Easy Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo (Printable)

Light and velvety pasta with cauliflower-based creamy sauce. Ready in 40 minutes.

# What you'll need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets (approximately 1.5 lbs)
02 - 3 cloves garlic, peeled
03 - 1 small yellow onion, chopped

→ Dairy & Alternatives

04 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
05 - 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
06 - 1/2 cup milk, dairy or unsweetened plant-based

→ Pasta

07 - 12 oz fettuccine or linguine

→ Seasonings

08 - 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
09 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 - Pinch of ground nutmeg, optional

→ Garnishes

11 - Fresh parsley, chopped, optional
12 - Extra Parmesan cheese, optional

# Method:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower florets, garlic cloves, and chopped onion. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until cauliflower is very tender.
02 - Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked vegetables to a blender, leaving the water in the pot.
03 - Add butter, Parmesan cheese, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg if using to the blender. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. If needed, add a splash of the reserved cooking water to achieve desired sauce consistency.
04 - In the same pot with remaining water, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining pasta in a colander.
05 - Return drained pasta to the pot. Pour cauliflower Alfredo sauce over pasta and toss thoroughly to coat all noodles, adding reserved pasta water gradually as needed to achieve desired creaminess.
06 - Taste the finished dish and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley and extra Parmesan cheese if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce tastes indulgent and creamy, but there's no cream hiding in it, which means you can actually enjoy seconds without that weighed-down feeling.
  • Cauliflower becomes something magical when blended, revealing a natural sweetness and silky texture that makes you forget what you're really eating.
02 -
  • The key to this sauce being silky instead of grainy is blending the cooked cauliflower completely smooth, and if you skip this or under-blend, you'll end up with a textured sauce that defeats the whole purpose.
  • That reserved pasta water is not optional and it's not something you can replace with regular water, because the starch in it is what makes the sauce emulsify and coat the noodles properly.
03 -
  • Keep your blender running longer than feels necessary, because the longer you blend cauliflower with a little fat and liquid, the creamier and silkier it becomes.
  • If you're making this for a crowd, you can prepare the sauce ahead of time and reheat it gently while the pasta cooks, which takes the stress out of timing everything perfectly.
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