Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta
Published April 21, 2025
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Salt and pepper
8 ounces dried short pasta, such as fusilli, rigatoni or cavatappi
½ small head cauliflower, florets and stems cut into bite-size pieces (about 3 cups/10 ounces)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small shallot, finely chopped
¾ cup heavy cream
1 ½ ounces (about ½ cup) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg
Finely chopped chives or scallions, for topping
Ricotta, lemon wedges or arugula, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
102 grams carbs; 191 milligrams cholesterol; 1111 calories; 17 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 40 grams saturated fat; 65 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 7 grams fiber; 954 milligrams sodium; 32 grams protein; 9 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. In the last 3 minutes of cooking, add the cauliflower. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and vegetables and return to the pot.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the cream, reduce the heat to low, then cook without boiling, stirring occasionally, until warmed through and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Step 3
Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and 1 tablespoon of butter. Taste and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and more Parmigiano, as needed.
- Step 4
Scrape the sauce into the pot with the cooked pasta and cauliflower, splashing in some of the reserved pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Over medium heat, toss until the sauce thickens slightly and clings to the pasta. Taste the pasta once more and season with salt, if it needs it.
- Step 5
Serve immediately with a generous sprinkling of chives. Optionally, you can also enjoy this creamy pasta with dollops of cool ricotta, a squeeze of fresh lemon or a handful of arugula on top.
Private Notes
Comments
Drain pasta and cauliflower (and 1/2 cup peas) and leave in strainer. USING THE SAME POT, make cream sauce, dump pasta and veg into sauce and proceed, knowing you have only 1 pot to wash at the end. Lemon zest is a must-have.
Do yourself a favor and just toss the cauliflower with oil, a garlic herb rub or paprika or something, and throw it in the oven at the beginning. Just needs to be there at 425 for like 20 minutes. It’s so much better than boiled cauliflower..
@Chuck Well, sure, but that would be an entirely different recipe. Boiled cauliflower works well with this creamy pasta recipe.
Buckle up, pitchfork-wielding mob - I made a mockery of this recipe in the name of macros and I’d do it again. Subbed Brami pasta for regular, evaporated milk for heavy cream, skipped the last tbsp of butter, and added 1/2 lb ground turkey cooked with garlic and red pepper. Parm instead of pecorino because it was in the fridge. Kept all instructions and ratios the same (using the one-pot notes from others) and it was delicious. I’ll make sure I have arugula next time - because there will be a next time.
Instead of adding the butter while cooking, I made brown butter and just added it before serving- was amazing.
Rather bland. Needs a more robust alfredo sauce. I included chopped walnuts at the end. My usual alfredo proportions: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 shallot, minced 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup finely grated ParmigianoReggiano 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper