It’s important to blend my Alfredo recipe, as it can get lumpy if you are not careful. When my G&E Blender of over seven years broke down last week, and I had promised my new parents’ friends a pasta dinner that evening, we were forced to improvise.
I was able to make some adjustments and even managed to improve my original alfredo! It’s great when this happens. It’s time to share some new recipes.
This alfredo uses olive oil in place of butter, and you probably have all the ingredients on hand: pesto, Parmesan cheese (or other grated cheese), milk, flour, and garlic. You can also use vegetable or chicken stock. That’s it! It’s so delicious and creamy that you’d never guess it was healthy.
There is a scent of freshly cut grass in the air, as well as the smell of flowers in bloom. I am very excited about this. To celebrate, I make light, simple pasta with green beans—it’s one of the few green foods that I ate as a child. Sorry, Mom.
This sauce is creamy and thick, with a lot of parmesan pesto flavor. It’s also light. The vegetable stock gives the sauce a nice savory boost and pairs well with any pasta. I chose linguine because it is my favorite shape of a canoodle, but any shape would work.
Why isn’t blending or puréeing necessary? Before adding any liquid, I whisk the flour with the garlic and olive oil. A spatula is used to mash the ingredients together so that I don’t have to blend them.
You can add grilled chicken to the pasta for extra protein or some toasted pine nuts or walnuts for vegetarians.
I served my leftover peas lightly salted and steamed with a bit of parmesan cheese on top. This is the perfect meal for spring/summer.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp
- Three cloves of garlic (minced).
- 2-4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup 2% milk
- One cup vegetable stock DIY (or store-bought).
- 1 Tbsp. Pesto of any kind (I use basil)
- Add more salt and pepper to taste.
- Half a cup of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
- Green peas 1 cup (if frozen, let them thaw for an hour beforehand)
- Whole grain pasta, 3/4 box (such as linguine).
Instructions
- Follow the instructions on the package to cook pasta.
- Meanwhile, heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil and garlic. Stir quickly so that it does not burn.
- Reduce the heat a little, add the flour (starting at the lower end of the range/ 2 Tbsp, as written in the original recipe), and combine. Add the veggie stock, milk, and a flat spatula and cook for another minute.
- Stir in salt, pepper, and grated parmesan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture bubbles. Reduce heat to low or medium and continue cooking until the mixture thickens. Adjust seasonings to taste – I like to add more salt and pepper towards the end.
- If the sauce seems too thick, you can add more milk or broth. If the sauce is too thin, whisk in a bit more flour. You can also thicken the sauce with more parmesan.
- Add the peas to the sauce and stir. Add the drained and cooked pasta. Toss together and add more salt and pepper as needed. Serve with extra parmesan on top. This simple dish is enhanced by adding garlic bread, steamed peas or broccoli, and parmesan cheese.
