Creamless Fettuccine Alfredo With California Avocados Recipe
What it's lacking in cream, it makes up in flavor
As far as pasta sauces go, Alfredo presents a tough challenge: It's at once delicious enough yet far too heavy to eat every day. What's a carb lover to do?
Enter ripe California Avocados, which serve as a nutritious substitute to Alfredo's traditional cream. By using them strategically, you'll land yourself a luscious but light pasta in no time at all.
In this recipe, a good squeeze of lemon gives the avocado sauce a hint of brightness; black pepper lends a touch of spice; chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts add a textural layer; and a sprinkling of Parm offers a nutty, umami-rich finale.
With a pasta this good, you'll soon be twirling the night away.
Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen
Creamless Fettuccine Alfredo with California Avocados
Replace cream with silky California Avocados for a fettuccine alfredo that's pleasantly light and undeniably tasty.
Ingredients
- 4 medium California Avocados—halved, pitted and peeled
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 pound dry fettuccine
- 2 cups reserved pasta cooking liquid
- 6 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted, divided
- 3 tablespoons parsley leaves, roughly chopped, divided
- Small parsley leaves, for garnish
Directions
- Bring a 4-quart pot of water to a boil.
- While the water comes to a boil, make the sauce: In the base of a food processor, add the California Avocados, cheese, lemon juice and zest, onion powder, pepper, and garlic powder. Purée the mixture until smooth and season lightly with salt. Transfer the sauce to a large bowl.
- Once the water comes to a boil, salt the water and add the fettuccine. Cook the pasta to a desired doneness, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Add the cooked pasta to the large bowl and toss the pasta in with the dressing. The mixture will be thick. Use the cooking liquid to get the sauce to a creamy consistency. Toss in 4 tablespoons of pine nuts and 2 tablespoons of the chopped parsley, and season with any additional salt. Plate the pasta onto serving dishes and garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of pine nuts, tablespoon of chopped parsley and whole parsley leaves, then serve.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 587 |
| Total Fat | 28.4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4.5 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 5.9 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 71.1 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 12.0 g |
| Total Sugars | 3.9 g |
| Sodium | 745.4 mg |
| Protein | 16.6 g |
