Raise your hand if your favorite pasta dish as a child was creamy fettuccine alfredo. Did your house exclusively refer to fettucine alfredo as "Sarah's favorite pasta" like mine? I'd order it every time I found it featured on a dinner menu and I'd throw in some shrimp for good measure. And when I grew up a bit, things got fancier and I'd toss a pre-made jar of alfredo sauce with some boxed fettuccine for a comforting meal. What with that and the boxes of fruit roll ups and otter pops I consumed, if I still ate the way I wanted to eat as a child (and a college student, for that matter), I'd most definitely have all sorts of health problems. I distinctly remember setting out to make fettuccine alfredo from scratch and realizing it was filled with loads of butter, cream, and parmesan cheese. That's when alfredo and I broke up. We've rekindled our relationship today with this recipe that allows you to indulge in your favorite creamy pasta without the associated guilt and hours of exercise to work it off. I bring you a new family staple: guilt-free shrimp and veggie fettuccine with cauliflower alfredo.
This alfredo gets its creaminess from puréed cauliflower mixed with garlic, chicken broth, and only a tiny bit of milk and parmesan. And because as an adult I'm no longer afraid of finding vegetables in my pasta, I threw in some spinach and mushrooms alongside the shrimp for a wholesome meal. With half the calories of a traditional fettuccine alfredo, and 1/10th the grams of fat, you'll be shocked by how remarkably close to the real deal this skinny alfredo recipe tastes. Close enough to make you put that old recipe back on the shelf for good.
What's more - I mixed it up with high-protein mung bean pasta. Since switching to a gluten-free diet to combat headaches, my 6-piece KitchenAid pasta-maker attachment went from being one of my most-used kitchen tools to collecting dust in a cardboard box on a lonely shelf. I miss you, old friend! While I'm working hard to get back into pasta-making with my grain mill and gluten-free flours in hand, so far every gluten-free pasta dough I've tried has ripped to shreds when feeding it through the pasta rollers. I miss the days of serving velvety homemade pasta once a week...like WOAH.
When I stumbled upon Explore Asian's organic pasta in the blogosphere, their mung bean fettuccine and black bean spaghetti piqued my curiosity. Mung bean pasta, folks! Each serving is much lower in carbs and higher in protein than traditional wheat-based pasta - plus, with only mung beans and water, it's gluten-free. And if it really is as sturdy and al-dente as their website promised, I may have finally come across something to replace my constant velvety homemade pasta cravings. Then last month, Explore Asian sent me a gift box with some of their gluten-free pastas to try out.
While I've always been a proponent of other gluten-free pastas as a totally suitable substitute to the high carb wheat-based pastas you buy for next to nothing at the supermarket, there's something special about this gluten-free mung bean pasta alternative. This fettuccine is the most like the homemade noodles we used to roll out with our pasta-maker; they're soft and velvety without getting the least-bit mushy when overcooked, and they soak up all the flavors of the creamy sauce.
My only word of caution is that you be careful when transporting the uncooked pasta; the bagged packaging doesn't offer much in the way of a protective shield for the delicate noodles and without care, you might end up with a bunch of broken pieces at the bottom of the bag. Let's be honest, though, a few broken strands of fettuccine is not the end of the world once you cook it up and top it with this creamy sauce. I'm now a huge fan of the bean pastas that Explore Asian sent me to review, and I'll definitely be searching them out to use in more recipes. You can't keep this girl away from her hunger for silky smooth pasta.
**Explore Asian has generously given me some of their pastas to sample. As always, the opinions expressed here are solely my own.
Guilt-free shrimp and veggie fettuccine with cauliflower alfredo
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 1 large head cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus (optional) more for serving
- ½ pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cups spinach
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- ¾ pound mung-bean fettuccine
Instructions
- In a large pot, steam the cauliflower for about 8 minutes, until soft when pierced with a fork.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until just fragrant.
- Combine the steamed cauliflower, cooked garlic, vegetable broth, milk, and parmesan cheese in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- In the same pan you cooked the garlic in, add the shrimp and sauté for 2 minutes over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and spinach and continue cooking until the spinach melts, and the shrimp is cooked completely through.
- Add the sauce to the pan with the shrimp and veggies and cook until heated through, stirring to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Toss the sauce with the cooked fettuccine and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese on the side.
Angela -
I'd try shrimp scampi! orrrr maybe just with some vodka sauce.
Jessica -
Oh man, I've been meaning to try cauliflower alfredo. It's probably gonna happen soon now that I know it was a hit for you!
Mary Beth Elderton -
Id love to try these pastas with a balsamic Alfredo sauce.
Mary Beth Elderton -
Im an email subscriber
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I like you on FB as MaryBeth Elderton
Mary Beth Elderton -
I follow you on twitter as @mbm218
Mary Beth Elderton -
Pin:
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mona -
Want to make the shrimp fettucini
mona -
Pinned an image
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mona -
Like Snixy Kitchen on Facebook @Mona Cpete
Cellabella -
I'd like to make a pasta pomodoro with veggies!
Madeline -
I think it'd be fun to make Turkey Tettrazini with the pasta!
Madeline -
I already subscribe to your emails!
Madeline -
And I like you on FB :)
Madeline -
And I follow you on Twitter!
Tina -
I'd make scampi or maybe carbonara. Mmm!
Tina -
I <3 <3 <3 you on FB ;)
Tina -
Obvi I follow you on Twitter
Tina -
And I get allllll the SnixyEmails
Tina -
Boom, recipe is pinned.
Diane -
spaghetti with broccoli cream pesto!
Diane -
i'm an email subscriber
Diane -
i liked you on fb :) I also like you in general
Kelly -
Pinned it:
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Kelly -
Follow you on twitter!
Kelly -
Like you on Facebook!
