Recipe No. 2 from the Half Baked Harvest Cookbook was another success!
I will say, I am still picking the easy ones but don’t yell at me yet, I promise the next two recipe reviews will be more out of my comfort zone.
The No-Guilt Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo was quick to put together and addictively delicious. Bonus: it sneaks some greens in (if it’s not obvious from the title I am referring to broccoli).
Ingredient Notes
Yes, this is a giant serving of parmesan cheese. It is possibly more than the recipe calls for. I didn’t measure. I don’t want to know.
The reason this is called “no-guilt” is that the creaminess in the pasta comes from hummus. This is not the first time I have made pasta with a hummus sauce. Sometimes I just make noodles and toss them with hummus. I highly recommend it if you like hummus.
You may notice a common theme in my reviews, the inability to find fresh ingredients! As with the Caprese quinoa, I had to use a tube of basil from the fresh section of the store in place of fresh basil. It was probably fine.
The recipe calls for fresh parsley garnish. Since this is recipe no. 2 for me, I actually bought the garnish and used it. Does anyone else usually skip the garnish? I usually skip the parsley because it doesn’t seem to add that much to me (#notachef). I used it this time, I would probably skip it next time. It didn’t really make a difference to me.
The pasta is measure in pounds, but in Canada, our noodles come measured in grams. As a result, I had no idea how many noodles to cook. I went with about half-ish a 900-gram package of fettuccine noodles. It seemed to work.
Notes from the Recipe
I measured nothing from this recipe. I cooked it on Superbowl Sunday and was itching to join the husband on the couch with a glass of wine for some Sunday lazing. It turned out great! Fully recommend this recipe when you are in a rush or feeling lazy.
One note in that vein though, make sure to remember to reserve the pasta water to thin out the sauce. This is another thing I always forget to do. When you’re in a rush it’s easy to just dump the water when you are draining the pasta. Don’t do it!!
This recipe was a tinch spicy. I loved it! It comes from a small amount of cayenne pepper. If you don’t like spice, you could omit the cayenne and it would still be delicious.
Results!
The end result was a lemony, garlicky bowl of comfort! The leftovers were devoured.
The broccoli is roasted before you add it to the pasta, and it is amazing!!! I can’t believe I haven’t done this before and will definitely be trying this again with other recipes.
Does it taste like fettuccine alfredo? I have no idea. I don’t think I have ever had fettuccine alfredo (#team marinara).
All-in, this was quick and easy with minimal clean-up. You could add protein or meat if you wanted, but it was filling on its own and a great way to get more greens in.
Husband’s review: delicious but would be better with bacon (he will be pleased with the next recipe).
Next up: Apple Ricotta Pancakes with Bacon Butter.
My Cook and Book Life 