An easy, healthy twist on classic fettuccine alfredo – made without cream or butter! With parmesan, garlic, and our favorite Magic Cauliflower Cream sauce.

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Tongs mixing fettuccine alfredo in a silver pot.

Our favorite classic fettuccine alfredo recipe is getting a facelift today: we’re nixing the cream and butter for our favorite Magic Cauliflower Cream! (And honestly? I might like this version BETTER than the traditional one).

Grey tongs mixing fettuccine pasta with alfredo sauce in a large saucepan.

QUICK RECAP: WHAT’S MAGIC CAULIFLOWER CREAM?

Magic Cauliflower Cream is our favorite (and meal prep friendly!) cauliflower + vegetable broth purée. It has a similar texture to milk or cream-based sauces (kind of like a béchamel). We love swapping it for milk or cream in everything from Creamed Corn to Mac and Cheese to Mashed Potatoes!

Grey tongs tossing fresh fettuccine pasta with alfredo sauce.

Why we love this lightened up Fettuccine Alfredo:

It reheats SO. WELL. Traditional fettuccine alfredo typically has a sauce of butter + parmesan (and in the U.S., often heavy cream) which is DELICIOUS, but separates awfully easily (if you’ve ever microwaved leftover fettuccine only to find an oily, grainy mess, you know what I’m talking about). But swapping the cream for a simple cauliflower purée means we can avoid that separation, resulting in a creamy alfredo sauce that holds together even when you store and reheat it.
It’s ready in a flash. Because we’re starting with our favorite Magic Cauliflower Cream, this alfredo sauce is ready – start to finish! – in less time than it takes to cook the fettuccine. (PS – Don’t have a batch of cauli cream ready to go? Whip up a fresh batch in just half an hour!)
This healthy alfredo sauce is ultra-versatile. Not feelin’ the fettuccine? No problem! Use this sauce on pizza, as a healthy swap for our favorite mushroom spinach lasagna or parmesan spinach gnocchi, over zoodles (we love our spiralizer!) or add your favorite veggies, chicken, shrimp, or salmon!

Fettuccine alfredo topped with fresh parsley on a white plate with a wooden fork.

Video: How to make cauliflower fettuccine alfredo

Cauliflower Fettuccine Alfredo

Author: Jessie
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
Category: Pasta
Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Description

Put a healthy twist on traditional fettuccine alfredo with our magic cauliflower cream!

Ingredients

Scale

8 ounces fettuccine pasta
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Magic Cauliflower Cream
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Cook fettuccine in very salty water until al dente.
Reserve ⅓ cup pasta water. Drain pasta, set aside, and return empty pot to the stove.
Heat olive oil in the pot over medium heat.
Add garlic to oil and sauté, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add cauliflower cream to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until cauliflower cream reaches a low simmer.
Add parmesan cheese and stir until cheese has melted, about 1 minute.
Add cooked fettuccine to the sauce and toss to combine.
Add reserved pasta water to fettuccine a few tablespoons at a time, tossing or stirring the pasta well between each addition, to lightly thin the sauce and help it coat the fettuccine. (You won’t need all the pasta water! I usually use a little less than ¼ cup).
Add salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine.
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley (optional) and serve immediately.

Notes

What is Magic Cauliflower Cream? Cauliflower Cream is our favorite lightened-up substitution for a traditional béchamel sauce (a milk or cream sauce thickened with a flour-and-butter roux). Find the full recipe here! (In a nutshell, cook 1 pound of chopped cauliflower with 1 and ½ cups of vegetable stock until cauliflower is ultra-soft, then blend well to make a smooth “cream”).

For best results, shred your own parmesan cheese here. Pre-shredded cheese is often coated with preservatives that prevent it from melting smoothly. Use a good box grater or the shredding disc on a food processor to quickly and easily shred your own cheese at home.

Additions and Substitutions. Use stock, milk, or cream in place of the reserved pasta water if you like. Swap half the fettuccine noodles for spiralized zucchini noodles to lighten this recipe up even more. Add a splash of heavy cream for extra richness. Add your favorite veggies (we love broccoli, kale, spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, or peas!) or protein (shrimp! chicken! salmon!) to make this recipe even heartier.

Strict vegetarians should look for parmesan cheese made without rennet.

Keywords: healthy, lightened-up