hidden veggies pasta

Today I made a pasta sauce completely loaded with veggies. I even used beets, which I've never cooked with before.

I tasted something with beets a long time ago and thought it tasted like dirt, so I've never been a fan. I always wondered why people ate them if they tasted like dirt. I gave them a second chance, and it turns out... they do not taste like dirt. I must have had a bad beet dish those many years ago.

Anyway, I started this sauce with ground beef, sauteed with onions. Then I added in some shredded beet, zucchini, and carrot. I like using shredded veggies because after you sautee them, they practically disappear.

Then I added a jar of GF pasta sauce and frozen peas, and let that simmer while the noodles cooked. 

I had a sample bag of Jovial brown rice penne from a GF festival a while back, and while it's not my favorite pasta, it worked just fine.

Such an easy, tasty meal that was ready in 30 minutes.

My kind of Thursday night. 

Alfredo Sauce

A couple of weeks ago Dayna mentioned she'd like to know how to make alfredo sauce. Well, I learned! I was intimidated because I've heard cheese sauces are tricky but it's super easy.

There are 2 versions I've tried: a regular one and a lower-fat one that was less rich but still tasty.

For the regular one, use:

1/4 c. butter
1 c. heavy cream
1 clove of minced garlic or a shake of garlic powder
1 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 c. mozarella cheese

I heated the butter, garlic and cream on med-low heat until the butter melted, then stirred in the cheese until it melted. Threw in a bunch of cracked pepper, a few shakes of salt, and a splash of the wine I was drinking. I let it heat for a minute, while stirring, and served it over penne rice pasta, since those are the only noodles I had. I sprinkled some parsley over it one time, and some italian seasonings another time. Both tasted good.

For the lower fat one, I used:

3 T. butter
2 T. GF flour
1 c. milk
same amounts of garlic & cheeses

I melted the butter, then stirred in the flour until it formed a paste. I slowly stirred in the milk and heated that up for a minute. I threw in the cheese and other ingredients the same way as before. If you are drinking wine (as I do when I cook), splash a bit of that in too. The wine will help to keep the mixture smooth. Since it's a white sauce I would use a white wine. Put it over pasta and enjoy!

P.S. A small hunk of cream cheese will help make the second version thicker as well