Oh, fettuccine Alfredo. That delicious, comforting pasta dish we all crave and feel guilty about for one reason or another. The main ingredients are butter and parmesan. A good friend of mine once called it “mac & cheese for grown-ups” but it feels so decadent. Can we even say there are nutrients in it? Who cares. It’s delightful and we deserve a treat and making your own Alfredo sauce is easy.
This recipe adds a festive twist: pumpkin. It is low-calorie and packed with vitamins and minerals that are good for immunity and your heart. I promise I got that from the Mayo Clinic, not Wikipedia. Pumpkin gives this dish that Alfredo creaminess but replaces half cream and cheese with something that has more nutritional value. This dish also gives you a reason to use all that canned pumpkin in your pantry for something other than dessert, and it’s easy and quick enough for a weeknight dinner.
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You will need:
1 c pumpkin purée
1 stick of butter
1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 grated parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional for those who like it spicy)
1 lb fettuccine
Fresh parsley, minced (for serving, if you like)
First Things First
The Alfredo sauce comes together quickly, so get your pasta going first. Get a medium to large-sized stock pot, fill it with water, and bring it to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt, then drop in the fettuccine. If the pasta is sticking up from the water, wait a moment or two for the bottom half of the noodles to soften. Then, take a pair of tongs and twist the pasta into the water before you turn the temperature down (a little olive or grapeseed oil in the pot also helps the pasta not stick together). A note early on: reserve some of the pasta water before you strain the noodles in case the sauce turns out too thick for your liking. It will probably not be necessary, but it can’t hurt. If your pasta is done before the sauce, set aside.
Time for the sauce
Next, grab a large frying pan or skillet. Turn the heat on the stove to medium-low to medium. Once it’s hot, drop in the butter, Use a wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula to stir it around and help it melt. When the butter is melted, toss in the the minced garlic and stir for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Then, pour in the heavy cream and stir. Be careful the heat doesn’t get too high; you don’t want the cream to burn. You want it to gently simmer. This should take another few minutes.
Once the mixture bubbles, add in the parmesan a little bit at a time, stirring as you go to get the cheese melted into the sauce. Then add in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes (if you went that route) and stir again. Next, the lemon juice and another stir. Taste. Add more seasoning if needed.
Add the cooked pasta directly to the pan and toss to coat the noodles, adding in a little bit of the pasta water if you want the sauce to be thinner. Serve with more grated parmesan and fresh parsley on top.
Final Thoughts
If you want to take this recipe to the next level, roast your garlic. Cut the bottom off of a bulb, lightly coat in oil, then wrap it in aluminum foil. Set it on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Give it a few minutes to cool, then unwrap the garlic and it should ooze right out of the peel when you squeeze. Roasted garlic adds extra creaminess and comfort to this dish. Roasting a whole bulb of garlic will yield more than you need for this particular recipe. You can add the rest to other sauces, soups, stews, even salad dressings.
If you want regular fettuccine Alfredo, double the amount of heavy cream and cheese listed above and remove the pumpkin. Drop the nutmeg and lemon juice. I also add a little ricotta cheese to mine for extra creaminess. Try some dried oregano, too.
Alfredo sauce is customizable, easy, and always a crowd-pleaser. Have fun with it and let me know how it goes for you!