Cauliflower Alfredo

Searching for light dinners but want rich, creamy Alfredo? Try using...cauliflower!  It's true, cauliflower will give you a very smooth sauce that tastes just like Alfredo (with a few extra additions).

Recipe Card (PDF) Unbelievably, this is super easy to make as well and you don't have to watch it constantly.


Ingredients (serves 3-4)
Pasta (any type you like, prepared al dente)
1 head of cauliflower, cut into large chunks, greens removed
2 Tbs butter or alternative
1/4 C milk, soy milk or almond milk
1/2 tsp sea salt
Garnishes: bacon, sausage, mozzarella, sun-dried tomato (julienned), chopped basil, chopped arugula, capers, kalamata olives

Boil the cauliflower until very tender - about 8 minutes.  Put into a good blender or food processor along with the butter*, milk and salt.  Blend on a high setting for at 1-2 minutes until it is very smooth.  Serve on top of the pasta.

As always, the presentation and garnish is what turns the dish from blah to bling so take the time to think through the plating and use more garnish than you normally would (since the sauce is very plain, you can stack on extra).  Here's two possibilities - one with sausage and arugula, the other with bacon and sun-dried tomato - but use your imagination, and don't forget to add color (don't stick with just one, try to put in two to give it pop).

Hint - when serving pasta, it almost always looks best on a large plate instead of being crowded in a little bowl.  Make the dish stand out!