Chicken Cauliflower Alfredo
I love being sneaky and adding veggies to meals! That doesn’t mean I’m taking away too much though, there’s definitely still fresh parmesan and a little bit of butter in this alfredo as well. My purpose is to always focus on what we are adding to meals! By adding cauliflower to this sauce we are getting in veggies and I actually think it makes it so creamy and delicious. Believe it or not chicken alfredo with angel hair pasta used to be one of my very favorite meals. I literally used to eat it all the time, although back then I was. pouring alfredo straight out of a jar. Which there’s nothing wrong with but this does taste 100x better and is actually pretty simple to make. You will need a high speed blender or a food processor to make it! Let’s highlight some key ingredients.
Cauliflower - 1 small head of cauliflower is the perfect amount for a box of pasta! It blends perfectly to make this sauce so creamy, it’s almost like it was made for alfredo to begin with…
Garlic - No sauce is complete without a whole head of roasted garlic. Roasting it really brings out the flavor and cuts the sharpness. It will also leave your home smelling divine for the rest of the day!
Butter - There’s only 2 tbsp. in the entire dish, I wouldn’t suggest skipping it. The buttery flavored in the alfredo is very welcomed!
Fresh Shaved Parmesan - Actually used fresh shaved! Buying a bag of it just isn’t the same as grating it at home. I used 1 cup and I feel it was the perfect amount to be able to taste it but not make it overly cheesy.
Chicken - I stuck with chicken because I feel like that’s the classic for this dish but you could swap for shrimp! If you’re vegetarian feel free to omit completely.
Broccoli - Anytime I’ve ever ordered chicken alfredo out it usually comes with broccoli and I love it so I added it in as well. Why not throw in some more veggies. If you don’t want broccoli I think spinach would be good too.
Linguine - You can use your pasta of choice, I love alfredo with linguine so I stuck with it.
Chicken Cauliflower Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken strips
- 1 tbsp. avocado oil
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 small head of cauliflower
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 tbsp. avocado oil
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 cup fresh shaved parmesan
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 small head of broccoli
- 1 box of linguine
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place chicken in a baking dish. Drizzle with avocado oil + a dash of salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Once it is done and cooled, cut it into cubes and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut off the bottom 1/4 of the head of garlic. Place it on a piece of foil and drizzle with 1 tbsp avocado oil. Wrap it up in the foil, place on a baking sheet, roast for 40 minutes. Once it's done set it aside for later use in the sauce.
- Cut the cauliflower and place the florets in a pot. Fill the pot with warm water until the cauliflower is covered. Place on the stovetop and bring to a boil. Let continue to boil for 10 minutes until it is tender enough to easily stick a fork through it. Save 1/2 cup of the water, then drain the cauliflower and place it in a high speed blender. Add the butter, parmesan, a dash of salt and pepper, and squeeze the roasted garlic into the blender as well. Blend slowly adding the leftover cauliflower water until it has reached a consistency you like.
- Prepare broccoli according to your liking. You can roast the florets or steam them! I steamed them for 6 minutes.
- Prepare pasta according to instructions on box and then drain.
- Time to put it all together! Place the pasta in a large bowl. Pour in the alfredo and mix well. Add in the broccoli and chicken mixing them in as well. Top with cracked black pepper. Enjoy!
