This. Pasta. Tho.
I’ve made alfredo before, but this, this may be my new favorite.
What sets it apart? Garlic and white wine, which are infused into a classic white sauce paired with al dente pasta and roasted Brussels Sprouts. Now we’re talking.
This recipe requires 30 minutes and 10 ingredients to make.
While the sauce is bubbling away and pasta is cooking to perfection, Brussels Sprouts are roasting until golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside. This is comfort food at its finest.
I hope you all LOVE this alfredo pasta! It’s:
Creamy
Cheesy
Flavorful
Garlicky
Hearty
Comforting
& Oh so delicious
This would make the perfect fancy weeknight dinner, or meal for hosting guests. We made this recently for friends – neither of which are dairy-free – and they devoured their whole plates. That’s always a good sign. Pair this creamy, sultry pasta with my Garlicky Kale Salad with Crispy Chickpeas for the ultimate plant-based comfort meal.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Garlic and White Wine Pasta with Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
- 16 ounces Brussels Sprouts (halved)
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 pinch each sea salt + black pepper
SAUCE + PASTA
- 3 Tbsp olive oil or vegan butter
- 4 large cloves garlic, chopped (yields ~3 Tbsp as original recipe is written)
- 1/3 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, + Sauvignon Blanc, are best)
- 4 Tbsp arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
- 1 3/4 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
- 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- Sea salt + black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
- 10 ounces vegan, gluten-free pasta* (brown rice pastas are readily available – or this penne from Bionaturae)
FOR SERVING (optional)
- Garlic bread*
- Simple green salad*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and add Brussels sprouts to a baking sheet (use more baking sheets, as needed, if increasing batch size). Drizzle with oil, and season generously with salt and pepper and toss. Arrange in a single layer and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil (for cooking the pasta) and salt generously (~1 Tbsp). Set aside while preparing sauce.
- Heat a large rimmed skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes or until fragrant and very slightly golden brown, then add wine (see photo). Be careful – it may flame, but only briefly. Stir and sauté for 2-4 minutes, or until the wine has reduced by about half.
- Add arrowroot and whisk, then add almond milk and whisk. At this point, it will be very clumpy – this is normal. Transfer to a high-speed blender and add nutritional yeast, salt + pepper, and vegan parmesan cheese. Blend on high until creamy and smooth.
- Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast for cheesiness, or salt and pepper for more overall flavor.
- Transfer sauce back to the skillet and warm over medium-low heat until bubbly while whisking. The sauce should thicken, at which point you can lower the heat to low and simmer until pasta is cooked. If it looks too thick, thin with almond milk. If too thin, increase heat to medium to encourage thickening.
- Add Brussels sprouts to the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown and tender, stirring once at the 10-minute mark to encourage cooking.
- Around this time, add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package instructions (mine took about 7-10 minutes, so I did that last. You want the pasta and Brussels to be done around the same time).
- Once cooked, drained pasta and add directly to the sauce, along with half of the Brussels sprouts and toss to combine. Season with a bit more vegan parmesan cheese (optional) for extra flavor.
- Serve with remaining Brussels sprouts and additional vegan parmesan cheese for flavor. I also like a bit of red pepper flake, but this is optional.
- Best when fresh, though leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave for best results.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without additional toppings (more vegan parmesan cheese).
*To make garlic bread spread vegan butter and minced garlic onto vegan-friendly baguette or bread and toast in a 425 degree F (218 C) oven until golden brown.
*To make a simple green salad, add a generous serving of greens to a serving bowl (we love arugula or chopped kale). To a small jar or mixing bowl add 3 Tbsp (45 ml) lemon juice and 5 Tbsp (75 ml) good olive oil and a pinch each salt and black pepper and shake or whisk vigorously to combine. Pour dressing on salad just before serving, toss, and serve.
StacyS says
Thank you so much for the recipe. I have never been an Alfredo sauce or any type of cream sauce person…but I REALLY like this recipe.
