Cauliflower Alfredo

Let me just get this off my chest right now- I hate basically all things cauliflower. It has just always seemed tasteless & awfully smelly when cooked. It reminds of me one of those pointless veggies that are thrown into a mix of other vegetables, just because a different color is needed. Maybe you are someone who loooves the stuff, but I just can't find it in my heart to form that kind of relationship. Until I found this recipe. 

Heck, there is sauteed garlic & even a little bit of heavy cream (if I'm going to be real honest here, I'll admit that I bought double the amount of cream needed just in case the sauce was a bust & I needed to make "actual alfredo sauce.")

I'm sure this won't be music to my husband's ears, but now I am really excited to try a few other cauliflower recipes (like "mashed potatoes" or "pizza crust"). This might be the end of my cauliflower hate!!

You can read all about how this recipe evolved here & how it was supposed to be a lovely ravioli, but turned into just noodles & sauce. It was actually quite lovely & both my kid & husband scarfed it down. John was only hesitant because he knew it wasn't "real afredo." I think next time I just need to wise up & not tell him the ingredients ahead of time.

Do you like to hide veggies in your meals & have found recipes where this actually works? Please comment in the comments below!

Cauliflower Alfredo

Ingredients
1 lb. uncooked noodles
3 small heads cauliflower (about 3/4 of a normal bunch)
6 cups vegetable broth
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup heavy cream

Directions
Chop the cauliflower. Bring the vegetable broth to a boil over medium high heat & add the cauliflower. Cook until cauliflower is soft, about 15 minutes (but the longer you cook it, the smoother the sauce will be).

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic & saute for 4-5 minutes or until soft & fragrant. As the garlic & cauliflower are cooking, bring a large pot of water to boil & cook the noodles according to directions on package.

Transfer the cauliflower to a new pot with about 2 cups of the broth. I used my immersion blender to puree the cauliflower, broth, garlic, salt, & black pepper until very smooth, but you can definitely do this in the blender, too. Once the mixture is smooth, stream the olive oil in. Add more broth or water if the mixture is too thick. 

Add the cream & cook over low heat & keep warm until ready to serve. Combine noodles & sauce in a large pot or skillet & serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum