Month-of-One-Pan Meals: Noodles Alfredo with Vegetables

Welcome to my annual Month-of Recipes on this blog. Go rummaging in the attic here and you’ll find past recipe months for appetizers, chicken, soup, mini-desserts, and more. The way it works is, for each day in February I post a recipe that fits the category. This month is one-pan meals, excluding pizza, most casseroles, and slow cooker recipes.

Meatless Mondays are a thing at my house. Although sometimes it occurs on a Thursday. You know how that goes, right? Still, eating less meat has been a goal of ours for years, so I have a number of vegetarian recipes I rotate through. This one is very hearty because of the noodles and the rich sauce, making it a perfect winter dish.

I buy whole-wheat noodles to make this dish more nutritious. I also cheat (for a fast meal at the end of a busy day) and use bottled Alfredo sauce, but I also have a recipe for homemade Alfredo for more leisurely cooking. Alfredo is versatile, so make up a batch for the refrigerator (recipe below) and use it on various foods, including this one.

Noodles with Vegetables (serves 6)

1 package whole-wheat noodles

3 cups broccoli florets, broken into bite-sized chunks

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

½ medium onion, sliced

About 3 cups Alfredo sauce***

Extra Asiago for garnish

 

Cook noodles according to directions on the package.

While noodles cook, prepare the vegetables.

Two minutes before the noodles are done, add the vegetables to the boiling noodle water. At the end of two minutes, turn off the burner and drain the pasta and noodles.

Return to the warm burner and immediately add the Alfredo sauce. Mix thoroughly, sprinkle on Asiago, and serve immediately.

***Alfredo Sauce:

½ cup butter (1 stick)

8-ounce package of cream cheese

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 cups milk

¾ cup Gruyère cheese, grated

¼ cup Asiago cheese, grated (or Emmental or sharp cheddar cheese)

¼ teaspoon pepper

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic, whisking to make smooth liquid.

Add milk a little bit at a time, whisking between additions to keep cheese smooth.

Add cheeses and pepper, whisking all the time. When the desired consistency is reached, remove from heat and toss with pasta, or after the Alfredo cools, store in refrigerator for later use.

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up

He liked the different textures and flavors of this dish a lot. The colors of the broccoli and peppers also added to the appeal. You eat with your eyes first, chefs say. He is given to casserole-y dishes, so this one-pan/one-pot month of recipes is a favorite of his. Maybe that’s also tied to him being the dishwasher in the family. Hmmm.