roasted cauliflower alfredo sauce
This roasted cauliflower alfredo sauce is easy to make and uses vegan pantry staples to make a well-rounded uber creamy pasta sauce!
Servings 4
Calories 880kcal
Ingredients
roasted cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 6 cups)
- 4 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- sea salt & ground black pepper, to taste
pasta & sauce
- 3 C / 275g dried penne
- 1 C reserved starchy pasta water
- 1 heaping cup roasted cauliflower florets
- ½ C nondairy milk
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon mellow white miso
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 to 2 peeled garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ C finely chopped fresh parsley, as garnish
- ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- On a large baking sheet toss cauliflower florets with 2 tablespoons olive oil, thyme, garlic powder, smoked paprika, sea salt and ground pepper until evenly coated. Lay out into an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until florets have a deep golden brown color on them and are tender.
- Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil and once at a rolling boil and a generous amount of sea salt and the penne. Cook until al dente. Before draining remove about 1 cup of starchy pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta but do not rinse. Place drained penne back into the pot you cooked it in and set aside.
- Once cauliflower is roasted, place a heaping cup full into a high powered blender. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, ⅓ cup of the starchy pasta water, nondairy milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, miso, tahini, onion powder, garlic cloves, sea salt, and ground black pepper. Blend on high until very very smooth and silky. If needed, add a bit more pasta water to get the sauce smooth.
- Pour all the sauce over the penne in the pot and stir over medium low heat until heated through for serving. Add more pasta water at this stage if the sauce starts to get too thick or chalky. Stir in some of the cauliflower florets and coat in sauce and leave some remaining florets to garnish the final dish. Serve with more roasted cauliflower on top, parsley, and more ground black pepper to taste.
- When reheating leftovers you might need to add a bit of water or nondairy milk to loosen up the sauce again.
Video
Notes
If you don't have mellow white miso you can still use a red or other darker miso. Those variations have a stronger flavor so start with half the amount and taste it first. If you don't have miso at all you can substitute gluten-free tamari or low-sodium soy sauce!
Nutrition
Calories: 880kcal | Carbohydrates: 146g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 528mg | Potassium: 1010mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 903IU | Vitamin C: 86mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 4mg