Healthy Alfredo-ish Sauce
Fresh linguini in a protein-heavy Alfredo alternative. Please disregard my poor photo skills… this is delicious, I promise.
As a food girlie meets fitness girlie, this kind of recipe really resonates. It’s simple, relatively light, and combines veggies and protein into a sauce that looks and tastes like Alfredo. Weekday pasta never looked (or tasted, or felt) so good.
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets (or a pre-cut bag of florets)
1 large shallot, minced
4–5 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 cup of milk of your choice
1 can of cannellini beans, drained
½ cup 2% Greek yogurt
¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or another hard Italian cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower florets and boil for 10–15 minutes, until fork-tender.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and garlic, season with salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and softened—about 8–10 minutes.
Transfer the cooked cauliflower, shallots, and garlic to a blender. Add the milk, beans, yogurt, and cheese, then blend until very creamy. Adjust the consistency by adding more milk or reserved pasta water as needed. Taste along the way and adjust seasoning—the goal is a creamy, nutty flavor.
This sauce pairs beautifully with a long noodle, especially fresh linguini, and a seasonal green veggie added at the end:
Spring: Chopped asparagus
Summer: Peas
Fall/Winter: Sautéed garlicky spinach or kale
