese, and often, cream. Decadent? You betcha. Hiding a super healthy vegetable? Not so much. I’m happy to say this cauli-power sauce brings us both decadence and nutrition. To be honest, I was super skeptical to try the blended-cauliflower-as-pasta-sauce trend and I wasn’t rushing to try it out. But after whipping up a version in my kitchen, I went crazy for this stuff. And by crazy, I mean standing over the pot of pasta and spooning it into my mouth uncontrollably. Yea that happened. It’s downright irresistible just like you’d hope a creamy pasta to be. Of course, soaked cashews can create a fine alfredo sauce too, but it’s great to have a change from nuts. All you have to do to make this sauce nut-free is swap the almond milk for a nut-free non-dairy milk of your choice. Fun, right?

This sauce makes a lot (3 cups!) which means you can happily drown the pasta with the sauce. No skimping here! It is cauliflower after all. I stirred the sauce into whole grain spelt ribbon pasta which was quite tasty. I gravitate toward meals that leave me feeling good and this certainly made the cut. Not bad for a decadent-tasting pasta, I say.

Vegan, soy-free, sugar-free

By Angela Liddon

A decadent-tasting, but super light and energizing vegan alfredo pasta sauce made with a base of cooked cauliflower! You have to taste this to believe it. The nutritional yeast gives this sauce a lovely "cheesy" flavour while the blended cauliflower creates a luxurious (but light) creamy base. If you don't want to serve it over pasta, try serving it over your favourite roasted vegetables or stirred into cooked rice. Thanks to Pinch of Yum for inspiring this tasty recipe!

Yield

4 servings (or 3 cups sauce)

Prep Time

20 Minutes

Cook time

25 Minutes

Total Time

45 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 heaping cups cauliflower florets (1 small/medium cauliflower)


• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil


• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (from 2 med/lg cloves)


• 1/2 cup unsweetened and unflavoured almond milk (or non-dairy milk of choice)


• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast


• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice


• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder


• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder


• 3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste


• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon pepper, to taste


• Fettuccine pasta of choice (I used one (8-oz) box of Eden Organic Spelt Ribbons)


• Fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1. Add cauliflower florets in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a low boil. Once boiling, cook for another 3-7 minutes until fork tender. Drain.


2. Meanwhile, add the oil into a skillet and saute the minced garlic over low heat for 4-5 minutes until softened and fragrant, but not browned.


3. In a high speed blender, add the cooked and drained cauliflower, sauteed garlic, milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Blend until a super smooth sauce forms. If using a Vitamix use the tamper stick as needed. Set aside.


4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add your desired amount of pasta and boil for the time instructed on the package. Drain pasta.


5. Add cauliflower sauce into the pot (you can use the same pot!) and add the drained pasta. Heat over low-medium until heated enough to your liking. Salt again to taste (the pasta dilutes the flavour).


6. Serve with fresh minced parsley and black pepper. Feel free to add in your favourite sauteed or roasted vegetables. I think peas, spinach, or broccoli would work very nicely! I added mushrooms, but I wasn't overly crazy about them in this dish.