Healthy Cauliflower Alfredo over Fettuccine with Spinach and Chicken


We have been seeing all of these recipes for Cauliflower "Alfredo" sauce all over Pinterest so we thought we would try it out for ourselves.  There is no way cauliflower could have that creamy taste and texture of a traditional cream based alfredo sauce, right? WRONG!  This exceeded our expectations for how incredibly amazing it turned out!  You can eat an entire bowl of this Fettuccine with Cauliflower Alfredo and Spinach and Chicken and not feel the least bit guilty!











First things first, we started out with this basic recipe for Cauliflower Alfredo.  But changed it up a little bit.

[What you Need]

2 chicken breasts
2 heads of cauliflower
4 cups chicken broth
1 bag spinach
8 cloves garlic
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
1/2 cup olive oil - plus more for cooking with
1 lb pasta
salt
pepper
water

[What to do]

Pound out your chicken breasts to abut 1/2" - 3/4" thick and season them with salt and pepper. Drizzle some olive oil in cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pan and heat up over medium (or slightly higher) heat.  When the pan is hot, add your chicken breasts to it, cover and cook for 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.  Set aside.

In a large pot, add in the 4 cups of chicken broth and then fill the rest of the pot to a little over half way with water and put it on the stove to boil.  When the cooking liquid is heating up, wash and chop your cauliflower into pieces.  When the liquid comes to a boil, add your cauliflower and let it cook for about 15 minutes or until tender.  The longer it cooks, the creamier your sauce will be!

When the cauliflower is cooked through, use a slotted spoon to move the cauliflower from the pot to a food processor.  Take a measuring cup and take our 1 and 3/4 cups of the cooking liquid and set it aside.  Leaving the rest of the cooking liquid in the pot, fill the rest of the pot with water again and bring to boil.  When its boiling, cook the pasta for the time suggested on the box.  Drain, and set aside.

Puree the cauliflower in the food processor with the melted butter and add 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid that you have set aside and season with salt and pepper.  When the food processor is on, slowly drizzle in your olive oil.  Add more olive oil or cooking liquid until it is a consistency you like.

Chop up the garlic and add it to a large pot with a little bit of olive oil.  Saute it for 2-3 minutes and then add the spinach and continue to saute it until the spinach becomes wilted.  When this happens, add your cauliflower sauce from the food processor into the pan.  Add the rest of the cooking liquid you had set aside and continue to cook the sauce.  Add in the parmesan cheese and continue stirring until incorporated.  Season with salt and pepper.

Next add the pasta into the sauce and toss it.  Plate it, top with your chicken and enjoy! And there you have it, a delicious "alfredo" sauce with no cream or milk in it!