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Sharing my favorite No-Guilt Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo from The Half Baked Harvest Cookbook.
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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
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
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
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?
Of course we’re all wondering about the hummus recipe! It’s as if you read my mind. Please share on the blog! Can’t wait to make this healthy-ish recipe.
Thank you so much Mandi! xTieghan
This was amazing. I substituted fettuccini for zucchini and I also substituted broccoli for asparagus because I didn’t have broccoli and I added shredded chicken. The consistency was perfect. I.T did taste a little like humid but i.t was filling and light and very guilt free. I also used nutritional yeast. Next time I might try vegan Parmesan. Thank you. Will be trying more of your recipes so easy and delicious.
I am so glad this turned out so wonderful for you, Courtney! Thank you for giving it a try! xTieghan
Made this last night and it was great for lunch today! Loved the hummus alfredo taste
Thank you Jessica!
I made this last week, and absolutely LOVED it. Even my husband who thinks a meal isn’t complete without meat thought this was really good. Brought the leftovers to work and co-workers kept saying how great it smelled. No one can believe the primary ingredient for the sauce is hummus. Such a great idea, can’t wait to make it again. Thank you!
I am so glad you loved this Victoria! Thank you!
Holy cow. I wasn’t expecting this to *REALLY* taste like alfredo. It’s friggen’ amazing!
Thank you Brooke!
I only have tomato basil hummus. Is there a hummus substitute? Thanks! Looks so yummy!
I think that will be delicious!! Will add a nice flavor! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
I’m embarrassed to be one of ‘those’ reviewers that makes changes to a recipe and then posts a review but I decided to proceed with this yummy looking recipe using what I had on hand and the outcome was nothing short of delicious. I only had Sabra red pepper hummus and with no broccoli in the house, I sautéd a red pepper with onion and a few cherry tomatoes and used a splash of white wine instead of the lemon juice – and couldn’t believe the outcome. Creamy and decadent – this is an amazingly healthy cheat! Thanks so much!
I am so glad you loved this Sue! Thank you so much!
thanks for sharing
Thank you!
All human wisdom is summed up in two words – wait and hope.
Thank you!
This recipe is fast, super delicious, and something I feel good about feeding to my three year old. Definitely going into my dinner rotation. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this Carol! Thank you so much!!
Patience is needed when you want to achieve a success
Thanks!
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you couráge.
Almost all the words of wisdom are based on human experience thousands of years ago and this is indeed true. Apart from experience, usually the word wise is also made by wise people so it can be accepted by the wider community
I used garlic hummus and it was not too much. I also used butternut squash ravioli — worked great. Thinking any vege pasta would be perfect
Thank you Margaret!
When I happened to this blog post, I got curious why it was called “No-Guilt Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo”, Tieghan. For a pasta lover who wants to eat as healthy as possible, the title is truly eye-catching. I honestly have not yet tried protein packed hummus. I will be trying this the soonest chance I can get.
Hi Elizabeth! I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it! Thank you so much!