I should probably start this post by admitting I've never really been a fan of creamy pasta. I've always preferred a tomato sauce or even a simple oil based dressing rather than any cream based pasta sauce like alfredo. That being said, I've finally found a creamy pasta that I really enjoy in this vegan version of fettuccine alfredo!
Instead of butter, cheese and heavy cream, the creaminess from this pasta sauce comes from tahini (sesame seed paste) mixed with almond milk. To add even more flavour and thickness, the liquid base is stirred into a mixture of pureed onion and garlic that's been sauteed on the stovetop.
The result is a rich and creamy sauce that coats each noodle perfectly and really does resemble a traditional alfredo sauce, but with much more flavour in my opinion!
The original recipe was a simple dish of noodles with sauce, but I always like to include extra vegetables in my pasta to make it more interesting. My first thought was to add asparagus, since its long shape goes well with noodles and it seemed like a fresh seasonal choice for this time of year!
I steamed the asparagus to avoid having to turn on the oven, and tossed it in a bit of lemon zest. A healthy dose of fresh lemon juice and parsley were the final touches to brighten up the dish.
I was actually surprised at how filling this pasta was because of the tahini, which also makes it the perfect transitional meal from hearty winter dinners to lighter spring and summer dishes!
Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo with Asparagus
Adapted from Get it Ripe
~8-9 oz dry linguine or
fettucine
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup pureed onion (from 2
small yellow onions, peeled and pureed in a food processor - mine was still a bit chunky)
3 cloves garlic, finely
minced
1.5 cups almond milk
1/2 cup tahini
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus
more for garnish
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 lb asparagus (about half a
bunch)
1/2 tsp lemon zest (optional)
Lemon wedges for serving
Bring a large pot of salted
water to a boil. Once boiling, add the noodles and cook until al dente,
according to package directions. Drain.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in
a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring
often, for about 8 minutes, until browned.
Stir together almond milk,
tahini, salt and nutmeg until tahini is fully mixed in. Pour into skillet with the onion mixture and stir. Reduce heat to
medium. Add freshly ground pepper and cook, stirring often, for about 5
minutes. Add the parsley and lemon juice and cook for another minute. Remove
from heat.
Snap the woody ends off the
asparagus and discard. Add the asparagus to a steamer basket and steam,
covered, for 3-5 minutes, until bright green and crisp-tender. Remove from
steamer basket and chop each asparagus stalk into three pieces. Toss asparagus with a drizzle of
olive oil, salt and pepper, and lemon zest.
Return the drained pasta to
its cooking pot. Add the sauce and stir well to mix (you may not need all of
the sauce). Add the asparagus.
Serve warm. Season each
serving with additional salt and pepper if desired and squeeze a lemon wedge
over top. Top with additional parsley.
Makes 4 servings.
this looks delicious! admittedly, i was always a alfredo hater. but this! is something i can totally get behind.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I haven't converted to being an alfredo-lover yet, but I'm glad to have a recipe in my arsenal now that I know I enjoy!
DeleteI happen to love fettucine alfredo but only as a special treat, so this would be a great way to incorporate it into regular meals and feel good about it!
ReplyDeleteGood point...even this dish felt quite rich, so I wouldn't want to eat it every day, but I'm sure it's healthier than most restaurant versions of fettuccine alfredo!
DeleteI love all things creamy, but fettuccine alfredo is too much for me. I enjoy a few forkfuls and then I just feel sick. All that cream and butter and cheese! A vegan version sounds so much better--especially with asparagus in it!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean...and the asparagus definitely elevated the meal into something I wanted to keep eating, although I wasn't able to get local asparagus for it yet!
DeleteI almost always choose tomato sauces over creamy ones too. They feel healthier, and I like that I'm getting an extra serving of veggies (especially if I make my own marinara!). Your creamy fettuccine alfredo looks delicious though, and I love your added asparagus!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who never really liked creamy sauces - I thought I was the odd one out! Glad you like the recipe :)
DeleteI'm the same - I am not a huge fan of alfredo sauce. It's too rich for me. But this looks great! I love that you used tahini sauce to make the pasta dish creamy. And asparagus would pair up so well with the noodles and sauce. Yum! :)
ReplyDeleteGood to hear you made peace with Alfredo!! It's one of those classics that are always there to comfort you, specially here in the cold ;)
ReplyDelete--Andrés
LOVE the idea of creating a "creamy" sauce with tahini..I too prefer a tomato or olive oil based sauce versus a creamy- this does look so good,l especially with the asparagus!
ReplyDeleteGonna make this for dinner with broccoli though. Thanks:)
ReplyDeleteThis looks yummy, thank you! Do you think I could use hazelnut milk instead of almond milk?
ReplyDeleteGood question! I've actually never tried hazelnut milk myself, but I would say that as long as the milk is unsweetened, then it shouldn't make too much of a difference which type of nut milk you use...hazelnut might give it a nice nutty flavour!
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