Cauliflower Alfredo with Peas is comfort food defined pasta packed with vegetables and that family-friendly Alfredo flavour.
Mmmmmm, pasta. Makes me weak at my knees. BUT, when its healthy pasta jammed full of nutritious vegetables I basically make the same dish over and over. I also love that I can make a huge batch of this and have legit leftovers everyone loves for lunch the next day. It makes rough days (or weeks) so much better.
Speaking of rough weeks. This one just might do me in. I’ve been under the weather since my trip to Toronto and trying really hard to play catch up with life. Speaking for myself, playing catchup with 3 kids is ROUGH.
I don’t even have the energy to open a bottle of wine … it’s really bad you guys. I’m not doing a ton of recipe development or anything work related as I’m getting my butt handed to me in every direction. Yesterday, my horoscope did say that 2018 is going to be extremely favourable for me. So, that’s what, 7 more months to wait it out? 😉
Back to this stellar dish. My love for cauliflower knows no bounds. It’s delicious roasted, puréed, steamed, fried, you name it, we love it over here. High in fibre and Vitamin C, cauliflower lends itself to dishes where it can take on other flavours. Like Alfredo. Steam some cauliflower, purée it for the most amazing texture and mix it with some milk and cheese. Even my cheese hating child loved this Cauliflower Alfredo dish!
The fact that there’s minimal green “stuff” happening here is good news for parents with green-hating children. If you want to go the extra step remove the peas and add some crispy bacon pieces for that ultimate picky eater.
Even looking at this Cauliflower Alfredo makes me want run to the kitchen and make it. There’s something about creamy luscious pasta that will always find its way onto our table.
- 3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 large head of cauliflower stem and leaves removed, roughly chopped
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth or water, but broth will taste better
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2-1 cup whole milk
- 1/4-1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- 1 lb 454 grams of fettuccine
- 1 cup frozen canned, or fresh peas
- fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley to garnish optional
-
Place garlic, cauliflower, and chicken broth in a large saucepan with a lid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 8-10 minutes (or until cauliflower is tender and soft).
-
Carefully transfer contents of saucepan to a blender or a food processor (blend will result in a smoother consistency).
-
Add salt, butter, 1/2 cup milk, and parmesan cheese. Blend on high until desired consistency is reached (I prefer a smooth texture). Add in remaining 1/2 cup milk if sauce is too thick. Taste and season with more salt if required.
-
Meanwhile, cook fettuccine as per package instructions, adding peas with 1 minute left in the cooking time. Drain pasta and peas. Toss with cauliflower alfredo sauce.
-
Garnish with more parmesan and/or chopped fresh parsley if desired.
This dish was inspired by Pinch of Yum’s Creamy Cauliflower Sauce. I adapted it to make it use less dishes and adjust the flavours to make them more kid-friendly.
Enjoy! xo
