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When I was first introduced to the idea of making alfredo sauce with cauliflower as a base, I likely had a similar reaction to you:
1. Cauliflower Alfredo? That’s not real alfredo sauce. My *insert Italian grandmother, father, neighbor etc* would disown me!
2. But color me intrigued, because this might just work!
And I’m happy to report, that it does in fact work. Will it taste exactly like the traditional buttery, cheese-laden alfredo sauce you’re used to? No. But will it be creamy, flavorful and delicious? Absolutely.
😍 Why You’ll Love My Cauliflower Alfredo
Before you accuse me of just trying to sneak another vegetable onto your dinner table, I want you to know that this sauce is velvety-smooth and doesn’t scream of being a vegetable-based alternative. It is creamy, just the right amount of cheesy and full of flavor.
It all comes together in a blender meaning it’s quick to make and has the least amount of cleanup possible, and is incredibly meal-prep friendly with the ability to be stored in the refrigerator or frozen for a later date.
If like me you struggle with feeling sluggish and weighed-down after enjoying a traditional pasta dish, this recipe is about to be your new go-to as it’s much lighter, but with just enough butter and cheese so you’re not missing out on satisfying your taste buds.
🗒️ Ingredients
Cauliflower – Cauliflower has a beautiful ability to take on whatever flavors you put with it. While on its own it has a mild, sometimes nutty flavor, alongside bold flavors like parmesan and lemon, cauliflower provides a creamy, light base for this alfredo sauce.
Parmesan – Bold, nutty and a little bit tangy, parmesan is a rich cheese that doesn’t take much to pack flavor into a dish. It is the ideal choice of cheese for keeping the sauce light while ensuring we satisfy those cheesy expectations.
Garlic – No dish is complete without garlic (almost!), and this is no exception. The minced garlic will warm against the freshly boiled cauliflower and added pasta water to develop those qualities we know garlic for most often: the slightly sweet, caramelised flavor and aromatic warmth.
Butter – Butter reinforces that creamy, melt-in-your-mouth quality that an alfredo calls for, and as an added bonus, it also thickens sauces like no other!
Lemon – Sharp and tangy, fresh lemon cuts through the creaminess of alfredo giving this sauce some additional brightness. If heavy, creamy pasta sauces have never been your speed, the addition of lemon provides some tastebud relief!
👩🍳 How to Make My Cauliflower Alfredo
🚰 Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
⏲️ Add the cauliflower and boil until the cauliflower is easily pierced with a fork, about ten minutes. Drain cauliflower in a colander and add to the blender.
🧂Meanwhile, boil your pasta in a separate large pot of well-salted water according to package directions. Drain pasta in the same colander and reserve at least 2 cups of the pasta water.
🧀 Place the cauliflower in a high-powered blender or food processor and add the parmesan, butter, olive oil, mustard, garlic, zest and juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper.
Blend to combine for about 20 seconds.
💧Add some of the pasta water, ½ cup at a time, and blend until the sauce is very creamy and the consistency is to your liking. I usually use between 1-1 ½ cups of water. Taste and add salt or lemon if needed.
🍝 Toss the cooked pasta with the alfredo sauce and top with extra parmesan, chopped parsley, and cracked pepper.
🎉 Enjoy!
🎩 Tips and Tricks
- Without lashings of cream and butter and copious amounts of cheese, it’s important to pack in flavor, so be generous with your seasonings (salt and lemon) and taste as you go!
- Extra helpings of parmesan never hurt anyone.
🤲 Substitutions
- This recipe is vegetarian by nature, but by opting for dairy-free butter and parmesan, you can quickly transform it into a dairy-free, vegan dream!
- If you don’t have Dijon mustard, yellow mustard will have a milder flavor but would work well. You could also replace Dijon mustard with mustard powder if needed.
📓 Best served with
- Freshly cooked pasta – whatever shape takes your fancy!
- Gnocchi is another great option
- Proteins such as chicken or fish
- Some greens: add asparagus, broccoli, green beans or spinach
- Garlic bread, a classic pasta-pairing.
👝 How to Store Leftover Cauliflower Alfredo
Another reason to love this Cauliflower Alfredo recipe is that it is a dream to store! If you are making the sauce ahead of time, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you have made the sauce and tossed your pasta, you can store those leftovers in the refrigerator, again in an airtight container, for up to a week as well. If like me you enjoy your pasta Al Dante, it is best to store your sauce on its own and cook the fettuccine or linguine when you are about to enjoy them. You can also freeze this sauce for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing it into large soup-style freezer cubes so that you can defrost portions as desired!
🧠 Common Questions
Broccoli has a much more earthy, pronounced flavor compared to cauliflower. While you may be able to use it in a sauce in a similar way, it would completely change the flavors of this sauce.
The short answer is probably not. Cauliflower is truly difficult to replace. It can absorb the flavors you surround it with so beautifully and it also provides a lot of the creaminess this recipe calls for, and no other vegetable comes to mind without possibly complicating the recipe.
Yes, like any vegetable, cauliflower can become overcooked if you aren’t checking it regularly. The reason I don’t indicate a time for how long to boil it is that every stove top is different! Piercing your cauliflower with a fork is the best way to measure its readiness.
Luckily this recipe doesn’t require you to consume the cauliflower in its solid form, so if you have overcooked your cauliflower and it has become slightly mushy, all is not lost. Continue on with the recipe as written, and use your senses to adjust anything as you see fit. Needs a bit more flavor: add a touch more salt and lemon. Is a little bit runny? Add less pasta water.
Cooked pasta is soft and breakable so the end result is often less enjoyable. You possibly could store it for longer, but as an Al Dante pasta lover, I just can’t recommend it!
Cauliflower Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower, small to medium, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
- ½ cup parmesan, grated, plus additional for serving
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 zest lemon
- 1 juice lemon
- 227 g Linguine or fettuccine, One pack. I use Banza or Jovial Foods chickpea and brown rice pasta
- ground black pepper
- Kosher salt
- Parsley, Fresh, chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil.
- Add the cauliflower and boil until the cauliflower is easily pierced with a fork, about ten minutes.
- Drain cauliflower in a colander and add to the blender.
- Meanwhile, boil your pasta in a separate large pot of well-salted water according to package directions. Drain pasta in the same colander and reserve at least 2 cups of the pasta water.
- Place the cauliflower in a high-powered blender or food processor and add the parmesan, butter, olive oil, mustard, garlic, zest and juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper.
- Blend to combine for about 20 seconds.
- Add some of the pasta water, ½ cup at a time, and blend until the sauce is very creamy and the consistency is to your liking. I usually use between 1-1 ½ cups of water. Taste and add salt or lemon if needed.
- Toss the cooked pasta with the alfredo sauce and top with extra parmesan, chopped parsley, and cracked pepper.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
10/5! My cauliflower hating husband likes it. It’s insanely good! Definitely going to be a regular!
This is the HIGHEST praise, Robyn! You know you’re onto a winner when the husbands get on board 😉
Enjoy!
Kat.
I have been contemplating a healthier béchamel to use for my moussaka. I wonder if cauliflower could be the key??
Also, what are your thoughts on roasting the cauliflower and garlic for this recipe? Would it throw off the flavor balance?
I certainly think a cauliflower béchamel would be worth a try!
As for roasting the cauliflower and garlic, it might change the flavor balance overall but I also don’t think the flavors would be untoward. If anything, my first thought is more so that it may limit your ability to make the sauce as creamy and smooth on account of the crispy roasted bits, but I suppose that’s more about preference!
Let me know if you do some experimenting, I’d love to hear all about it.
Kat.