So, you know those days when you come home after an exhausting day and all you can think about is devouring a giant bowl of mac and cheese? Does that happen to anyone else?
Mac and cheese is probably my favorite food. That, and chocolate.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of fat in mac and cheese. And not a lot of vegetables. Let’s be real, there are NO veggies in mac and cheese.
Don’t get me wrong – there is nothing wrong with a cheesey-packed meal every once and awhile – but if I can satisfy that cheesy craving in a healthier way, I want in!
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and saute for 4-5 minutes until fragrant. Don’t burn it!
As the garlic and cauliflower are cooking, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the fettuccine according to directions on package, keeping 1/2 a cup of the starchy water for the sauce.
Add the sautéed garlic, salt, nutmeg, and black pepper and puree until very smooth, about 5 minutes. Once the mixture is uniform, add the olive oil into the blender. Add more broth or water if the mixture is too thick to move through the blender.
When the puree is very smooth, pour it back into the butter/garlic skillet.
Add the cream and cook over low heat. Add the starchy pasta water.
Combine the noodles and sauce and serve immediately.
Recipe from [url href=”http://pinchofyum.com/healthy-fettucine-alfredo”]Lindsay at Pinch of Yum[/url]. Note, I reduced the portions significantly since this made 3 full tubs of sauce and I couldn’t eat it all!
Vegetables making a creamy, healthy sauce? Yes please! Despite tasting nothing like alfredo (the name of the recipe got my hopes up,) it was the texture that I really fell in love with.
I am going to try to recreate this recipe in some bacon mac and cheese, inspired by a meal I had while in San Diego last week.
P.S. I should note that I didn’t think I liked cauliflower before eating this. My mind is now changed.
I just had mac and cheese last night from noodles….and I’m pretty sure I’m going to attempt the mac and cheese with this sauce tonight. Do I have a slight obsession? Yes!