Now for the funny part…OMG how I messed up…lol. I thought I was adding 3 tbsp of cornstarch…but no, it was baking powder (reminder to self – turn the dang can around…lol). It was interesting because it kept rising on me (that’s why I finally checked the can), but it did thicken, I only needed to add 1 tbsp of cornstarch after that…lol. Needless to say, I didn’t need to put it in the blender…lol
This recipe is definitely a keeper! I sauteed some lacinato kale and tossed it with the pasta and sauce – excellent.
Thanks again
Ha! Oh goodness! We’re so glad it still turned out well in the end. Thank you for the lovely review, Stacy! xo
Isi says
Absolutely loved this recipe! I only used around 2.5 tbsp cornstarch and added mushrooms (delicious) – this will 100% be a sauce recipe I return to often!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Isi. Thank you for sharing! xo
Swaha says
Hi! I’m looking forward to making this recipe! Could you please let me know if I can use oat milk instead of almond milk? Thanks :)
Hi Swaha, That should work as long as it’s not one that’s sweetened or has a strong flavor. A few other readers have reported using oat milk with success.
Sara says
This recipe is good! I never blend my sauce because I like to reduce the dishes. In order to keep it from being clumpy I use a garlic press and mix in the milk slowly to work through the clumps (like a standard roux), and I reduce the cornstarch (in place of arrowroot). I always add lemon juice at the end for some brightness. :-) Turns out good every time and it comes together quickly!
Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing, Sara! We’re so glad you enjoyed. xo
Shelley Cardiff says
Hi,
I gave this 5 stars for the taste even though mine turned out a little goopy. Only thing I would emphasize is to serve immediately after mixing everything together and keep it away from the heat! I made mine on a ceramic electric stovetop and even though i took it off the burner – the stovetop retains heat and continued to cook it into a mushy mess. STILL – we gobbled it up with no leftovers. I also would say to cook the pasta less as it will cooking in the warmed sauce. I give it a 4.6 as I don’t want to diminish the 5 stars on the Creamy Mushroom Asparagus Pasta which is absolutely the best recipe so far!
Thank you for sharing your experience, Shelley! xoxo
Tricia Braun says
I don’t drink and don’t have wine in the house. Is there a substitute? Thank you!
Hi Tricia, we’d recommend subbing veggie broth or omitting it. We hope you love it!
Pia says
I think I might have reviewed this before, it’s my favourite dish in the winter Christmas time, the last days of the year! It was once again delicious! I used real parmesan and fresh pasta, which was super super tasty!
Just this morning coming downstairs the kitchen still smells of garlic 😂😂😂
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Pia! Thanks for sharing. xo
Rachel Day says
Hi there! Is there anything you could sub for the wine? Or do you think NA wine would work ok?
Hi Rachel, we’d recommend veggie broth or omitting it. Enjoy!
gina says
Flavorful and creamy. I will definitely make this again, but I might add some crispy tofu for some extra protein.
Love that! Thank you for sharing, Gina! xo
Courtney Young says
Is that really 4 TABLESPOONS of arrowroot? As in 1/4 cup? It seemed like a lot and I definitely tasted it. Now wondering if it should have been teaspoons 😬
Great flavors otherwise, thank you!
Hi Courtney! It is supposed to be 4 Tbsp of arrowroot. You can definitely reduce it next time for a thinner sauce! We’re so glad you enjoyed the flavors. xo
Priya says
I use Whole Food’s vegan parmesean and this sauce is other worldly. It’s an elevated mac and cheese and Alfredo combo.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Priya! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Johanna says
Don’t make this with cornstarch, texture was like slime. It also didn’t have much flavour. Very disappointing.
Hi Johanna, we’re so sorry that was your experience! Cornstarch shouldn’t be an issue. We wonder if maybe it cooked too long, which could cause that. For flavor, did you try adding more salt? What type of vegan parmesan cheese did you use? We recommend homemade for best flavor.
penname says
This was quick and delicious. I was pleased by how well the sauce thickened; I look forward to testing how the leftovers reheat . My only modifications were a longer bake for the Brussels sprouts and minced garlic- which negated the blender. This is my second homerun from minimalistbaker.
Yay! We love to hear this. Thanks so much for the great review!
Jennifer says
I roasted broccoli for this recipe, instead of brussels sprouts, and used real parm. I used a large saucepan for the sauce, instead of a skillet, so I got away with using my stick blender rather than transferring the liquid to and from a real blender. My pasta was corn-based (elbow macaroni).
