My favorite recipe for fettuccine Alfredo swaps cream for cauliflower and doesn't even taste like vegetables

• Katie Lee Biegel's recipe for fettuccine Alfredo swaps heavy cream for cauliflower.
• The sauce comes together in about 45 minutes, and the steps are pretty simple.

While reviewing fettuccine Alfredo recipes from celebrity chefs, I stumbled across my favorite homemade take on the classic meal by Katie Lee Biegel.

Though, unlike most recipes, this dish uses cauliflower instead of cream to achieve its rich texture.

Here's how to make the dish and what I thought of the final plate:

Biegel's Alfredo recipe swaps cream for cauliflower

Biegel's recipe is a notably lighter alternative to the original pasta dish. Though, I had some serious doubts, because the "cream" sauce calls for cauliflower and milk instead of cream.

I'm a vegetarian, and I love a lot of vegetables, but cauliflower is typically a no-go for me unless it's seasoned really well to mask its bland flavor.

So replacing a cream-laden sauce for cauliflower didn't sound very appetizing, but I decided to give this dish the benefit of the doubt.

It took about 45 minutes to make but was an easy recipe to follow

I started by boiling frozen cauliflower florets in salted water for about 15 minutes, or until they were tender. The recipe doesn't specify fresh or frozen, but using the latter can cut down on prep work.

I removed the cauliflower chunks from the water and put them into a blender with milk until smooth. The recipe calls for 2% milk, which I used the first time, though I've also opted for a nondairy alternative and didn't notice much of a difference.

I also added some boxed fettuccine to that same pot of salted, boiling water.

The sauce wonderfully came together and clung to the pasta

While the pasta boiled, I poured the cauliflower puree into a skillet with the unsalted butter and garlic. After a few minutes, I removed the cloves and continued stirring.

Just before the noodles were ready, I added black pepper, salt, and Parmesan cheese to the cauliflower mix.

I added the al-dente fettuccine and some liquid gold - or pasta water - into the cauliflower mix. The ultra-creamy sauce clung to the noodles rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl, making for a delicious-looking dinner.

It tasted like traditional Alfredo but offered a nutritional boost

Despite skipping the cream and going light on the butter and cheese, I couldn't pick up on the cauliflower flavor at all - it tasted like regular Alfredo sauce.

I've since added this to my regular meal rotation, and it never disappoints my taste buds.

I like that by blending in cauliflower - which is a great source of vitamin C, folate, and fiber - I can reap its nutritional benefits.

Biegel whips up her fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp, but I'm a vegetarian, so I've made this recipe plain or with add-ins like peas, mushrooms, and asparagus. It tastes incredible each time.