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This Fettucine Alfredo Has A Secret Ingredient That Makes It SUPER Healthy (And Vegan!)

Liz Moody
Author:
September 30, 2017
Liz Moody
Contributing Food Editor
By Liz Moody
Contributing Food Editor
Liz Moody is a food editor, recipe developer and green smoothie enthusiast. She received her creative writing and psychology degree from The University of California, Berkeley. Moody is the author of two cookbooks: Healthier Together and Glow Pops and the host of the Healthier Together podcast.
Photo by Tieghan Gerard
September 30, 2017

Half Baked Harvest has long been one of the most drool-worthy blogs on the internet, and Tieghan Gerard’s long-awaited first cookbook, Half Baked Harvest Cookbook: Recipes From My Barn in the Mountains, carries on that same tradition with stunning aplomb. It’s bursting with colors, exciting but accessible flavor combinations, and just-this-side of healthy recipes that are still completely crave-worthy. This genius twist on Alfredo subs the classic cream sauce for a surprising ingredient: chickpeas. Say what? “Combining hummus with a little of the pasta cooking water creates the creamiest, most scrumptious, and truly alfredo-like-tasting sauce ever, and yet there is zero cream,” explains Tieghan. You can also easily make it vegan. “Just omit the butter and use an equal amount of extra-virgin olive oil, then omit the Parmesan and use and equal amount of nutritional yeast,” says Tieghan. Voilà! Your new favorite dinner is served.

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No-Guilt Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients

  • 2 small heads broccoli, cut into florets
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pound fettuccine pasta
  • 1 cup plain hummus
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (sub olive oil for vegan version)
  • ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (sub nutritional yeast for vegan version)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving
  • Fresh parsley, plus more for serving
  • Pinch of crushed red-pepper flakes
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Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
  2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the broccoli with the olive oil, cayenne, garlic powder, and a big pinch each of salt and black pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, tossing once, until lightly charred.
  3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and immediately return it to the pot. Add the hummus, about ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, the lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, and Parmesan. Toss until a creamy sauce forms. Thin the sauce with more pasta cooking water, a little at a time, as needed. Add the basil, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Taste and season as needed with salt and black pepper.
  4. Add the broccoli to the pasta and toss gently. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan and fresh basil and/or parsley on top.

Based on excerpts from Half Baked Harvest Cookbook: Recipes from My Barn in the Mountains by Tieghan Gerard, with the permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Penguin Random House. Copyright © 2017.

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Liz Moody
Liz Moody
Contributing Food Editor

Liz Moody is an author, blogger and recipe developer living in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated with a creative writing and psychology degree from The University of California, Berkeley. Moody has written two cookbooks: Healthier Together: Recipes for Two—Nourish Your Body, Nourish Your Relationships and Glow Pops: Super-Easy Superfood Recipes to Help You Look and Feel Your Best. She also hosts the Healthier Together Podcast, where she chats with notable chefs, nutritionists, and best-selling authors about their paths to success. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Glamour, Food & Wine & Women’s Health.