Autumn is in the air!
For some, that means crunchy leaves, apple cider, warm jumpers, and crisp air. For us that means COMFORT FOOD!
Before you look at your workload and dismiss our invitation to try a new recipe, let us assure you we are in the same boat. Autumn has just begun and our summer habits have yet to be kicked to the curb. We’re about as disorganised as it gets, BUT this pasta is so simple that you only need six ingredients, 30 minutes, and can feed eight people. If a small dinner party isn’t in your diary, you can use the servings as a meal prep for the entire week. So leave the long list of ingredients until June and keep it simple this autumn.
Naturally we like to share healthy recipes at Go Against the Flow, but It’s not always easy finding comfort food with a healthy edge. In fact, the first image that comes to mind with comfort food is a big pork chop and potatoes. Not that it’s horrible, but to be honest, it’s boring. It doesn’t sounds that fun to cook and it certainly isn’t that exciting to eat. If you have to cook, you might as well have fun with it! During this pumpkin-spiced time of year, we decided to give a classic comfort dish an autumn bite: pumpkin fettuccine alfredo! Right off the bat, you probably are having a laugh at the thought of a healthy alfredo. You’re not wrong. We’re not going to change the thick, creamy tradition of alfredo sauce into some healthy, plant-based BS. We want the full calories. But instead of making this well known pasta with all dairy and few benefits, let’s pack it full of vitamins instead!
Here’s what you need:
Tools:
Chopping knife or garlic press (which is a total game changer)
Measuring spoons and cups
One pot and one pan
Blender (for puree)
Ingredients:
8 serves of fettuccine noodles (switch it up with tortellini or your favourite pasta)
2 tablespoons of butter
5 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon of nutmeg
1 cup of pumpkin puree (can’t find canned puree? Homemade puree steps below)
2 ½ cups of heavy cream
Heaps of parmesan cheese (or just a ½ cup if you want to be stingy)
The deets:
- Start with the pumpkin puree. If you found canned puree, skip to step number 2. If you weren’t so lucky or want to keep it homemade, you’re going to need to commit a bit more time. Cut a pumpkin in half, deseed the thing, bake in aluminum foil for about an hour at 160 degrees. Once the pumpkin is tender, toss it in the blender. Ta-da! Puree complete.
- Cook your pasta according to the package. Save 1 cup of the pasta water incase you need to thin your sauce.
- Heat the butter and garlic in the pan until the kitchen is filled with delicious aromas. When your mouth starts watering, add the cream, nutmeg, and pumpkin. Stir the mixture over low heat until it thickens and add ½ cup of parmesan cheese. Continue to stir it, and if it’s too thick to function, add a little bit of the leftover pasta water until it reaches the consistency you like. We prefer our sauce pretty thick, so we don’t often use the water at all.
- Add the pasta to the pan with the mixture (or add the mixture to the pasta pot depending which one has more room). Serve it up, add a lot more cheese, and season to taste!
Are you feeling a bit adventurous? This pasta is easy to add to. It goes GREAT with some grilled chicken breasts and/or some garlic sauteed spinach. Sometimes when we’re feeling like a Masterchef contestant, we’ll add some sage leaves when the butter and garlic are simmering together or garnish with parsley.
While this tasty pasta dish is going to give you the vitamins you need, we definitely advise that you add a small, simple green salad to go with it. You know, just to tick all the boxes to keep your insides happy. We’ve found that some spinach, half an apple, onion, and maybe some nuts makes a great companion for this autumn dish. We love embracing the pumpkin AND the apple, which are so different but both such prominent autumn heroes.
Let us know how you go with this dish. We are always looking for new variations of our favourite recipes, so go ahead and share how you’ve individualised it!
