Tag: Alfredo sauce

Ingredients

• 1 bag of medium-large shell pasta (fresh or dried)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thin and halved
• 1 bag of fresh spinach (leaves), chopped
• 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 cup of cooked Virginia ham, diced (can sub cooked prosciutto or bacon)
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• PARMESAN GARLIC SAUCE:
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons flour
• Sea salt, to taste
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons neufchatel or cream cheese
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
• 1 green onion, sliced for garnish

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta shells and cook according to package directions until al dente (about 8 minutes dried, 3 minutes fresh). Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water and set aside.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a medium-large saute pan and add zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and cook for about 8-10 minutes until zucchini is soft. Add 1 tablespoon of garlic and saute for another minute or so until garlic starts to brown. Remove zucchini-garlic mixture from saute pan and set aside in a medium-large mixing bowl.
3. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the saute pan and heat for a minute or so. Add the fresh chopped spinach, salt and pepper to taste, and red pepper flakes, stirring through. Saute spinach about 3-5 minutes until wilted. Add the cooked diced ham and saute another few minutes until browned. Remove spinach and ham from saute pan and add to cooked zucchini in mixing bowl.
4. To make the Parmesan Garlic Sauce:
5. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
6. Add the garlic and cook until soft and lightly browned, about 1 minute.
7. Add in the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, another minute.
8. Whisk in the milk, a sprinkle of sea salt and cook, whisking constantly, until just thickened, about 3 minutes.
9. Add the Neufchatel and parmesan cheese; whisk until melted, about 1 minute.
10. Combine the cooked pasta shells, 1/2 cup cooking water from pasta, sauteed zucchini, spinach and ham to the alfredo garlic sauce, stir thoroughly to mix ingredients for another minute or so.
11. Sprinkle additional salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste into the pasta mixture. Remove from saute pan and place in a large serving bowl. Top pasta with chopped fresh parsley and green onions, and top with more parmesan cheese to taste.
12. Serve the pasta with some crusty bread, a green salad and glass of wine.

Notes