Cauliflower "Alfredo" Sauce - LIFE CHANGING.

When was the last time you had a big plate of rich, creamy pasta alfredo for under 400 calories? Never? Well then gather round, children!

I love pasta. And all other carbs. And anything made with cream and butter and flour! I was so happy to discover a way to enjoy the taste of these things without the 1,200 calorie bill. I was skeptical at first, but now I'm a believer! I served the sauce over whole wheat penne with broccoli. I would have added chicken but I was feeling pretty lazy. Now, if you are REALLY trying to make your calories stretch as much as possible, you can omit the olive oil and parmesan cheese, but I wanted it to taste more like true alfredo sauce and less like pureed cauliflower... so I bit the bullet, and trust me: it really does make all the difference!

*THIS RECIPE WAS PICKY HUSBAND APPROVED!*

1/2 head cauliflower (about 4 cups florets)
3/4 c broth (I used chicken)
1/4-1/2 c milk (depending on how thick and creamy you prefer)
1 T EVOO
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1 clove minced garlic (sauteed) OR 1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder (or chopped onion)
Parsley flakes to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the cauliflower for 10 minutes until tender (I boiled it in broth for maximum flavor absorption ), then transfer cauliflower to blender or food processor. Add broth and blend until very smooth. Add milk until desired consistency is reached. Add olive oil, cheese, garlic, onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Blend to combine. Serve hot.

Makes about 3 cups, the perfect amount for one box of pasta. Sauce freezes and thaws well. When reheating leftovers, add a few drops of milk and stir to make it creamy again... it tends to get a little dry over night.

This sauce is also a wonder base for casseroles and makes a wonderful addition to many other recipes! I think cauliflower is my new best friend.

When I made the sauce, it came out to 60 calories per 1/2 cup serving. Much better than alfredo sauce which has 500 calories per 1/2 cup serving!

Enjoy!

Stahp it, alfredo is only butter + parm, you can't substitute cauliflower for either

I was going to say if you take out the cauliflower, you would still have an alfredo sauce. What is the point of sticking cauliflower in it?

As a matter of fact, if you take out the cauliflower and replace it with broccolli, and take out the parm and replace it with cheddar, you would have cheddar and broccolli soup.

Still trying to understand why this recipe is better than a regular alfredo considering the ingredients are sure to bump up the calories in it.

Cauliflower as the base for the sauce makes it less calorie dense. There is only 1/4 cup of cheese and 1 tablespoon of oil in the ENTIRE recipe, whereas alfredo sauce is all cheese and butter and cream.... do the math. 50 calories vs. 500 calories. Not that hard to figure out why it's better for you. And it tastes good. If it tasted bad, I wouldn't post it.

But all those same ingredients would make an alfredo sauce without the cauliflower?

Exactly. What was the cauliflower for? Doesn't seem to be the main focus/ingredient despite the name. If it had not been included, would it have changed the taste, texture, acidity, thickness/thinness, etc. Right now, it just sounds like a filler with no purpose then to just buff the amount that is being eaten.

which could be easily buffered by just pouring the original sauce over cauliflower instead of pasta and getting the same or similar nutritional profile.

This is actually terrible. I'm a good cook, and not a picky eater, and this still got one taste and was tossed in the garbage.