Triple Veggie Alfredo

Creamy, garlicky, delicious. That is what comes to mind when I think about Alfredo sauce. Most people feel better when dairy and grains are not a part of their diet and are replaced with more nourishing nutrient dense foods. That is exactly what is accomplished by this recipe. Eating better doesn’t mean tasteless or boring. This recipe whips up fast for a great weeknight dinner for families and is totally toddler approved!

Triple Veggie Alfredo

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash (about 3 lbs.), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
• 1-2 spiralized zucchini (use a peeler if you don’t have a spiralizer)
• 1/2 butternut squash spiralized (use a peeler if you don’t have a spiralizer)
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 chopped red onion
• 2 cups chopped chicken or 1 1/2lbs chicken thighs (eliminate if vegan or vegetarian)
• 1/5 cup raw cashews (soaked for 6-8 hours in filtered water and a pinch of sea salt)
• 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1.5 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sea salt or more to taste
• 1.25 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 3/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced and more for garnish if desired

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400℉
• If you didn’t soak cashews overnight- Place cashews in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Place a plate over the bowl to cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes, then drain.
• Cut spaghetti squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Sprinkle inside with salt and pepper and roast flesh up for about 1 hour. If using uncooked chicken bake in separate pan and remove after 25 to 35 minutes.

To prepare the alfredo sauce:

• Place cashews, nutritional yeast, 1/2-1 small garlic clove, lemon juice, ½ tsp. salt and almond milk into high speed blender and blend on high for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Sauce should be warm from blending. If not, replace the lid and blend another minute until warm.
• When squash is ready, carefully scrape flesh into a large bowl using a fork to create the strands of pasta.
• Heat oil in skillet over medium heat, press the additional clove of garlic into the pan, add onion and sauté for one minute. Put spiralized veggies and cubed chicken into the pan and sauté until al dente. They’ll be a tad softer but still have a bit of crunch. Place on top of spaghetti squash in your bowl and pour the sauce overtop. Toss with basil and put more on top as a garnish before serving.

Enjoy! This is a favourite dish at our house. Feel free to experiment with the amount of garlic you are using.