Easy Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo (Printable)

A light, velvety pasta featuring no-cream cauliflower sauce for guilt-free comfort food.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets (approximately 1.5 lbs)
02 - 3 cloves garlic, peeled
03 - 1 small yellow onion, chopped

→ Dairy & Alternatives

04 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
05 - 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
06 - 1/2 cup milk, dairy or unsweetened plant-based

→ Pasta

07 - 12 ounces fettuccine or linguine

→ Seasonings

08 - 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
09 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 - Pinch of ground nutmeg, optional

→ Garnishes

11 - Fresh parsley, chopped, optional
12 - Extra Parmesan cheese, optional

# How-To Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add cauliflower florets, garlic cloves, and chopped onion. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until cauliflower is very tender and easily pierced with a fork.
02 - Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked vegetables to a blender, reserving the cooking water in the pot.
03 - Add butter, Parmesan cheese, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to the blender with the cooked vegetables. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. If needed, add a splash of reserved cooking water to achieve desired consistency.
04 - In the same pot with the cooking water, cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining through a colander.
05 - Return drained pasta to the pot. Pour the cauliflower Alfredo sauce over the pasta and toss thoroughly to coat evenly. Add reserved pasta water as needed to achieve desired creaminess.
06 - Taste the dish and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as desired. Serve immediately while hot, garnished with fresh chopped parsley and extra Parmesan cheese if preferred.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tricks your brain into thinking you're eating decadent cream sauce when it's actually just pureed vegetables and a whisper of milk.
  • Ready in under 45 minutes, which means weeknight dinners don't have to be a scramble.
  • One pot becomes your entire dinner, minus the blender—cleanup is refreshingly simple.
02 -
  • Don't skip cooking the garlic and onion with the cauliflower—raw garlic in a blender creates harshness that no amount of Parmesan can mask, but cooked garlic becomes your flavor's best friend.
  • The pasta water is not optional; it's what transforms sauce from wallpaper paste into something that clings to noodles with grace.
03 -
  • Taste your cauliflower as it cooks—when it's almost falling apart, it's at its best for blending into a truly velvety sauce.
  • A tiny pinch of nutmeg sounds optional until you taste the difference it makes; it's the detail that separates this from tasting like cauliflower mush.
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