I‘ve been actively seeking out good-for-you recipes that also taste good. Now this may seem like an obvious thing to do, since I’m trying to get healthy, but I am typically resistant to “diet” food because it tastes crappy. Or at least that has been my previous experience. And this is another reason (excuse) as to why I also failed in all my previous get healthy goals. However, I am determined that this time will be different. So I am letting go of old beliefs around healthy foods and learning that eating well doesn’t mean sacrificing taste.
Now cauliflower has been used in many recipes to replace carbs or gluten but I pretty much ignored them all. I want my mashed potatoes to be mashed potatoes, not mashed cauliflower. Or my pizza crust to be made with flour and yeast versus cauliflower or zucchini. Even though I like cauliflower and zucchini, the “healthy” versions sounded yucky to me.
And I might have been a bit hasty in my judgment.
Taking a Chance on Healthy
I’d seen variations of this cauliflower alfredo sauce all over Pinterest. But again, I dismissed it. It didn’t appeal to me and alfredo sauce is not my favorite pasta sauce because it is so rich. And that is ultimately why I decided to try it. This version might be less rich and didn’t mess with a beloved dish, like say mashed potatoes. Nobody messes with Tanya’s mashed potatoes; I take them very seriously, folks!
To my surprise and great pleasure, I loved it. It still tasted like alfredo sauce but was not so rich like the original, which often bothered my tummy. It still felt decadent without being such a calorie and fat bomb. There was a certain blandness, which I why I added some roasted garlic and little heat with a few shakes of cayenne pepper. It doesn’t make it hot or overwhelm the sauce, but just gives it a little more depth.
I like to double the amount of sauce I make. For two nights, I serve the cauliflower alfredo sauce over noodles. And the remaining sauce I convert into cauliflower soup by adding a little milk (to thin the consistency) and either cheddar cheese (white or yellow) or blue cheese. It is so yummy and a perfect lunch to help me regulate my carb intake.
Spicy Garlic Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower head, chopped
- 1 teaspoons chicken bouillon
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 roasted garlic head or 2-3 raw garlic cloves (or to taste)
- Cayenne pepper, to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
- nutmeg, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pan, add chopped cauliflower pieces (should be approximately 4 cups). Cover with water. Bring to a boil and stir in chicken bouillon.
- Continue boiling for 30-40 minutes or until cauliflower is really soft. Drain cauliflower, reserving 1 1/2 cups of cooking water.
- In a blender or food processor, combine cauliflower with 1/2 cup of cooking water, parmesan cheese and roasted garlic. Process or puree until smooth. If sauce is to thick, add some more cooking water.
- Add a few shakes of cayenne pepper, butter, nutmeg (optional but delicious) and salt and pepper to taste. Process or puree until everything is blended.
- Transfer back to original pan and keep warm over low heat until serving.
Notes
If you don't have time to roast a garlic head, you can substitute a few raw fresh garlic cloves. Raw garlic does have some bite, so if you think it will be too bitter, you can saute the garlic in extra virgin olive oil first.
I double the recipe, so I have a couple of meals with the sauce over pasta and convert the rest into a cauliflower bisque. I add just a touch of milk to thin the consistency to my preference and add cheddar cheese (white or yellow) or blue cheese to the soup when reheating. If you have the time and can afford the calories, a few bacon crumbles make it extra delicious.
Recipe adapted from Julia's Album.
Enjoy!
Tanya
This looks good! We’ve been substituting cauliflower in a few recipes we’ve made for dinner since my husband is doing the low-carb thing, and you actually don’t notice the difference 🙂
I was surprised by how much it still really tasted like Alfredo sauce. I’ve actually made it three times in the past couple of months, which is a lot for me. The bad part about being a food blogger is your are always trying new things and only your absolute favorites get remade. This must qualify! It’s definitely made me revise my stance on cauliflower-substitutes and may even consider trying cauliflower mashed potatoes. Or at least a mix. I read Oprah still adds one real potato to her mashed cauliflower, which actually is a really good idea.