We love comfort food in our house, but it often does not love us back. Many comfort food recipes like alfredo are often heavy and make you uncomfortable after eating them. However, making the recipe with cauliflower takes much of that heaviness away. While this recipe was adapted from a vegan experiment a few years ago, we realized that some of the traditional alfredo tastes with the butter, half and half, and parmesan couldn’t be replaced as easily. This recipe is also a great way to sneak in some vegetables for the kiddos!
Ingredients:
- 5 cups cauliflower florets or one medium head chopped into florets
- 6 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 cup half and half or milk
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ cup parmesan
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- Pepper
- 2 lb. fettuccine or other pasta of choice
Directions:
Bring a large pot of boiling water to a boil. Add the cauliflower, 2 tbsp butter, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and garlic powder and cook for 8-10 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender—reserve ½ cup of the boiling water.
Heat the butter in a pot over medium heat, and sauté the minced garlic until soft and fragrant but not browned, about 1-2 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked cauliflower to a pot with the garlic and butter. Add the half and half or milk, onion powder, paprika, parmesan, salt, and the ½ cup water from the cauliflower. Using an immersion blender, blend everything until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add more milk or half and half.
Add pepper to taste and check your seasoning levels and adjust to your tastes if needed.
Serve with cooked fettuccine and a nice piece of garlic bread for dipping up the luscious sauce.
Notes: Some people may not enjoy as much garlic as we do. We tend to like enough garlic to make people question if we are okay, but feel free to adjust to a more comfortable level for your tastes.