Kelly -
I would love to try the black bean pasta!
Ruta -
I would love to make them with a peanut sauce. Always looking for new types of delicious pasta.
Jordan -
I'd love to make a healthier pad thai dish or shrimp scampi. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
Jordan -
I already like you on facebook :)
Jordan -
I follow you on twitter
@j_mosh
Sheri -
I'm a faithful Facebook follower! ;)
Anjali @ The Picky Eater -
I follow you on Facebook! :)
Sandy -
I'd combine the black bean spaghetti with a bolognese sauce for a high protein pasta treat.
Sheri -
I can't wait to use the black bean spaghetti in my "almost" home-made spaghetti recipe!
Sandy -
I follow you on twitter!
lindsey -
I'd love to try a mac and cheese recipe with the noodies!
lindsey -
subscribed to your newsletter
Sandy -
Also I like you on facebook.
lindsey -
followed you on FB =)
lindsey -
pinned! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/212654413629891755/
Charles -
I am writing this line to avoid the spam filter, which seems a bit aggressive:
Pasta Primavera 4Eva
Brian -
I would supplement the black bean spaghetti for the usual when I make spaghetti with Italian sausage. Keeping it simple.
Maranda Brown -
I would make black bean spaghetti with peppers, onions, and tofu, instead of my usual spaghetti and meatballs.
Danielle -
I would like you 100X on facebook because you are awesome :)
Danielle -
And also now I don't have to check in every so often for your new posts, because they'll be delivered to my email :) Yay!
Jodi -
YUUUMMMY! Sarah, you are SO talented! I LOVE fettuccine so I would use the noodles in the same dish just to make things a bit healthier! Thanks for sharing!
Spike -
I'd make some spicy meatballs with jalapenos and habaneros for black bean spaghetti
Spike -
I already like you on fb
Spike -
You are one of three twitter accounts I am following. Consider yourself lucky
Jodie -
I love the cauliflower fettuccine recipe, and I am looking forward to trying Explore Asia's pastas with that recipe as well as my grandma's Italian sauce.
Michelle -
The cauliflower fettuccine looks amazing, and I would love to try the pasta with scampi!
Michelle -
I am also a loyal Facebook follower :)
Michelle -
And twitter...
Michelle -
And now email too, you're awesome Sarah!
Tyler -
Mung bean fettuccine Alfredo with pancetta. Totally healthy.
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner -
This looks so tasty! I never thought to use cauliflower to make alfredo healthy...brilliant idea. :)
Melanie @ Carmel Moments -
This is gorgeous! Love that you made alfredo with cauliflower! Genius.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Melody -
I can't wait to try the cauliflower Alfredo sauce!! I don't have a particular recipe that I would want to make healthier, but I would love to use the mung bean fettuccine in a cold noodle dish, with shredded spicy chicken, julienned cucumber, potato, and carrots.
Jessica -
Ooh, I need to try out this recipe! I don't have a particular recipe I'd want to make healthier but I am excited to try out the mung bean fettuccine with a simple tomato sauce made with onion and butter.
Chris @ Shared Appetite -
This looks amazing Sarah!! So creative to use cauliflower instead of all that butter and cream. I've never heard of this pasta... thanks for introducing it to us! Going to have to look for it!
Jess -
This pasta dish looks so, so good! I love prawns with pasta and that alfredo sauce is amazing!
Felicia -
I would use the black bean spaghetti noodles with my fave chicken pesto! Or possibly as a side with some lemon pepper salmon and cauliflower mash...yummm!
Felicia -
Followed ya on twitter! :)
Felicia -
Pinned this recipe!
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Felicia -
aaaaand, signed up for your emails! I look forward to reading and trying your recipes, sad I didn't sign up sooner. Better late than never!
Sandy Headtke -
I would make spaghetti with fresh tomatoes and herbs from my garden
Sandy Headtke -
I receive your emails
Sandy Headtke -
I follow you on Facebook
Sandy Headtke -
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Sandy Headtke -
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Pinned
Anna -
I am looking for a black bean pasta recipe that is grain/gluten free. Would you have one ? My daughters have gone grain/gluten free to see if it will help their horrible cramps during their monthly cycle. They have done extensive research that says it will help dramatically! We are also organic eaters, which makes grocery shopping expensive already. So, I'm trying to make as much as I can at home. Black bean, garbanzo and red lentil pastas are their favorite. Please help if you can, because I'm hitting a dead end on the web search! Thanks
Sarah Menanix -
Hi Anna! I do have one black bean pasta recipe on my blog - Southwestern Black Bean Spaghetti. That's really interesting! I've not noticed in a difference in my cramps (ugh - I get terrible cramps!), so I'd be really interested to know if it ends up working (my sis-in-law and I were JUST talking about our terrible cramps last night!). What I've noticed is that black bean spaghetti doesn't have tons of flavor on its own, so it'd be a great substitute for other regular spaghetti recipes - or even things like shrimp scampi would be great with black bean pasta I think! I also did a collaboration with The Bojon Gourmet where we made our own homemade chickpea pasta and served it with a mushroom thyme sauce. I hope these ideas help!
Jennifer Garcia -
This recipe is AMAZING!!! My sister and I are YouTubers, and last night we did a recipe video for this recipe. It turned out so good!!! Not only was it SUPER tasty, it was soooo easy to make. I would have NEVER tried cauliflower for the Alfredo base. Thank you so much!!
Recipe Video Link: https://youtu.be/6tHnlHDGp4s
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you so much for coming back to tell me and for sharing the link! It was so much fun to watch other people cook my recipe. I'm so glad you loved the recipe and that your mama loved it too;)
Veronica -
I bet Lucas loves this recipe! Fettuccini Alfredo is one of his favorite dishes! I love your recipe!