SO tasty! It was very well received at our table. Thanks as always. :)
[I think I really did need an electric blender of *some* sort, because the starch lumps were initially very gluey. I would like to be able to use just a whisk, as it sounds like some of the people who left earlier comments were able to do. To that end, I might experiment with whisking in a gf flour blend, with a bit of the almond milk.]
Thanks for the great review and for sharing your experience, Jennifer!
TamI Antoine says
Most white wines are not vegan, do you have a suggestion for a vegan white for this recipe? Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Taml! Most natural/unfiltered wines are vegan. We hope you enjoy!
Laurie says
Delicious! I made the recipe exactly as written, just substituted zucchini noodles for the pasta.
I have made this several times actually and always turns out super yummy!
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Laurie! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Alicja says
Was really hyped for this recipe, but it came out flat, flavourless. Also too much sauce for this amount of pasta. Unnecessary step with blending. This could be avoided if flour dissolved in small amount of cold milk before adding to the pan.
I used steamed frozen broccoli and green beans. Maybe that was my mistake and the flavour of brussels is necessary? Or I am simply not a fan of “carbonara-style” pasta.
Hi Alicja, so sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this pasta! Did you happen to make any other modifications to the ingredients? We appreciate your honest feedback!
Ines says
love this one. highly recommend!
Susana says
This recipe is good¡ I didn’t use the vegan parmesan and added extra nutritional yeast for more cheese flavor. Also, I whisked the sauce until smooth in the same pan, no need for blending. I finished it off with little pieces of preserved lemon and parsley. My family loved it. Thanks for sharing
Great! Thank you for sharing, Susana! xo
Jen says
Wow, this recipe is so good! Filling without being heavy, just a perfect weeknight meal. I am not a fan of transferring hot mixtures from pan to blender and back as it always seems to go wrong, so I made a roux from the olive oil/garlic mixture and cornstarch. Added the almond milk slowly until it thickened and then added the wine at the end. It turned out so lovely! I will definitely make this again and maybe add a touch of lemon zest to brighten it up as suggested by another reviewer. Thank you for such a great base recipe that can be used in so many different ways!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jen! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Cedella Janczak says
I was excited for this recipe, and all the good reviews. My recipe turned out weird, very thick. I’m not sure if it was too much cornstarch or the noodles I used. I didn’t enjoy the cornstarch taste either, but liked incorporating veggies in the pasta! Anyone who likes pasta recipes from MB, I suggest you try her pink pasta, it’s delicious!
Sorry to hear that was your experience, Cedella! What type of noodles were you using? For the cornstarch taste/texture, we’re wondering if it’s possible it cooked too long and concentrated the flavors?
Kim says
Wow, this was incredible. The flavor is so good! Super easy to make but felt like “fancy food”. Filling without being heavy. Definitely a keeper. Thanks for this great recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Kim! xoxo
Irene says
This is pretty good. I felt it needed a bit of acid so I added about a tablespoon of lemon juice at the end with the heat off. It then reminded me of a lemon asparagus pasta I used to make, so next time I’ll try adding some lemon zest as well because it brightens up the dish nicely. I also sliced my Brussels sprouts as this makes them much easier to eat.
Thank you for sharing, Irene! If you’re looking for a more lemony pasta, you might like this recipe. xo!
Davida Colbert says
I would love to make this dish it looks very easy to make.
Hope you love it, Davida! Let us know what you think when you try it out!
Cassandra says
So delicious. Reminded me of alfredo. I added a pinch of red pepper because I personally love creamy “cheesy” with a kick
Definitely make this I know I will be again
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Cassandra! Thank you for sharing! xo
Celia says
This was a comforting and hearty dish, but a work in progress for me. It was my mistake using Califia’s Original almond milk whose sweetness overpowered the cheese flavor. I’ll try Unsweetened almond milk next time, plus an unapologetic quantity of garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Celia! Yes, make sure you’re using unsweetened almond milk for best results.
