Cauliflower-Cashew Alfredo Pasta
Smooth, creamy and rich. This is the kind of pasta I long for on a dreary day at the farm. This recipe is a great one to turn to when you’re craving comfort but don’t want to be weighted down after your meal. Thanks to the natural pectin in the cauliflower cell’s walls, the cooked cauliflower thickens up nicely once it’s blended. This sauce has zero cream yet, tastes rich and indulgent on its own. I’ve made a cauliflower base pasta sauce before (Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Sauce) which was a huge hit. However, I wanted to bulk this dish up a bit and the addition of cashews made for an even richer and more hearty meal. The flavor is absolutely wonderful with a slight nuttiness and I can’t think of a better dish to whip up on a cold night. We topped our pasta with a toasted almond crumbled (not to be skipped!) and plenty of fresh parsley which really tied the whole dish together. Serve with a glass of your favorite house wine and a good dinner date and you’re all set!
Cheers from Tumbleweed Farm.
Cauliflower-Cashew Alfredo Pasta
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Serves: 4-6
- 1 small head of cauliflower, broken into florets, (about 3 cups)
- 4 cup vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews
- 2 tablespoons ghee or unsalted grass-fed butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 pound pasta
- 1/4 cup minced parsley
- Almond Crumble
Preparation
- Place the chopped cauliflower in a large pot with the veggie stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the cauliflower is fork tender, about 8 minutes. Reserve the cooking liquid.
- While the cauliflower cooks heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often until lightly browned and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon transfer the cooked cauliflower to a high speed blender along with the cashews, garlic, ghee, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Add about 1 1/2 cups of reserved cooking liquid to the blender and blend on high until completely smooth and creamy. Add more liquid if the sauce is too thick. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.
- Cook your pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid.
- Toss the pasta with the sauce (if it seems dry add a little of the reserved cooking liquid) and divide between plates/bowls (you may have extra sauce which is fine to save in the fridge). Top with minced parsley and almond crumble.
Notes
*Use this recipe as a guide *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary *Store extra sauce in an air tight container in the fridge for 5 days
Hi, Can’t wait to try this but I wonder….can I use the riced cauliflower instead?
Hey, I really enjoy your info and the recipe sounds intriguing. It seems like a bad link for the “almond crumble,” though.
Hi there! I’m so glad you’re intrigued by the recipe. It’s definitely a keeper! It looks like the link to the almond crumble is correct. It’s part of the spaghetti with roasted garlic cauliflower sauce recipe and is included there! I hope that’s helpful! xo
Do you soak your cashews before blending?
Nope. No need too!
I love your recipes, and your whole site. Just wanted to let you know that I selected “vegan” as a filter and this popped up with butter as an ingredient. Cheers.
Needs an addition for what to do with the garlic once it is lightly browned and fragrant… I just added it to the blender with the cashews, ghee, etc., thinking that’s what is intended
Great catch! Thanks so much!
Have you tried freezing the leftover sauce? I don’t want it to go to waste (it is SO delicious!), but we already have so much leftover pasta from the recipe, I don’t think we will make another batch of it this week.
Update! Froze leftover sauce, defrosted it in the fridge and reheated it very low and slow and it was FANTASTIC. This sauce is SO GOOD.
Oh my god, this is so good. I’ve made it 4 times in the last couple weeks.
This is absolutely delicious. I ran out of time to make the crumble, so I just topped it with chopped parsley, and it was fabulous. Served with kale salad and homemade bread. Thanks for another great recipe!
Would it be best to soak the cashews if I don’t have a high power blender or do you think it still works fine without soaking?
Yeah, if you don’t have a high powered blender I would soak the cashews in boiling water for about 20 minutes.
I selected your yummy recipe for my keto diet blog. (https://ketotonics.com). Thanks, it is amazing.