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Sharing my favorite No-Guilt Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo from The Half Baked Harvest Cookbook.
Yup, you guys read that correctly, No-Guilt Fettuccine Alfredo. I know it sounds too good to be true, but it’s not!
For those of you who own the Half Baked Harvest Cookbook this pasta should look familiar. It’s hands down one of my favorite recipes in the book and it’s quickly shaping up to be a reader favorite too. So many of you have messaged me with excitement over this creamy, but oh so healthy…ish pasta.
Enter all the giant smiling emojis from me.
I’m sharing the recipe here on the blog today for three reasons.
One, it’s Healthy January and I’ve been making this weekly since Christmas, so I really felt the need to tell you all about it. It’s truly one of my go-to recipes this month.
Two, my hope is that for those of you who don’t own the cookbook, or for any of you newer readers that are wondering what the cookbook is all about, this recipe gives you a glimpse inside the pages. Also hoping the glimpse inside makes you excited enough to order yourself a copy…if I succeeded, you can order here.
And reason three, I created a recipe video for this healthier take on fettuccine alfredo with my friends over at Buzzfeed Tasty and we needed an HBH landing page for the recipe to live on. Well, the landing page is now here, and you can watch the full video for this recipe over on Tasty.
When I was in the middle of creating the cookbook, my days were ridiculously long. I’m talking wake up early, make grocery list, start testing recipes/photographing until the sun set, clean kitchen, write all night, finally go to bed for a few hours, and then do it all over again the next day. If you’re ever contemplating writing a cookbook, let me give you a fair warning, it’s not easy, and your sleep will most likely suffer.
Just being honest here.
Other than that, it’s all good things. You’ll make friends with your team at your publishing house, create delicious food, and in the end you’ll develop a beautiful cookbook to share with the world. I wasn’t sure I would say this while I was in the midst of writing the book, but all the long hours and lack of sleep (and tears) where 120% worth it.
Of course, I could not be more excited about how well you guys have taken a liking to the book. I was SO incredibly nervous when the book first came out that everyone would hate it and that zero copies would sell, but to my surprise, thankfully just the opposite occurred.
Of course there are a few grumpy people who like to leave mean Amazon reviews, but it seems as though most of you are loving the cookbook.
Thank you, thank you!! You guys are the best.
Anyway, the point of my little story there is that while writing the cookbook I had a ton of ingredients on hand at all times. This pasta was actually what I call a “clean out your fridge” pasta, but it turned out so good that I ended up making it a recipe in the book.
So what makes this healthier than any other fettuccine alfredo? Unlike traditional fettuccine, this fettuccine is made without cream and instead with creamy, protein packed hummus. It may seem odd, but hummus makes for the perfect, extra creamy sauce that closely resembles that of an alfredo sauce, and it’s honestly it’s just as good as the real thing.
Promise.
Here’s how this pasta came to be.
I had been testing out homemade hummus recipes for the book for what seemed like days and days, and had tubs upon tubs of homemade hummus just sitting in my fridge. In an effort to not spoon eat all the hummus, I had the idea to use the hummus as a sauce for my fettuccine pasta.
I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but as soon as I started tossing the pasta, I knew it was going to be so good. I mean, what’s not to love about a hummus based creamy pasta sauce with a little parmesan and roasted broccoli on top?
SO GOOD. And I mean, it’s pretty much guilt free…
Hey, I count cheese as healthy food, go with me on this, K? Cool.
Also, major bonus points for this pasta because it takes under thirty minutes and uses just one pot and one sheet pan.
Watch the How To Video:
No-Guilt Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 591 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 small heads broccoli, cut into florets
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound fettuccine pasta
- 1 cup plain hummus
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (sub nutritional yeast for vegan version)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving
- fresh parsley, plus more for serving
- 1 pinch crushed red-pepper flakes
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF.2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the broccoli with the olive oil, cayenne, garlic powder, and a big pinch each of salt and black pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, tossing once, until lightly charred.3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and immediately return it to the pot. Add the hummus, about ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, the lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, and Parmesan. Toss until a creamy sauce forms. Thin the sauce with more pasta cooking water, a little at a time, as needed. Add the basil, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Taste and season as needed with salt and black pepper.4. Add the broccoli to the pasta and toss gently. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan and fresh basil and/or parsley on top.
Notes
Reprinted from the Half Baked Harvest Cookbook Recipes from My Barn in the Mountains.
PS. if you’re wondering about the hummus recipe in the book, there isn’t one, it got cut. Too many recipes, not enough pages. Enter sad face. Should I share it on the blog?
This post was originally published on January 10, 2018
I just made this and it’s seriously AMAZING!!!! Thank you.
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Rona!
+1 for the hummus recipe 🙂
Thanks!
I too love this recipe. The hummus in my fridge right now is roasted, so not good for this recipe.
I’d love your hummus recipe, please share! Thanks
Thank you Joyce!
Yes, please add the hummus recipe to the blog!!!
Thank you Gayle!
Can’t wait to try this. As I am also trying to focus on low carb, think I will use it with either zucchini or butternut squash noodles.
Sounds great! Thanks Leah!
This sounds amazing! Can’t wait to try it with some Banza fettuccine!
Thank you Kristine! I hope you love this!
Love the recipe! Gave your cookbook to our daughter over Christmas – it’s become her go-to cookbook, and ours as well. If I can make a slightly off-topic suggestion, it would be to make your website print darker, so those of us with older eyes can have an easier time of it. . And, yes – please share your hummus recipe!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you and your daughter enjoy the recipes in my book, let me know what you make!
Yes to the hummus recipe, please!
Great! Thanks Yolanda!
Yes, please post the hummus recipe here.
I greatly appreciate your recipes and approach to food.
Thank you
Ingrid
Thank you so much Ingrid!
Your hummus recipw would be nice. Sharing is caring! Love your site, and the photography is gorgeous.
Thank you Jan!
I really enjoy the cookbook!! I return to the cookbook regularly for ideas and weekly menu planning plus the photos and feel of the book are so lovely! I have made this healthy Alfredo and really was surprised how well it hides the hummus – I used roasted garlic hummus from a container. Great recipe!
Thank you Kimber! I am so glad you like this recipe and others from my book!
I’ve loved your hummus based Alfredo recipes, and would so enjoy trying your hummus recipe. We have a Lebanese restaurant in town that makes their hummus to order, served in the bowl it is mashed in. Fresh is best, so share yours with us!
Thank you so much Monica!
I think the process of writing any type of book is rather taxing, speaking from my own experience. Every single novel I’vewritten so far has had me working the hardest in my entire life, with research and the whole process of getting everything right – I’m self published, so it all falls down to me – and then even more.
I adore pasta, but indulge rarely in it. This one sounds like something I should add to my Friday nights meals, it sounds easy and so yummy.
Yes I think you should definitely add this to your Friday night meals! I hope you love it, Ruth! Wow, that is amazing that you write and publish your own books! I admire that!
Love your recipes. This looks really good. Does the sauce still taste like hummus or is it mostly masked?
You can taste the hummus a little, but it is mostly masked. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holiday’s 🙂
I made this a few weeks ago, you can taste the hummus a bit but it really is a great Alfredo substitute. Delicious and quick dinner!
Made this tonight and it was awesome!! Used a few more veggies (added brussels and cauliflower to the broccoli roast) about 1/2 as much pasta, nutritional yeast in place of cheese, did not need the extra red pepper flakes, as the cayenne in the veggie roast was just the right amount of heat.. thanks!! Oh and left out the parsley as didn’t have any, used basil in a tube, Great recipe!
I am so glad you enjoyed this! Thank you Jill!
Awesome
Thanks!