Healthy fettuccine alfredo with shrimp & mushrooms. Made with cauliflower sauce, this creamy pasta is a healthier version of a regular fettuccine alfredo.
After I made a healthier version of classic alfredo sauce 2 months ago, I had dreams at night (or you can call them nightmares) of how I was making different variations of that recipe, torturing myself with endless combinations of ingredients I could combine with that amazing cauliflower-based alfredo sauce. And, what do you think, did I come up with a super original recipe after all those sleepless nights? Not at all. I came up with something pretty basic but yet so delicious in its simplicity that I definitely call it another win in a "healthy food department": healthy fettuccine alfredo with shrimp and mushrooms in a creamy cauliflower sauce.
Because shrimp and sauteed mushrooms usually go so well with the original alfredo sauce, I just combined all these wonderful ingredients together in one healthy dish: shrimp, mushrooms, sweet peas, pasta - all coated in a creamy cauliflower sauce! Yum! Definitely worth trying!
This shrimp fettuccine alfredo is rich only in flavor, but not at all in calories! In fact, a whole pan of this sauce uses only ¼ cup heavy cream and ½ cup Parmesan cheese, everything else being replaced by very finely mashed cauliflower, mixed with sauteed shallots and garlic for more flavor and fragrance.
Loaded with mushroom flavor, this healthy fettuccine alfredo with shrimp and mushrooms will leave you fully satisfied, yet you will not feel like you just ate a heavy meal loaded with heavy cream or cheese.
Please enjoy this healthier version of alfredo sauce, made even better by adding shrimp, sauteed mushrooms, and sweet peas!
Healthy fettuccine alfredo with cauliflower sauce, shrimp, mushrooms, and sweet peas
Ingredients
How to make cauliflower sauce:
- 1 cauliflower floret
- 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
- 2 cups fresh peas (shelled) or use frozen
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 1 lb fettuccine pasta
- fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Shrimp:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb shrimp , peeled and deveined
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
How to make cauliflower 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 cauliflower from step 1 and creamy sauce from step 2. Process really well, until a very creamy sauce forms. Feel free to add more heavy cream or cooking water (using ¼ measuring cup) from step 1 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.
Prepare pasta:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the fettuccine in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.
- Cook the peas in boiling water for about 5 minutes, or according to instructions if using frozen peas. You can also add peas to pasta during the last 5 minutes of cooking instead of cooking them separately.
- In a large, separate skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat and saute mushrooms until soft and browned. Season with salt and pepper.
- Combine the cauliflower sauce, cooked shelled peas, and pasta cooked al dente in the skillet with mushrooms. Toss to combine thoroughly – over medium heat. Stir the sauce constantly. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and garnish with parsley, if desired.
Cook shrimp:
- Mix salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, cumin, and chili powder in a medium size bowl. Add shrimp to the bowl with spices and mix and toss to coat shrimp with spices.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan on high heat. Add shrimp, coated with spices, and cook about 3 minutes on each side, until shrimp becomes red in color on each side. Remove pan from heat.
- Add cooked shrimp to fettuccine alfredo.
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.
This sounds AMAZING. I have a really small food processor and I don't think it can hold the cauliflower and the sauce, any chance I can use a blender?
DELICIOUS in capital letters.
Ah your photos speak themselves! The pasta looks SO good! I'm off to check your healthy alfredo sauce! Loving the seasonings (cumin, hmmm yum!) for shrimp. Such a wonderful flavor going on in this pasta!
Wow, that looks good! The combination of flavour with the base sauce is making my taste buds jingle.
Hello Julia,
Thank you for visiting my blog. You have a lovely blog and great posts.Nice shot,makes my mouth water.I love pasta and I must try this combination,looks and sounds delicious!
have a nice weekend!
This looks like a great take on fettuccine alfredo! I love when I stumble upon a great pasta recipe 🙂
This is RIGHT up my alley!! Looks absolutely amazing!
I've always wanted to try a cauliflower sauce...they always look so creamy and good! Fettuccine alfredo is one of my favorite meals and I love that you made it healthy!
I LOVE fettucine alfredo, but I never make it because of all the calories. This healthy version looks great!
Your Healthy fettuccine alfredo with shrimp & mushrooms sounds amazing and super delicious. I love your lighter version too.
Looks sensational Julia! I have never paired mushrooms and shrimp before. I'll have to try that as I adore mushrooms. Pinning!
Ah! How perfect! I was just thinking I wanted to try and find a healthier alfredo recipe. Not only did I find one...but I found one that looks absolutely delicious! I wish I had a plate in front of me now. Thank you for sharing! Love the use of cauliflower here!
Cauliflower alfredo sounds crazy, but then again, just crazy enough to work. I adore both cauliflower and alfredo individually, so fusing the two should be an instant win!
Funny that we almost made the same dishes while mine is vegan and made with just beans. I like the idea of adding mushrooms to the dish.