It’s always a good day when a new episode of Jennifer Garner’s #PretendCookingShow airs on her Instagram account. And for the most recent episode, the actress invited a friend and favorite chef—Daniele Uditi—to join her. Together they made a dish we can’t stop dreaming about: Sea Bass with Pea Purée and Cauliflower Cavatelli. While we’re smitten with the entire dish, it was the pasta sauce made with cauliflower that truly caught our attention. A creamy sauce made out of cauliflower seemed almost too good to be true, and we can’t wait to try it ourselves.
Though you can definitely use your favorite pasta from the store for this recipe, Uditi and Garner get to work making a simple two-ingredient pasta dough that you could easily copy at home—no special tools necessary. Then they move on to creating a luscious and simple cauliflower sauce, and it might seem familiar if you’ve ever made something like our Creamy Mashed Cauliflower.
It starts with a big bunch of cauliflower. Garner suggests cutting florets into small pieces, commenting “the smaller the better—it cooks faster in the pan.” Once the cauliflower is cut, the cooking begins! Garner adds a bit of olive oil to a hot pan and cooks up some chopped shallot until it’s just softened.
She adds the cauliflower next, and after a bit of sautéing, Garner and Uditi add a bit of water. The additional moisture helps cook the cauliflower until it’s perfectly softened. Once it becomes “mushy” (the chef’s words, not mine), it’s ready for blending. Garner moves the mixture to a blender, covers it with a lid and blends it with some olive oil on low speed until smooth.
When the dish is ready to be served, they add some pasta water to a saute pan along with ½ cup of the cauliflower puree. Once that’s combined, they add a serving of pasta to the sauce and toss. If you’re “fancy,” they say, you can add some chopped squash blossoms and garnish with a singular blossom to be “extra fancy.” Alternatively, try topping with a bit of grated Parmesan cheese for an equally impressive finish.
The result is an unbelievably creamy sauce created without a single drop of cream or any dairy! Besides being dairy-free, it’s also vegan and 100% plant-based. I love that serving pasta this way means you’ll be getting an extra serving of vegetables into your day, which is always a good thing. It’s also a great way to use up a head of cauliflower, if you happen to have one kicking around in your refrigerator.
And while we love the homemade pasta, this simple dinner would also be delicious served over any short whole-wheat pasta like orzo or even penne. (We recommend whole wheat for the filling fiber, but classic pasta will work here as well.) Toss in some whole roasted cauliflower for even more flavor and texture and garnish with fresh basil and a squeeze of lemon juice.
With this light twist on pasta with cream sauce in your arsenal, you’ll be enjoying every bite with gusto.
