alfredo pasta (side dish) recipe

I’m sure by now you’ve realized that my family eats a lot of pasta. Might be the Italian in me. Or, maybe it’s just the convenience of it.

We often purchased those Pasta-roni and Knorr pasta sides. As I’ve been working on making healthier choices for my family, I’ve eliminated many of the convenience foods we once ate. I no longer purchase boxed pastas or rices. As a result, I’ve been attempting to create many of our favorites from scratch.

My son asked me if I could make him some alfredo pasta. That runny fettuccini alfredo was his favorite of the pasta sides. I didn’t have any fettuccine, so I can’t attest to whether this recipe would work with fettuccine. (please share in the comments section if you use fettuccine and how it turns out) I created this recipe for an alfredo pasta side.

Alfredo Pasta Side recipe

ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (half a stick) butter
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp parsley
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 8 oz small pasta (I used tri-colored rotini)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan

directions:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat water and butter until butter has melted. Stir in milk and heat until warm. Stir in parsley, pepper, and pasta. Bring to a simmer.

Reduce to medium-low and simmer until pasta is just the wrong side of al dente. Stir in cheese. Continue stirring, slowly, until cheese is fully melted. Simmer another minute or two until pasta is done.

---

cook’s note

The reason for adding the parmesan before the noodles are quite finished is because it is a very hard cheese that requires cooking over heat to properly melt and incorporate. (I used the same concept as making traditional alfredo sauce)

---

My husband said that this is the first alfredo sauce that didn’t make him feel like he needed to sprinkle it with parmesan –from the green jar. (I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I use the same 1/4 cup butter, 1 cup milk, and 1 1/2 cups of parmesan when making the base for his sauce on pasta night –he has a tomato allergy.)

---

If you like this recipe, give it a share. Leave your reviews and photos in the comments section.