Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
This homemade cauliflower alfredo sauce recipe is super easy to make, calls for just 7 ingredients, and can be on the table in as little as 30 minutes! This easy sauce is rich, creamy, and flavorful. It's perfect for dinner parties, at-home date nights, and weeknight dinners, and is sure to be a hit with everyone who tries
Equipment
- a large pot and colander, for streaming the cauliflower
- an upright blender (you can also use a food processor or an immersion blender)
Ingredients
- 1 head fresh cauliflower washed and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup pasta water to thin
- 1 lb dry pasta of choice I like to use Linguini, but you can use any of your favorite pastas!
Instructions
- Place your cauliflower florets in a metal colander and set it over a large pot of water(the colander shouldn't be touching the water), cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stream the cauliflower until fork tender, remove from the heat, and set aside until ready to use.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until hot and bubbly, add the minced garlic, and saute until fragrant. Add the heavy creamy, salt, pepper, dijon mustard, and nutmeg. Heat, whisking continually just until hot.
- Place the steamed cauliflower into your upright blender, followed by the heavy cream mixture. You'll only want your blender to be half full at most, so you might need to blend your sauce in batches.
- Blend at a low speed until smooth and creamy. If you are having trouble getting your sauce to blend, add a splash of milk or heavy cream to help get things moving.
- Pour the pureed sauce into a large pot or saucepan, and set aside while you cook your pasta.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil, add your pasta of choice, and cook until al dente, according to the package directions.
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain and lightly butter your noodles to keep them from sticking together.
- Add the pasta water to the cauliflower mixture, and heat over medium heat whisking often until hot. Once the sauce is hot add the parmesan cheese and whisk just until the cheese is melted.
- Pour the hot cauliflower sauce over the noodles and toss, making sure all the noodles are coated in the sauce.
- Plate, and serve, topped with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a dusting of nutmeg. Enjoy!
Notes
If you would like, this pasta sauce can be prepared ahead of time. Simply prep the pasta sauce up until the point of adding the pasta water, then transfer the sauce to a jar or an airtight container, and place it in the fridge until ready to use. Cauliflower alfredo sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days!
Any leftover pasta and sauce can be placed in an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days!
This recipe is also great made with roasted cauliflower and roasted garlic!
If you forget to save pasta water, you can easily use regular water, milk, or even broth to thin out the sauce. Vegetable broth and chicken broth, both work great!
This homemade cauliflower alfredo sauce can be served over any of your favorite noodles. It is also great served over zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash. It can also be used as a sauce for serving over chicken and pork chops, and it makes a good base for rice dishes too!
If you are looking to make this pasta sauce a bit healthy, this recipe can easily be made vegan! Simply swap out the butter for vegan butter or your favorite oil. Use your favorite non-dairy milk, coconut milk, soy milk, and unsweetened almond milk all work great! And use your favorite vegan/dairy-free cheese, or even nutritional yeast, in place of the parmesan cheese!
Nutrition
Calories: 511kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 16gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 637mgPotassium: 519mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 775IUVitamin C: 47mgCalcium: 144mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!