Red Lentil Pasta with Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

by Arielle J on March 2, 2020

Now that I’m in my third trimester and have a toddler to feed (who turned three last week!), I love cooking super quick recipes that will make us all feel great.

I am so excited to share my new favorite family-friendly dinner recipe, which is not only packed with veggies (a ton of cauliflower), it’s loaded with protein, too. I love brands that are mindful of ingredients, so I was thrilled to partner with Pasta Lensi. Unlike other legume pastas, Pasta Lensi makes a red lentil fusilli made from just one ingredient – red lentils! It also contains 26 grams of protein in each 3.5oz serving, which is a lot of plant-based goodness and is GMO-free.

The sauce is so delish too. It’s a dairy-free alfredo sauce that is made creamy with cauliflower and almond milk. And it’s super easy to whip up. Just cook the cauliflower (you can cut a head of cauliflower, use already-cut florets, or pre-riced cauliflower) with a little garlic, oil and almond milk, then use a blender to blend it all up and voila! Red Lentil Fusilli Pasta with Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce in less than 20 minutes.

This is one of my family’s newest fave recipes because it tastes indulgent and delish. I especially love that the legume pasta is made with just one ingredient, and the creamy sauce is packed with veggies!

Red Lentil Pasta with Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

What You Need:

One 10oz box of Pasta Lensi Red Lentil Fusilli
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets (approximately 14 medium florets/6 heaping cups or one bag of 12oz riced cauliflower)
1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
black pepper, to taste
parsley, to taste
grated Parmesan cheese (optional), to taste * I like sheep’s milk Pecorino Romano

Directions:

To make the pasta: follow the directions on the side of the Pasta Lensi Red Lentil Fusilli box (takes only 8-10 minutes to cook)
While pasta is cooking, make the sauce (recipe below)
To make the Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo sauce: in a small saucepan over low heat, add olive oil and minced garlic. Mix with a wooden spoon or tongs and cook until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
Add almond milk, cauliflower, sea salt and nutmeg and stir
Turn heat up to medium and heat mixture until boiling
Once boiling, cover the pot, turn heat down to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until cauliflower is soft. Stir occasionally
Once cauliflower is soft, carefully transfer the cauliflower mixture to a blender. (Be careful as mixture will be hot!) Blend on high for 30 seconds until creamy
Place Red Lentil Fusilli in a big bowl, drizzle creamy cauliflower alfredo on top, garnish with a little black pepper, parsley and Parmesan cheese (optional) to taste and voila!

*I like serving family style in a big bowl or if you prefer, you can place in individual bowls

Serves: 4-5.