HEALTHY ALFREDO SAUCE

So, this recipe is not an old time family favorite.  This is one I recently "discovered" and thought, "where was this when I was trying to get more vegetables inside the family?"  This is seriously good!  You cannot taste the cauliflower at all and would never know it's the main ingredient. Do not tell hubby or kids and they'll never know. The recipe is as I found it on pintrest.

The first time I made it as directed.  Next time I added  1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese to the sauce at the end.  Then we sprinkled some Parmesan cheese over the noodles on our plates.  I used regular spaghetti noodles but you could use any sort of noodle you have on hand.  I also sauteed some chopped swiss chard and onions with the garlic.   I did not add it to the puree but mixed it with the noodles before adding the sauce to the noodles. 

I did not add 2 cups of liquid with the cauliflower in the blender.  Just added enough to puree well.  Add more as you need it.  For the amount of cauliflower I had, two cups of broth in the blender was way too much.  If you don't use all the sauce, you could freeze the leftover over for another day. 

Add some garlic bread and a green salad and I think you'll have a new family favorite. 

Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo

Author: Pinch of Yum

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  15 mins

Total time:  30 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

·                            1 lb. uncooked fettuccine noodles

·                            3 small heads cauliflower (This recipe is from Australia and they have very small heads of cauliflower there.  For us here in the US, just one head is PLENTY.)

·                            6 cups vegetable broth

·                            6 cloves garlic, minced

·                            1 tablespoon butter

·                            1 teaspoon salt

·                            pinch of nutmeg

·                            pinch of black pepper

·                            1 tablespoon olive oil

·                            ¼ cup heavy cream (I used canned (evaporated) milk)  I think you could also use coconut milk if you were trying to do non-dairy. 

·                            1 cup starchy boiling water from pasta pot

Instructions

1.                Chop the cauliflower. Bring the vegetable broth to a boil over medium high heat and add cauliflower. Cook until cauliflower is soft, about 15 minutes. In my experience, the longer you cook it, the smoother the sauce will be. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and saute for 4-5 minutes or until soft and fragrant.

2.                As the garlic and cauliflower are cooking, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the fettuccine according to directions on package, reserving some of the starchy water to add to the sauce later.

3.                Transfer cauliflower to a blender with about 2 cups of the broth. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender. Add the sauteed garlic, salt, nutmeg, and black pepper and puree until very smooth, about 5 minutes. Once the mixture is moving, stream the olive oil into the blender. Add more broth or water if the mixture is too thick to move through the blender. You want it to turn through the blender easily. When puree is very smooth, transfer back to the butter/garlic skillet.

4.                Add the cream and cook over low heat. Add the starchy pasta water (or regular water if you’re not making pasta) and keep warm until ready to serve. Combine noodles and sauce in a large pot or skillet and serve immediately. (my sauce was creamy enough that I did not need to add the starchy pasta water).