Spinach Alfredo Sauce Pasta
Spinach Alfredo sauce pasta is easiest, satisfying and comforting baked pasta meal loaded with vegetables. The Spinach Alfredo sauce is made from scratch and is creamy and delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry pasta
- ½ of a about 100 grams bell pepper; washed and cut into ½" square
- 3-4 about 50 grams baby corn; cut into small pieces crosswise
- 5-6 about 80-100 grams button mushrooms; washed and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon dried basil; adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano; adjust to taste
- Salt and pepper
Spinach Alfredo Sauce
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup about 50-60 grams chopped spinach
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour/maida/chappati aata
- 50 grams pepper jack cheese or any cheese of your preference
- 1 medium garlic clove; minced
Garnish
- Thinly sliced tomato
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit (180 degree Celsius).
- Cook pasta al dente according to the package directions.
- While pasta is cooking, melt one tablespoon butter in a medium sized skillet over medium heat and add mushrooms. Stir fry till golden brown. Add the baby corn and bell pepper fry for a couple of minutes. Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle salt, pepper, dried oregano and dried basil. Mix well.
- To prepare the sauce, to the same skillet on medium heat, add another tablespoon butter and minced garlic. Add chopped spinach and saute till dry.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add all-purpose flour and fry for a couple of minutes.
- Add milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Stir continuously till the sauce starts to thicken. Mix in the pepper jack cheese and cook for a minute or two till the cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Spinach Alfredo sauce is ready.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and add it to the sauteed vegetables in the baking dish. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour the spinach Alfredo sauce over the pasta. Garnish with sliced tomatoes.
- Bake at 350 degree Fahrenheit (180 degree Celsius) for about 15 minutes.
- Seve hot.
Notes
1. This Alfredo sauce uses milk, butter, flour and cheese to get a creamy texture. I have tried this recipe using All-purpose flour as well as the Chappati Aata (Indian wheat flour) without compromising on the taste. The only thing I do is roast the Chapathi aata a little longer than the All-purpose flour to get the raw taste of the flour off. Well, once the sauce is cooked, you cannot identify the flour used except for the color of the sauce. The Alfredo sauce with Chappati aata has slight beige tint to it.
2. The sauce thickens as it cools down. Add a little bit more milk and reheat if you find the sauce to be thick to your liking.
3. I use vegetables like Baby Corn (I source it either from South East Asian stores of in the Asian food Isle in my local grocery store), Bell Pepper/Capsicum, Button Mushrooms, Olives etc.
4. To make the sauce a little spicy to satisfy the Indian taste buds, I use Pepper Jack Cheese. Use any of your favorite cheese.
5. A note about the portion size: I have made this recipe with Macaroni, Penne and Rotini Pasta (all are our favorites). This recipe usually serves "two big appetites" (two adults) and one tween (one kid) appetite. :) . Sometimes, there will be a little bit of leftovers.
6. I also serve some Garlic bread or a small side of steamed vegetables along with this creamy Spinach Alfredo Sauce pasta.
7. Time Saving tips:
Pre-heat the oven
Cook the Pasta
While pasta is cooking, prepare the vegetables and sauce.
Mix and Bake.