The flexitarian prescription

Fettuccine Alfredo is unquestionably one of the most-ordered dishes in restaurants, and it’s no surprise. I mean who doesn’t love a thick, creamy sauce made from cheese? Add pasta and you’ve got a winner-winner for all ages. But, what about all the vegans out there? Or for that matter, what about all the people trying to eat healthy? Can they enjoy pasta with an Alfredo sauce without demolishing their health? Given that today is National Fettuccine Alfredo Day AND February is Heart Health Month, I took a stab at making this lovely dish a little less damaging for your arteries.

Traditional fettuccine alfredo is basically a heart attack on a plate.

Google the calories in a traditional fettuccine Alfredo dish and you’ll get a wide range of numbers, none of them good unless you’re disciplined enough to stop at 2-3 ounces. As if. I mean that’s like saying you’ll only have one potato chip. (Or one martini, as the case may be.) But, the good news is—and by good news I mean like jump up and down hooray kind of good news—is you can enjoy fettuccine Alfredo without sabotaging your health. But before I get to that part, a bit about the “Alfredo” part, the man that is.

Picture this … Italy. Early 1900s. After having a baby, Ines Di Lelio finds herself with no appetite. None. Zero. Zilch. Her husband, Alfredo Di Lelio, makes her a big plate of fettuccine and tosses it with butter and Parmigiano and just like magic, his wife’s appetite was back. What a guy, huh?! Flash forward a few years, and Alfredo opens his restaurant “Alfredo” in Rome in Via della Scrofa. The rest, shall we say, is history.

Now for the part you really want to know: how to make fettuccine Alfredo that won’t cause your arteries to clog. If you look for recipes titled “healthy Alfredo” or “vegan Alfredo” you’ll find a number of different options for making the sauce: There are some that use vegan “Parmesan”(to keep it dairy-free) made from cashews—which, for the record, is pretty damn good as a topping but not really suited for making sauces. Some use arrowroot (to keep it gluten-free), or cornstarch or flour to thicken the sauce. Others use nutritional yeast to add bulk to the sauce and some rely on plant-based milks or “cream” to create a smooth sauce.

And so … I tried a few approaches but what I’ve discovered is that this dish—of all dishes—is deserving of a Flexitarian approach. And so, yes, this is still a very rich dish but hey, you don’t need to eat a mixing bowl worth … what I did:

• Use pasta water to help thicken the sauce
• Substitute plant-based “cream” for regular cream
• Substitute plant-based “butter” for regular butter
• And still used an egg yolk and Parmesan

I know. I know. Skeptics everywhere … but I’m telling you, it works. And according to some Italians out there, using the pasta water for thickening is a more traditional method than using cream as the sauce is really meant to be an emulsion of the starchy water, butter and cheese. A note about the pasta … while you can try using gluten-free pasta, I don’t recommend it. You need the starch in the water and plant-based pastas don’t deliver. However, if you do want to use gluten-free pasta, use one made from corn or rice and just don’t use too much water when cooking. So, there you go. Give it a whirl. It’s easy and it’s delicious. Mushrooms and roasted garlic and fresh basil are all optional but highly encouraged : )

Flexitarian Fettuccine Alfredo 

PREP TIME: 10 minutes | COOK TIME: 25 minutes

• 1 box (16 ounces) pasta (if gluten free try Banza, Explore Cuisine, or Jovial)
• 1/2 stick plant-based butter
• 1 cup plant-based cream
• 1 cup Parmesan, shredded
• 1/2 cup pasta water
• 1 egg yolk (2 if it’s small)
• Sea salt
• Freshly grated pepper
• OPTIONAL: add sauteed mushrooms, fresh (or frozen) peas, broccoli or just about anything else you want.

Bring water to boil in a large stock pot, add 1 tsp salt and cook pasta as directed. NOTE, and this is very important, do not over cook the pasta. Once it’s al dente, drain pasta into a colander but save the water into another container. In another pan, melt butter, add pasta water, cream, Parmesan and drop the egg yolk into the center. Slowly whisk together until the cheese melts. Add pasta, toss and serve. That’s it. Enjoy!