Restaurants make Alfredo sauce using cream, butter, and cheese, but this month Drew brings you a cream-free version with a béchamel sauce that uses flour, milk, butter, and Parmesan. Not only that, but the chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, and tomatoes bring extra nutritional value that you’re usually missing in a basic Alfredo pasta recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 3 cups 2% milk
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 Tbsp grated real Parmesan cheese
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups bite-size broccoli florets
- 8oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
- ¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 8oz cooked chicken breast, thinly sliced (store-bought rotisserie chicken works well)
- 12oz whole-wheat fettuccine
Preparation:
- To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk to prevent any lumps from forming. Add the garlic and simmer, whisking often, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until nicely thickened.
- Stir in the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat
- Add the broccoli and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes.
- Cook for 5 minutes, or until the vehetables have lightly caramelized.
- Stir in the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions
- Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot, add the sauce and the chicken mixture, and toss to coat.
- If the sauce is too thick, add some of the pasta water to thin it. Serve immediately.
PRO TIP:
The powdered stuff you’ve been shaking out of the green can is not Parmesan. Parmigiano-Reggiano, as dictated by the Italian government, comes only from cows from northern Italy and is aged a minimum of 12 months. The result is one of the world’s finest cheeses, and this recipe specifies grated REAL PARMESAN CHEESE… don’t cheat yourself!
Nutrition: 540 calories, 14g fat (6g saturated), 520mg sodium
Original recipe by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, Mar 2019
