30 min
1 hr
8
š” ThisĀ recipe is all about plant diversity. Your gut microbiome (and in turn, your butt) loves a diet rich in plant diversity. Rather than rely on a roux to make the Alfredo sauce (flour, butter, and milk), we use cauliflower and cashews to add extra fiber and nutrition that a roux would lack. We also added mushrooms for an additional plant and protein boost but that's optional here if you're not big on mushrooms. Fun fact: this is the first recipe we ever dropped on The Bottom's Digest!
Fettuccini Alfredo Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized head of cauliflowerĀ
- 1 1/4 C raw cashews
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 16 oz mushrooms (whatever kind you like)
- 1/4 C dry Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp sherry cooking wine or dry white wine
- 3 tbsp butter (or vegan butter)
- 2-3 tbsp Ā olive oil
- 1/2 C nutritional yeast
- 1/4 C reserved pasta water
- 1 C plant-based milk (unsweetened) Ā
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound fettuccine noodles
š” Both butter and parmesan cheese are virtually lactose-free. You'll find that we use butter often in our recipes because of this fact. Feel free to top your pasta with lots of parmesan cheese if your gut and butt can handle it!Ā Ā
Fettuccini Alfredo Directions
Step 1
Chop cauliflower into florets and add to a stockpot with cashews and garlic. Cover with water and place over high heat. Boil the mixture for 20-30 minutes, or until the cashews and cauliflower are very soft.
Step 2
Reserve Ā¼ cup of cooking water. Strain the cauliflower, garlic, and cashews and add it to a blender along with the nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon of salt, Ā¼ cup of the reserved cooking water, and plant-based milk. Blend the mixture until very smooth.Ā
Step 3
Place the dry Italian seasoning in a small heat-proof bowl and cover them in hot water. Set aside. To a sautƩ pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and butter. Once hot, add the mushrooms and cook until all the water has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to brown, about ~15 minutes. Add the cooking wine and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the excess water from the Italian seasoning and add it to the mushrooms. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Step 4
Add the cauliflower Alfredo sauce to the sautĆ© pan with the mushrooms and mix. Set aside.Ā
Step 5
Put a large stockpot filled Ā¾ of the way with water over high heat. Once boiling, heavily salt the water and add fettuccine noodles. Cook according to the package instructions for al dente. Reserve ~2 cups of the pasta water before draining the pasta.Ā
Step 6
Add the strained noodles to the sauce and mix well using tongs. Add pasta water if the pasta needs additional moisture, adding 1/4 C at a time until the sauce is creamy and smooth. Because this sauce is plant-based, you'll be surprised at how much it eats up the pasta water. Top with parmesan cheese. Save leftover pasta water to toss with leftovers when reheating. Bottoms up!
