Brad and I went to Seattle last week for our annual Summer visit with his family and my brother’s family. Seattle in July might be my favorite place-time ever – long days, hot sun, cool breeze, and amazing views every way you turn.
We took an afternoon stroll through Pike Place Market and I picked up delicious looking sweet potato pappardelle pasta. I knew I wanted to make this with creamy cauliflower Alfredo sauce but decided to try a vegan version this time. It turns out milk, butter and cream are completely unnecessary to make this creamy, delicious sauce.
Of course, fancy Seattle pasta is not required. I plan on making this many more times this Summer with good old fashioned super market fettuccine. I added some grilled asparagus here but swap out any other veggies you like. Peas, broccoli, or mushrooms are all on my personal agenda. Speaking of substitutions, you can also replace the almond milk with your non-dairy milk of choice. Rice, soy, cashew… all are welcome in this pasta sauce.
If you’re like me you’ll want to double the sauce recipe so you can eat half of it directly from the blender before serving. Or freeze it, if you have self control.
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 lb cauliflower florets (about 1 medium head)
- 1/2 c vegetable broth
- 1/4 c almond milk
- 1 tbs vegan butter or olive oil
- 2 tbs nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- salt, to taste
- 12 oz cooked asparagus
- 8 oz fettuccine (use gluten-free pasta to make this gluten-free)
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a roiling boil and add cauliflower and garlic cloves. Boil until cauliflower is very tender - about 10-12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove cauliflower and garlic to a blender. Reserve cauliflower water.
Add broth, almond milk, butter, yeast and seasonings to the blender and blend until smooth. You may need to work in batches. Don't overfill the blender and be sure to wrap with a towel to avoid a steam explosion. Alternatively, used a hand blender and blend in the pot. Season to taste.
Meanwhile, return the pot of cauliflower water to a boil, adding more water if necessary, and cook pasta according to package instructions.
Drain. Add cauliflower sauce to pasta and stir in asparagus.
Nutritional Information
Calories 262 / Total Fat 5.7g / Saturated Fat 0.9g / Fat 0.0g / Cholesterol 41mg / Sodium 191mg / Potassium 705mg / Total Carbohydrates 42.7g / Dietary Fiber 5.4g / Sugars 3.8g / Protein 13.2g
Weight Watchers Points: 5 / PointsPlus: 7
Ooh, this looks so delicious – especially the fancy sweet potato pasta! I love Seattle, and that market is pretty much a foodie’s paradise. Looking forward to trying this!
This looks so rich and creamy I would never guess it was cauliflower! Cauliflower is my favorite veggie, I love this idea.
My mom just made this dish for dinner. Who would think that the cauliflower alfredo sauce won’t taste like cauliflower. This dish is delicious!! Thanks for sharing.
Yay! I’m so glad you love it, too. Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Hi, can i substitute the nutritional yeast with something else? Or not use it at all? . tnks
Absolutely! You can replace it with a fistful of cheese if you eat dairy and want to give it a little cheesy flavor but it’ll be just fine if you leave it out completely.