I’m always looking for ways to get more vegetables into our daily diets, especially with two picky toddlers. Give them pasta, smother it a sauce, and it’s usually something that they will consume.
We went to a friends house for dinner a few months ago and they made this. The kids had seconds… then thirds… and we loved it too. My friend was kinda enough to share the recipe. She had made quite a few modifications from the original and I did the same when I made it. But everytime that I’ve made it since, we’ve had the same results: clean, empty plates. So here’s my version:
Healthy Vegetable ‘Alfredo’ Sauce
Makes 8-10 servings (freezes great)
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 head cauliflower, stems removed and cauliflower chopped
5-6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
3/4 cup coconut milk (the liquid part, not the thick part)
salt to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the sweet potatoes and olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Cook for 30-35 minute until soft.
2. In a medium pan, melt the butter. Add the onion and stir to coat. Turn heat to low, cover and let caramelize, stirring occasionally. Cook about 20 minutes on low. Add the garlic and toss with the onions. Remove from heat.
3. In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook until tender, about 7-10 minutes. Once tender, remove from heat. Add the sweet potatoes, onions, and coconut milk.
4. Using an immersion blender, food processor, or regular blender, blend until smooth. Salt to taste.
This sauce is excellent served right away but you can also freeze it and reheat for later. I find that it makes a lot and we can get at least 3 full meals for the family out of it. After making our latest batch, I put one serving in the fridge for later in the week, and two in the freezer for a later date. So even if it’s not the fastest recipe to make, we get so many future meals out of it, it’s more than worth it.
We serve ours over Trader Joe’s Brown Rice and Quinoa pasta and added some diced, grilled chicken breast. It’s delicious, so filling, and low in calories. My kids don’t notice that there isn’t actually milk or cheese in it, and we all get plenty of veggies in the process.