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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.
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?
I made this tonight and it was delicious!! Loved the spicey kick! Thank you for so many of your delicious recipes!!
Hey Joanie,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This recipe is STELLAR!
My husband and I absolutely love it – the hummus sauce is an amazing alternative to classic Alfredo and the roasted broccoli has the best spicy flavor with the cayenne. Occasionally we grill some chicken to go along with this dish, but it’s a great meal on its own!
Hi Lynsi,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
found that the lemon juice and zest was too much, trying to add more hummus and sour cream to save the dish. Also pan fried the broccoli instead of oven oven roast and added asparagus
Thanks for trying the recipe Charles!
Like some others, I was very surprised at how much this reminded me of alfredo. It was such a light, delicious alternative! The broccoli went so well with it too. I thought there was a little too much acid from the lemon, so I ended up adding more parmesan to balance it out. I’ll just do less lemon juice next time.
I love using this recipe as a starting point and ends up being in the weekly meal rotation for something fast and tasty. Tonight I am making it will grilled corn and scallops!
Hey there,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xxTieghan
I used cauliflower and chick peas vs. broccoli (just because that’s what was in the fridge), and lemon juice (no fresh lemons on hand), and a splash of half and half to thicken up the sauce a bit and it was a HUGE HIT. This is easily one of my new favorites. Thank you for this creative recipe!!! XX, Brooke @ Quarry Hill Orchards
Hey Brooke,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
I was very surprised how creamy and Alfredo-like the sauce came out. Very creative and it did feel healthy and lightened up! I thought I had a little too much lemon in mine, however. The lemon took away from my excitement of an Alfredo alternative as I don’t typically think of citrus when I go in on Alfredo. Still good though!
Hey Sierra,
Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
This recipe looks great and I definitely want to try it out. One question though – you say to add pasta to salty water then you use the water for the sauce. When I have done this in the past, my sauce is always too salty (even though I taste later and don’t add more salt). How much salt should I be using in my pot of boiling water for the pasta?
Hey Kimberly,
I like to do a handful of salt in my pasta water. I hope you love the recipe!! xTieghan
Genius!
Thanks Kathleen! xTieghan
Hi, the recipe looks amazing! May I know where the plates is from?
Hey Jay,
So sorry I do not have a link for these bowls, I found them from a potter. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
This recipe has become one of our week night “ go tos”. So easy, so delicious and so satisfying! Plus I love that all ingredients are always in my kitchen. ( hint even frozen broccoli works!).
Made this from the cook book last night and it’s instantly a new favorite! Quick, delicious, doesn’t weigh you down like normal Alfredo, but definitely satisfies the craving.
Hey Alex,
I am thrilled that you liked the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a go! Have an awesome week:) xTieghan
This was so good! Big hit serving it to my family. Absolutely LOVING your cookbook I got for Christmas. Keep em coming 🙂
Hey Nina,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Loved this! And was so easy to make too!
Thank you so much! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
Could you add chicken to this??
Hey Shea,
Absolutely! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan