Making Fettuccine Alfredo without Cheese….whaaat?

Believe it or not, you can make almost any dish without dairy. I don’t cut anything completely out of my diet, but I very rarely eat dairy for many reasons. The two biggest reasons are that it is hard to digest, and it is really….....just, dirty (antibiotics, hormones, puss, EW).

This weekend I was craving fettuccine alfredo and I knew I could satisfy that craving with a homemade, completely dairy and gluten free version. I modified a recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Nutrition Stripped, and it was delicious! Does it taste exactly the same? No – but it is pretty darn close and just as delightful. If you are still transitioning to dairy-free recipes, make this and top it with real parmesan cheese as a compromise. I added tons of fresh ground black pepper to mine to make it more like a cacio e pepe flavor.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cauliflower (about 1 small head)

• 1 ½ cups cashews, soaked for 30+ minutes then drained and rinsed

• 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk

• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• juice from one small lemon

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, for sautéing

• ¼ cup onions, diced

• 2 large cloves garlic, minced

• Pasta (I use brown rice fettuccine)

Instructions:

• Steam the cauliflower until tender (via microwave or stovetop steamer basket/pot with 2-3 inches of water at the bottom)

• While the cauliflower is steaming, heat a sauté pan to medium and add olive oil, onion and garlic and cook until tender (about 3 minutes)

• Add almond milk to food processor (or capable blender) and add cauliflower bit by bit until it is all creamed together

• Add remaining ingredients (except cashews) and blend

• Finally, add cashews and blend until you have a creamy sauce. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. If you need to make the sauce thinner, add more almond milk.

• Cook and drain pasta of choice

• Spoon the sauce on top of the cooked pasta and mix around a bit to coat every noodle. Add additional toppings if you’d like (broccoli, peas, chicken)

• When plated, top with more fresh ground pepper and a drizzle of olive oil