Healthy Pumpkin Alfredo with Wilted Garlic Kale
See this delicious bowl of healthy pumpkin alfredo? Ya, that. It's vegan + paleo + gluten free + 100% comfort food. Easy dinner recipes don't get any better than this.
This pumpkin alfredo is like eating a giant bowl of super rich, five bazillion calorie, make-my-jeans-tight-just-looking-at-it cream sauce. Only it totally isn't. Say whaaaa???
What you're actually looking at is the best imposter ever. This one wins. Hands down. Its true identity is nothing but a bunch of vegetables. Seriously.
The noodles are zucchini, the sauce is cauliflower and pumpkin and the kale is … well, the kale is just kale. It's like a salad but SOOOO much more comforting. Go back for seconds, or even thirds, and feel good about it.
The pumpkin alfredo starts with the Dreamy Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo that I shared with you guys a few weeks back. Then gets a little extra kick with some pumpkin (from a can, cause sometimes easy is so much better) and a few other spices. I've been going a little alfredo crazy around here lately, and there's more to come. Thank you for putting up with me while I run loose on these tangents.
Remember all that pumpkin back in the fall? You're a gem for sticking it out through that obsession. And yet, here it is again.
This healthy pumpkin alfredo is the perfect way to curb the craving and still manage to squeeze into my jeans.
How to get your pumpkin alfredo faux carb load on in just 30 minutes
Need your dinner stat? Like, yesterday? I know the feeling. This is how to deal:
- Saute some onions and garlic. Add some cauliflower and water and let it steam for a few minutes.
- Blend it, season it, throw in some pumpkin,
- Spiral some zucchini and wilt some kale. Throw it all together, and ….
- EAT!
I'm not even joking. This recipe is that easy. It's meant for those days after too much work/ school/ kids/ life when you want to EAT and not cook.
So what do you do if you have a houseful of I-don't-want-to-eat-veggie-noodle-ers?
I'm afraid you'll have to put on a pot of water and boil some regular ol' noodles. It's what I do for my handsome man.
Try as I might I just can't convince him that veggie noodles are WAY better than dried boxed pasta. It's weird, I know.
Or maybe it's us veggie-heads that are the weird ones?
Healthy Vegan Comfort Food
- Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry
- Spinach Lemon Cauliflower ‘Rice' Risotto
- Black Chana Masala
- Chipotle Mushroom Sloppy Joes
- Curried Vegan Shepherd's Pie with Coconut Sweet Potato Topping
- Deliciously Rich Lentil Bolognese
Healthy Pumpkin Alfredo with Wilted Garlic Kale
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Prep Time: 5 mins -
Cook Time: 25 mins
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Total Time: 30 mins
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Yield: 4 servings (can be cut in half) 1x -
Category: Dinner -
Cuisine: American
Description
See this delicious bowl of healthy pumpkin alfredo? Ya, that. It's vegan + paleo + gluten free + 100% comfort food. Easy dinner recipes don't get any better than this.
Ingredients
For the zucchini spaghetti:
- 3 large zucchinis, spiralized (this is the spiralizer I have) or cut with a julienne peeler
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
For the healthy pumpkin alfredo:
- 1 recipe of Dreamy Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the wilted garlic kale:
- 1 teaspoon butter (vegan, if needed)
- 2 garlic cloves, very finely minced
- 2 cups kale, torn
To serve:
- 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
- Optional: parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Place the julienned zucchini into a large bowl and sprinkle the sea salt over top. Use your hands to mix the two together well.
- Prepare the Dreamy Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo. Stir through the pumpkin, cayenne powder and cinnamon.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the kale and a splash of water and let it cook until the kale is soft, about 2 minutes.
- Rinse the zucchini well under hot running water. Drain off all the water then add the zucchini to the pan with the Healthy Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce and mix together well.
- Serve topped with the garlic kale, toasted pumpkin seeds and, if using, a little parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast.
Just made this and it was fantastic and easy! We just did it with fettuccine and was perfect for a hearty and tasty creamy meal with greens! Thanks!
★★★★★
I’m so happy to hear you like the recipe!
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I had made a pumpkin sage Alfredo sauce a while back, but I want to make more vegan healthy dishes- and the one i had made was loaded with cream, cheese, and butter. In my eyes not worthy of bragging points. So i can not Wait to try this! Thanks so much for the recipe! I am going to try it with sage again as they pair very nicely.
I hope you like it as much as I do! It’s definitely not as heavy as a traditional alfredo, which means you can eat more and still feel great!
So, I’m in full counting calories and macros’s kick. I have to ask, where are the 19 grams of protein coming from in the nutrition info? This looks amazing and wonderful and delicious but when I do the math I get somewhere around 20 grams of protein for the whole recipe, not a single serving. I am a bit confused, am I missing something?
Hey Sara,
We use MyFitnessPal to calculate the calories on all of the recipes here. When I had a second look, it did seem a bit off. This time when I ran it through it said there is 7grams per serving, which seems more accurate. I’m going to update that and maybe look at a new calorie counting app!
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Oh my! This looks so sinfully creamy! I can’t believe it’s healthy! This is the very best of both worlds – I gotta try this.
Thank you so much, lovely! It really is delicious.:)
Oh man, this is just a bowlful of healthy GORGEOUSNESS! I love that you use zucchini noodles and that pumpkin alfredo sauce sounds absolutely dreamy, Kristen!
Thank you! I’m totally in love with zucchini noodles … I sneak them in anytime I can. 🙂
Oh, I remember your awesome-looking cauli alfredo. This one is better you say? Hm… now pumpkin in alfredo is something I’ve yet to try, but adding it to my list pronto!
The pumpkin makes the creamy alfredo even more creamy and the pumpkin seeds add the perfect crunch. I definitely recommend trying it!
Ohhh yum! I love that you veggied-up my favourite pasta dish 🙂 looks so delicious.
Thanks, Mel!!
Easy delicious comforting and vegan…I’m in ‘)
Thanks, lovely!!