Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

Can you believe that I am using cauliflower as a vegan replacement for Parmesan cheese? Cauliflower is the star of this easy Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce recipe.
Cauliflower is not the only ingredient that I am leaning heavily on in this recipe, cooking the onions slowly with a heavy pour of extra virgin olive oil, button mushrooms, and herbs all round out the recipe. Cooking the cauliflower completely changes the flavor profile, with sweet notes and a hint of bitterness, the earthy complexity prompts a very similar flavor to Parmesan cheese.
It is rare to combine both ease of making and huge flavor, most of the time you have to make a sacrifice in one of the two areas. This vegan Alfredo sauce is almost done as fast as it takes to cook the pasta. Which makes this dish a perfect weeknight meal.
The ingredients are something that you will most likely have on hand which is always a plus.
WHAT YOU NEED…
How To Make Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce







How to Make Zucchini Rolls



Finishing Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo



Chefs Tips
- The number one tip for making this vegan Alfredo sauce is to take your time in the first step of cooking the onions, once that step is done you can move right along with the cooking.
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Seasoning the pasta water with salt is very important. The truth of the matter is it is true, this is the ONLY opportunity to fully season the pasta.
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Don’t forget to save 1 cup of pasta cooking water. The pasta water is full of starch and flavor.
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Chopping basil seems like an easy task, however, there is always a better technique. The key to maintaining the color is to not bruise the basil. Start with stacking the basil and then cutting it into a julienne cut, then dicing the julienne strips.

Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
Servings: 4 People
Calories: 353kcal
It is rare to combine both ease of making and huge flavor, most of the time you have to make a sacrifice in one of the two areas. This vegan Alfredo sauce is almost done as fast as it takes to cook the pasta. Which makes this dish a perfect weeknight meal. The ingredients are items that you will, most likely, have on hand which is always a plus.
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Alfredo Sauce
- 3 Tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- ½ yellow onion thinly sliced
- ½ tsp salt kosher
- 3 cups cauliflower thinly sliced
- 2 cups button mushrooms sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 thyme sprigs
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ cup plant milk
Roasted yellow squash rolls
- 1 yellow squash
- Pinch salt kosher
- 2 Tbsp basil fresh, chopped
- Pinch red chili flakes
Fettuccine
- 6 oz fettuccine
- 4 quarts water
- ¼ cup salt kosher
Instructions
How to make vegan Alfredo pasta sauce
- Heat a sauté pan over low heat add the extra virgin olive oil and the sliced yellow onion season with kosher salt. Cook the onions over low heat for 8 minutes.
- Add the sliced cauliflower, continue to cook over low heat for 2 minutes, and add a moderate drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- The sliced button mushrooms go in next, cooking gently for 2 minutes.
- Add the plant milk, the bay leaf, and thyme. Increase the heat to medium cooking for 15 minutes, the cauliflower should be falling apart and very tender.
- Remove the herbs from the sauce, and add the nutritional heat.
- Puree until very smooth.
- Set aside, keeping warm.
How to make roasted yellow squash rolls
- Slice the yellow squash about 1/8 of an inch thick length-wise.
- Season the sliced squash with salt, basil, and red chili flakes, and firmly press the herbs into the squash.
- Place the squash in a hot dry pan, cook for 20 seconds, and flip the squash cooking for another 20 seconds.
- Remove the squash from the pan and roll, set aside until time to plate.
How to cook fettuccine noodles
- Bring the water to a rapid boil, and add the salt.
- Add the pasta to the water, and stir for the first minute this will prevent the noodles from sticking to the pan or the other noodles.
- Cooking the fettuccine for 6-8 minutes will lead to a perfect al dente.
- Save 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid.
How to finish the vegan Alfredo pasta
- Place the noodles directly into a sauté pan preheated over medium heat.
- Add a dash of extra virgin olive oil to the noodles and about 1/2 cup of pasta cooking liquid.
- Start to stir and agitate the noodles, this will start to emulsify the extra virgin olive oil and the pasta water.
- Add about 10-ounce of vegan alfredo sauce to the noodles, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to stir the noodles for another minute.
- The sauce should just be thick enough to coat the noodles, but not so thick that it is overly goopy. If the sauce becomes too thick adjust with a little of the pasta water.
Plating
- Pace the noodles in the middle of the plate, garnish with the squash rolls and add a drizzle of extra alfredo sauce around the plate.
Notes
Nutritional values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 7483mg | Potassium: 730mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 385IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 206mg | Iron: 2mg