This vegan pasta dish is creamy, healthy and refreshing! My special Alfredo sauce is made from pureed cauliflower instead of the heavy cream, so it's entirely dairy-free and lighter than the traditional version.

I've tried a lot of béchamel or Alfredo sauce recipes, made from rice/almond/soy milk or cashew nuts, but this one is now the only one I make since it is so delicious and perfect. It’s super fast to make (about 10 minutes) and can be prepared in advance, which makes it a perfect weekday meal.

This Alfredo pasta recipe is great as is, but I like adding more texture to my pasta dishes. Roasting the cauliflower florets brings out their sweet nutty flavour. The parsley, lemon juice and sliced almonds give a crunchiness and freshness to this dish. Note that these crunchy lemony roasted cauliflower also make a wonderful side dish. It’s definitely a hit!

Vegan Alfredo pasta (w/ roasted cauliflowers + lemon, parsley, almonds)

Yield : 6 servings

Ingredients for the Alfredo sauce

Adapted from Minimal eats

1 medium cauliflower (about 3-4 cups cauliflower florets)

1/2 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves

3 cups unsweetened, unflavoured almond milk (or rice/soy milk if your looking for a nut-free recipe)

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Pinch of nutmeg

Juice of 1-2 lemon (to taste)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Ingredients for the roasted cauliflowers :

1 medium cauliflower (in florets)

1 cup fresh chopped parsley

Juice and zest of 1 organic lemon

2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup sliced almonds

¼-½ teaspoon chilli flakes

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425F for the roasted cauliflowers. Toss the cauliflower florets with olive oil (2 tbsp) on a pan. Roast until golden and tender (about 20-25 minutes).
In the mean time, add cauliflower florets, onion and the garlic cloves in a large pot and cover with the almond milk. Bring to a boil and cook for another 7-9 minutes (until tender).
In a high speed blender, add the HALF of the hot milk and cooked cauliflower with the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Blend until the sauce is super smooth. Gradually add more milk until the sauce is thick enough but not too liquid that it cannot coat the pasta uniformly (we don't want a cauliflower soup!). Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add your gluten-free pasta and cook for the time instructed on the package. Drain pasta.
Add the amount of cauliflower sauce you need in the pot on your drained pasta (Note : the amount of sauce needed will depend on the type and amount of pasta you're using. If you don't want to end up with a cauliflower soup, I suggest you add a small amount of sauce at a time until you reach the desired texture. You can freeze the rest of the sauce.).
When your oven roasted cauliflowers are cooked, add directly on the pan (less dishes!) 2 tbsp of olive oil, the chopped parsley, zest and lemon juice, chilli flakes, sliced almonds, salt and pepper. Toss well. Serve on top of your pasta.
Alfredo pasta is always better if serve immediately. If you want to re-heat this dish the next day, you may need to add a small amount of water or milk to make the sauce rich and creamy again.