Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo

Happy Friday, everyone!
Are you as happy as me that it's almost the weekend?
It would only be better if it were 70 degrees out, but I'll take it any way I can get it! :)

Today's recipe was, again, inspired by Pinterest.


Ingredients:

• 1 lb uncooked fettuccine noodles
• 3 small heads cauliflower
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp salt
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup starchy boiling water from pasta pot

Directions:

Chop up the cauliflower.  Bring the vegetable broth to a boil over medium-high heat in a sauce pan.  Add cauliflower.  Cook for about 15 minutes or until soft.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add the minced garlic and saute for about 4 or 5 minutes, or until fragrant.

As the garlic and cauliflower are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the fettuccine according to the directions on the package.  Make sure to save a cup of the starchy water to add to the sauce later.

Transfer the cauliflower to the blender with about 2 cups of the broth.  Add the sauteed garlic, salt, nutmeg, and black pepper and puree until very smooth.

Once the mixture is moving, stream the olive oil into the blender.  If it's too thick, you can add more broth or water.  

When it's smooth, transfer the mixture back into the skillet that had the butter and garlic.

Add the cream and cook on low heat.  Add the starchy pasta water (this helps mate the pasta and the sauce together).  

Combine the noodles and sauce in the skillet and serve.

If you're like me, you can't just eat pasta and sauce.  I had some "warm and serve" chicken strips in my freezer that I baked and added to the pasta.  It added some protein to the dish.  

It was so delicious, and my husband kept asking me what was in it.  He was {a little} surprised that there was cauliflower in it. :)

Happy Cooking, friends!