7 Easy Meals That Start With a Jar of This Delicious Plant-Based Alfredo Sauce

When my now-teenager turned nine years old, they requested homemade fettuccine alfredo for their birthday meal — then asked me why this delicious dish was reserved for birthdays even though it makes everything taste better, even broccoli. While in my heart I wholeheartedly agreed with them (alfredo sauce is the best) I knew I had to be the responsible grown-up and explain that classic alfredo simply isn’t a healthy enough option for everyday. 

But what if we could enjoy a delicious, creamy alfredo and it was healthy enough to eat all the dang time? Enter Primal Kitchen Alfredo Sauce: It’s dairy free, vegan, and it’s made with a new, revised nut-free recipe that employs magnesium-rich pepitas — which have been shown to help both insulin resistance and blood sugar levels. It’s nutritious enough that we can enjoy it at least once a week: Just combine Primal Kitchen Alfredo Sauce, lentil pasta, and frozen vegetables for a healthy, fiber- and protein-packed plant-based dinner that’s ready in under 20 minutes. You can take 20% off your Primal Kitchen order today using the code CLEANPLATES2022.

But although this sauce tastes absolutely delicious on pasta, it’s also a really handy ingredient to keep around for healthy, easy, and quick meals that go way beyond noodles. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use this great pumpkin seed-based alfredo sauce:

1. Spaghetti Squash “Mac n Cheese”

Image credit: @JoyFoodSunshine

Whether you’re keepin’ it keto or just want to watch your carbs, spaghetti squash is an amazing, fiber-rich dinner staple. This dish is made incredibly fast and easy by replacing the laborious, not-so-healthy cheese sauce with Primal Kitchen Alfredo Sauce. All you have to do is cook your squash, separate its strands with a fork, mix in the prepared alfredo, and you’re good to go. You can serve as-is, but if you have a little extra time, add a bit more sauce on top and broil for just two minutes for a true mac n cheese experience. This is a wonderful base for a wide variety of vegetables and proteins — we like baby kale and leftover rotisserie chicken. Bonus points: It uses minimal dishes, and stores wonderfully for meal prep.

2. Weeknight Plant-Based Fondue

Image credit: Shutterstock

It’s super fun 70s kitsch with the healthy glow up we deserve: Fondue. Warm up your Primal Kitchen Alfredo Sauce and serve along some of your favorite dipping morsels. The possibilities are endless, but we love to keep it easy by serving with sliced bell peppers; baby carrots; steamed baby potatoes, asparagus, and broccoli; boiled shrimp; and whole-grain croutons. 

3. Plant-Based Enchiladas

Image credit: The Simple Veganista

The best part of Primal Kitchen Alfredo Sauce is that it’s so flavorful but mild, it can become a great sauce replacement in a wide variety of dishes, including enchiladas. While this recipe can be used as inspiration, just swap the time-intensive homemade cheese sauce for Primal Kitchen Alfredo Sauce. Go as simple as canned beans, tortillas, and premade chili verde on top for a quick fiber- and protein-filled dinner!  

4. Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Image credit: Make It Dairy Free

Cauliflower has been sneaking its way into everything lately, and it’s no wonder: Cauliflower is low in carbs, is shown to have helpful antioxidants, and contains 75% of your daily vitamin C needs and almost half of the recommended Omega-3s.  It also forms beautifully into a gluten-free pizza crust, which is an amazing base for Primal Kitchen Alfredo Sauce. You can opt for classic margherita flavors by topping with fresh tomatoes and basil, or go for a cacio e pepe vibe with lots of black pepper. If you’re pressed for time, you can simplify this process by grabbing a premade cauliflower crust, too. 

5. Portobello Eggs Benedict

Image credit: Collage by Lindsey Engelken for Clean Plates

You can easily transform your Primal Kitchen Alfredo Sauce into a plant-based hollandaise by gently warming it while whisking in a little dijon mustard and lemon juice. This super-easy combination turns a tray of roasted portobello mushrooms into the perfect base for a healthy play on eggs benedict: You start with the mushroom cap, then fill it with a little blanched spinach, sauce, and top with a poached egg. To get this dish ready in advance, you can prep your spinach and portobellos ahead of time, which means this dish can come together in under 10 minutes. Vary up the flavors by adding in some sliced tomato and avocado — or even smoked salmon and capers.

6. Spinach Artichoke Dip

Image credit: Collage by Lindsey Engelken for Clean Plates

It’s super easy to make a three-ingredient, creamy spinach-artichoke dip with a block of thawed frozen spinach, a can of quartered artichoke hearts, and Primal Kitchen Alfredo Sauce. Squeeze your spinach and drained artichokes to remove excess liquid, then sauté on medium-low heat for five minutes to evaporate the excess liquid. Mix in your Primal Kitchen Alfredo Sauce, then bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. If you like, you can add some minced garlic, lemon zest, and diced onion into your sauté. I also like mine with a dash of hot sauce and red pepper flakes.

7. Creamy Miso Udon 

Image credit: The Missing Lokness

Okay, this might sound strange, but we have to talk about the oddly delicious combination of alfredo sauce and miso. While you can use this recipe for inspiration, Primal Kitchen Alfredo Sauce simplifies the process and takes even less time. While you boil udon noodles, sauté a couple of lightly salted, thinly sliced mushrooms in a teaspoon of sesame oil. Whisk ½ a jar of the alfredo sauce with two tablespoons of white miso for two portions, but you can multiply this recipe as needed. Once your noodles and mushrooms are cooked, gently mix everything together off heat, which helps retain more nutrients from your miso. This umami bomb isn’t just tasty — aside from its beneficial probiotics, miso has also been shown to help maintain healthy blood pressure, while mushrooms’ bioactive compounds have been touted cross-culturally for centuries as a superfood. Sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds and serve with some amino acid-rich salmon — or keep it plant-based with some sprouted tofu for a balanced, protein-packed dish.