Wednesday 22 February 2012

Multi colour pasta in alfredo sauce



I stopped making pizza at home for almost a month now. Not because i was bored, but because the man in the house thought i was making pizza too healthy and the flavour was supposedly turning Indian instead of Italian. (In his defence, for my latest attempt i had replaced half the all purpose flour for the pizza base with whole wheat flour and added an extra teaspoon of ragi flour. I loved the crust that day.) Now shouldn't he have been thanking me for taking care of his cholesterol. Instead he said "Look, why don't we just eat out whenever we feel the craving for pizza". Needless to say i was shocked and mad. Because, he is the health nut in our relationship, but turns out he wants his pizza in the most unhealthy way. Most friends i have talked to preferred pizza making at home so they could control the amount of cheese they put into it. My man prefers (or used to prefer) home-made pizza for the exact same reason, only he wants more cheese than a double cheese pizza at Pizza Hut. What do i do? Simply switch to my other Italian favourite - Pasta.
So this last month i made pasta almost every week. For a quick lunch or dinner. And when my cousin came over last weekend, we made this pasta and these oatmeal cookies within an hour while multi-tasking. I am not complaining about this arrangement. Pasta is so much faster than pizza - with 'intention' to 'in-your-stomach' in about 30 minutes. And works out to be both much cheaper and tastier than the best pasta in town. And the creamy cheese sauce makes it that much more filling. I like my pasta in Alfredo and Pesto sauces more than the tomato based Arabiatta. But if you don't share my enthusiasm for this pasta sauce because it sounds too rich, then the tips at the end of this post are for you. You 've got to try it.

Adapted from Allrecipes.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves 2 as main course.
Ingredients
2 cups pasta (macaroni, fusilli, penne, bow tie or gnocchi)

For Alfredo sauce

2 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
3/4 cup heavy cream (I used Amul fresh cream)
3-5 small cloves garlic, crushed or chopped finely
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
200 grams mushrooms, sliced
2 bell peppers/ capsicum (multicoloured if you find some), chopped
salt and pepper to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon of each)
Method
  1. Cook pasta according to packet instructions. I usually add about a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of oil in the pasta water when it is cooking. This will ensure the pasta won't be bland and won't stick together.
  2. Meanwhile in a medium saucepan saute the mushrooms in a tablespoon of oil or butter for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Remove to a bowl and saute the chopped bell peppers in the same pan for about 5-6 minutes. Keep aside.
  3. Now add the remaining tablespoon of oil or butter into the same saucepan and place over medium low heat. Add the garlic and saute till golden brown. Add the cream and simmer for 4 minutes. Stir in the cooked vegetables and allow to heat through. Add salt and pepper. Now add cheese and whisk quickly until it melts into the sauce. Remove from heat.
  4. Drain the cooked pasta and place into serving dishes. Pour the prepared Alfredo sauce on the pasta. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese and crushed pepper. Serve.
La's Notes
  • You can include other vegetables like zucchini, baby corn, olives, aubergines/ eggplants and tomatoes. And some chili flakes if you want it hot.
  • You can substitute half the cream with milk to make it less rich. You can also add extra milk to the above recipe to make the sauce thinner.
  • My source recipe has parsley. I only had coriander and thought it would take away from the Italian flavour. You may sneak it in.
Linking this to the event "Spotlight: Colourful Holi" by Chandrani of Cuisine Delights.

40 comments:

  1. Just finished my lunch, but the pasta makes me a little hungry, very colorful and yummy..

    ReplyDelete
  2. love the multi colored pasta..yummy preparation too!!

    Erivum Puliyum

    ReplyDelete
  3. Its so colorful & creamy.. i love all sinful delights :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nice colorful pasta !! looks delicious !!

    Ongoing event CC-Dish For Loved Ones

    ReplyDelete
  5. Loook so perfect and delicious, thanks for stopping my space and keep rocking dear...

    ReplyDelete
  6. thats so yummy. I usually make the bechamel ( spelling???) and tomato based sauces for the pasta. The ball peppers look so colourful. I love Alfredo sauce but never made it at home. now I will and I know my family is going to love this. More Power to Pasta!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. First few times i made pasta i used store bought tomato based pizza sauce. But when making the sauce at home i had to do alfredo. Have been buying large quantities of cream ever since i made strawberry ice cream. I know i should stop, but till then more power to pasta indeed!

      Delete
  7. Colorful pasta looks yummy. Thanks for linking my event.

    Cuisine Delights
    My First Event-SPOTLIGHT:"COLOURFUL HOLI"

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey La, you live in London, currently? Thanks for your comments, replied to you in the About Me :-) This pasta looks good...you know whenever I see the multicoloured pasta I think of that snacks we get back home...forgetting the name...comes in plastic packets...crisp like chips...I loved eating it as a kid and was not allowed much :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No Suchi, now based in Hyd. Was working there during 2008-2009. Came home to get married and settled here for good. I know the chips you are talking about. Didn't make the connection until you mentioned, but yes, they do look alike a lot.

      Delete
  9. Colorful pasta with yum creamy sauce

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lovely colorful pasta, alfredo pasta sounds delicious :)
    Thanks LA for ur comment n follow @ my space, u have a great space too. Following you back :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for joining up Prathibha. You do have a beautiful space.

      Delete
  11. this is one of my go to dinner recipe. love these colourful pasta. last month tried the wholemeal pasta but it was too chewy. dont know why all good tasting things are not good for health.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sayantani. Looks like you are still on a break at your blog. Waiting for more

      Delete
  12. very yummy pasta...multi coloured pasta looks great..

    Join the Just "4" Fun event :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Loved reading your post :) What a healthy and delicious way to have pasta! I am sure my daughter is going to love it. Thanks for sharing. Happy following your blog :)
    http://www.easyfoodsmith.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh thank you. And you have amazing creativity. Hoping to see you here often.

      Delete
  14. Lovely pasta and yummy dish!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  15. i love alfredo sauce.....calories be damned....thank you for your nice comment and for joining up ....joined up.happy to follow you:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. totally agree Simran. I 'd rather exercise after wards than skimp on alfredo sauce :) And thank you for joining up.

      Delete
  16. Love this one. I love pasta too. Love the colour in yours must buy something like this next time.

    ReplyDelete
  17. yum! i love alfredo sauce too... but what im really drooling over is all that mushrooms u have put in, delecious-o! must have been one amazing lunch :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We too have found a new love in mushrooms, we seem to be devouring them.

      Delete
  18. http://inheritedrecipes-rashu.blogspot.in/2012/02/red-velvet-cupcakes-award.html

    Congratulation on the award.
    Do accept your award on my blog and follow the rule.
    Happy blogging!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Tempting and very delicious..! wow..!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Pasta is way easier than pizza...it's just boil and done! I love it.

    Great use of alfredo!

    ReplyDelete
  21. colourful pasta and creamy sauce

    ReplyDelete
  22. Love the playful colours of the pasta :) And hey, thanks for dropping by my blog La! Yes, I'm as big a film buff as I am a foodie... So I guess that explains my obsession with marrying both :D
    And hey, thanks for taking an avid interest in all my 'drama'! lol!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Swati, thanks so much for taking time to comment. I really do admire your blog

      Delete
  23. U have a few awards waiting at my space. Do collect them dear...
    My culinary Trial room

    ReplyDelete
  24. nice looking and amazing pasta recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Never used coloured pasta. Great idea! Looks very tempting. Glad to follow you :-) Wonderful space!

    ReplyDelete

Your words are my fuel. Thank you for your time here and your feedback.