Healthy fettuccine alfredo with cauliflower sauce and peas - if you're craving pasta with a creamy sauce but want a skinny version of a regular alfredo, this is the recipe for you! Healthy alfredo sauce is made with cauliflower, shallots and garlic, with a small amount of cream and Parmesan cheese. A healthier alternative to a classic alfredo sauce. I combined this healthy cauliflower alfredo sauce with fettuccine and peas for a delicious weeknight dinner!
When I first saw the recipe for healthy fettuccine alfredo with cauliflower sauce by Pinch of Yum on Foodgawker, I immediately fell in love with the idea of making a perfectly healthy alternative to my favorite alfredo sauce. Plus, seeing this sauce immediately brought back the memories of a few years back, when I used to make "fake" mashed potatoes using cauliflower and how much I enjoyed it!
Making this healthy alfredo sauce has long been on my mind but what stopped me from making it was simple logistics: I would forget to buy cauliflower at the store! Finally, here we are - with several cauliflower florets in the refrigerator, I was ready to go!
I made several adjustments to the recipe to bring it closer to the true fettuccine alfredo:
1) I sauteed shallots and garlic in a little bit of butter which added a really nice subtle flavor.
2) I added ½ cup of Parmesan cheese to the sauce - you are, of course, free to add more if you like.
3) I added sweet peas which add a touch of sweetness and perfectly compliment just about any pasta dish. Sweet peas went perfectly with the creamy cauliflower sauce!
What can I say about the result of this endeavor? I simply love cauliflower in mashed form! With the addition of a little bit of heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, shallots, garlic, and sweet peas, this dish becomes a pure vegetarian heaven! I literally could not stop eating it. Right now, my head is full of many other variations I'd love to try with the cauliflower sauce in place of alfredo, but for now, please enjoy this healthy fettuccine alfredo with cauliflower sauce and peas.
Cauliflower head:
Boil cauliflower for 30-40 minutes until soft.
Creamy cauliflower "alfredo" sauce:
Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo with Cauliflower Sauce and Peas
Ingredients
Cauliflower "Alfredo" Sauce
- 1 lb cauliflower (1 cauliflower head)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 shallots , minced, or 2 tablespoons of minced onion
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese , shredded
- ½ teaspoon salt or more, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Pasta and Peas
- 2 cups peas , fresh shelled or use frozen
- 8 oz fettuccine pasta
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley , chopped, for garnish, optional
Instructions
Make Cauliflower "Alfredo" Sauce
- Clean the cauliflower head from green leaves, and chop it into reasonably large but manageable pieces. Place it in the big sauce pan with water, bring to boil and boil for 30-40 minutes until cauliflower is really soft. Remove from heat and drain cauliflower from water. Do reserve some cooking water.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add minced shallot (or 2 tablespoons of minced regular onion) and minced garlic and saute until tender. Add heavy cream and Parmesan cheese and bring to a boil. Cook just for a minute, stirring, until cheese melts. Remove from the heat.
- In a food processor, combine cooked cauliflower with the creamy sauce. Process really well, until a very creamy sauce forms. Feel free to add more heavy cream or cooking water (using ¼ measuring cup) to thin the sauce if it is too thick. Transfer sauce into a large sauce pan and keep it warm on the stove top. Season with salt and pepper, and nutmeg, to taste.
Pasta and Peas
- Cook the peas in boiling water for about 5 minutes, or according to instructions if using frozen peas.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the fettuccine in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.
- Combine some of the cauliflower sauce (do not use all, you might need only half of this sauce), cooked shelled peas, and pasta cooked al dente. Toss to combine thoroughly – over medium heat. Stir the sauce constantly. Garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve immediately. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Made this recipe last night. It turned out thick and creamy. It was eas to make. I didn't use peas. I added mushrooms, tomatoes, and chicken breast to make it more family friendly and filling. Everyone loved it, even the picky teenager. Thank you for the recipe.
I've done a version with Greek yogurt so it takes all the guilt away from the cream but it doesn't take away from the yummy taste.
I've been trying to figure out how to make alfredo sauce healthier and I'm so glad I found this! Would the sauce workout if I just blend in the cauliflower with an immersion blender? I don't have a food processor.
I have to put this on the list of recipes to try. 🙂 Thank You julia for beautiful blog you have here 🙂
I LOVE this recipe. I've made it twice and it's just fantastic. I use it to make my own version of my favorite (and terribly unhealthy) dish from the restaurant I work at: Blackened chicken fettuccine.
I double the amount of cheese when making the sauce, and when it's all done I throw in a mix of sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach, add the peas, and serve it with blackened chicken on top of wide fettuccine noodles. It's fantastic even without the chicken. The texture is not as creamy as a regular sauce, but the addition of the saved water does help. Anyways, great recipe. I don't think I'll ever make a regular fettuccine again! Reheats well also.
Just as a heads up, real Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian!
I am assuming (from reading the recipe you linked to) that you mean a large head of cauliflower and not just one large floret (which is one small stem of flowers, many making up the head of cauliflower)? I look forward to trying this recipe. Thanks!
This is really yummy! I used about 1/2 cup of cream and figure that if you use the whole lb of pasta this entire batch is about 2200 calories. I made it for a 5 day lunch at work so comes in at about 445 calories per day. Thanks for the recipe, it's very delicious!
Stephanie, thank you for your comment! I am glad you enjoyed the recipe! And thanks for counting the calories. It does make a great lunch, doesn't it?
Just have to tell you that I love this recipe...my 4 year old had seconds! I am now a big fan of your blog! Do you have any recipes for the crock pot or recipes that you freeze? I have two kids and work full time so I'm always looking for easy yummy recipes!
Thank you! So glad your family liked the recipe! I only have 1 slow cooker recipe on this site. I was actually thinking the same thing yesterday - that I have to start making more meals that I could freeze and use during my workweek, because I just got a new job that's very time-demanding, and I have to rethink the way I cook. So, I might be starting to make and post recipes that are freezer-friendly here soon. 🙂