Johanna says
My partner and I loved this recipe! I prefer a strong white wine flavor so I doubled the amount of wine and the sauce was so creamy! I topped with some fresh parsley, a squeeze of lemon, and some crispy mushrooms. Amazing cheap and fast Friday dinner that we will definitely make again!
Yay! We’re so glad you both enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing, Johanna!
Phebe says
I’m very confused with how this came out! It tasted like chocolate ice cream, to both me and my partner. We even double checked to make sure we didn’t accidentally add chocolate almond milk. We semi-saved it with a cube of pesto & some tomato sauce & about triple the white wine it called for & so much pepper & like triple the garlic, but I am not sure how this happened!! Pretty bummed & I usually don’t leave reviews on recipes unless something goes really awry, but expensive ingredients so it feels unethical to not add a review!! Hope no feelings get hurt, I don’t mean to be mean, I just don’t know how this happened!
Oh no! We’re so sorry that happened, Phebe. Is it possible you were using a sweetened or vanilla almond milk? Or a brand with a strong flavor?
Phebe says
Thanks for the reply!!! After much deliberation, I think the wine was maybe just terrible wine??? I think the wine was sweeter than it should have been & I was wanting it to be more sharp.
Crystal says
I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous that the sauce was going to be weird. So I had marinara as a back up, but we didn’t even need it. This sauce was so good. My picky kids even liked it. We will definitely be making it again, and I may add a little more garlic next time. I served it with whole wheat angel hair, and next time I will use a sturdier pasta. But other that that, it was amazing. It will definitely go into our regular rotation!
Yay! We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed it, Crystal. Thanks so much for sharing!
Sahara says
You may like to experiment with/recommend Banza chickpea pasta (Costco), Zenb yellow-pea pasta, or Red lentil pasta (Costco). Both yellow pea & red lentil are ONE ingredient only, and completely satisfying while being source of protein instead of simply carbs. If your readers aren’t aware of these products it would be a lovely service to them
Love that suggestion! We actually really enjoy Banza shells!
Michelle Magyary says
Can you sub veggie broth for the white wine or will the flavor be off?
We think that would be fine! Let us know if you try it!
Vanessa says
Is there another option to replace the vegan parmesan?
Hi Vanessa, we’d encourage making our easy DIY version (linked in recipe), if possible! But otherwise, you could try subbing a little more nutritional yeast in its place. Let us know if you try it!
Caroline says
Delicious! I didn’t time the brussels and pasta to be ready at the same time, but it still worked out well. Could’ve used a sturdier pasta, but my thin spaghetti was still delicious! Topped with extra red pepper flakes. Already looking forward to the leftovers.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Caroline!
Kathy Oberto says
We made this two nights ago for dinner … absolutely delicious! I added a little extra garlic … and it was fabulous even as leftovers for lunch. We will make this again, and again!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Kathy! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Nina says
I finally made this tonight and it was delicious! I couldn’t find arrow root in local stores so I had to order it online. Made it with broccoli as I didn’t have Brussels sprouts and fettuccine pasta. Definitely adding this to my rotation. The family loved it! Super easy and didn’t take long.
We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing, Nina! xo
Rose says
Made this with hoegaarden beer subbed for wine (didn’t have any) and used coconut milk instead of almond, still delicious!
Creative! Thanks for sharing, Rose.
Laurel says
Thank you for the recipe! I made this last night and it ended up being delicious, but I had some challenges, surely due to my own adaptations. I didn’t use any oil so my garlic was getting dry by the time I added the wine. When the wine reduced by half (to about 2.5 TBS), mixing in 4 TBS of arrowroot powder just made a solid mash inside my whisk, which was hard to get out. I didn’t have vegan parmesan on hand so I added a scant 1/4 cup raw cashews to the blender. It came out thick and I added added more liquid to the blender and more again after I put it back in the pot (I chose wine as my liquid). It did end up delicious, in spite of me. Next time maybe I’ll start with a larger quantity of wine, because I love the white wine flavor in the sauce, and will go a lot easier on the cashews! I’m still learning :)
Thanks for sharing, Laurel! You can mix the arrowroot into a small amount of liquid first if you want to avoid clumping.
Ovi says
This was absolutely amazing. THANK YOU!
Yay! Thanks for the lovely review! xo