In these late summer months, fresh zucchini and squash are plentiful. You may be lucky enough to have a garden or gardener friend, but even if you’re just shopping the markets, zucchini and squash will be cheap and delicious right now! This Alfredo vegetable fettuccine is the perfect use for those fresh vegetables!
While you can buy alfredo sauce in a jar, the homemade version is surprisingly easy to make. It’s basically just butter and cream simmered for a short time and tossed with the pasta. This might be the easiest white sauce to make!
Although I think this pasta has some fancy elements, it really is a 30 minute dinner. It always amazes me how quickly Alfredo connects!
What vegetables work best for this recipe
There are no hard rules here with a pasta dish like this. Personally, I like more tender summer vegetables like squash and zucchini and even fresh peas would be nice. You want to choose vegetables that don’t turn mushy when cooked, but also aren’t too firm or overpowering.
Personally, I would stay away from carrots, broccoli, or cauliflower in this recipe, but thin asparagus would work great as they tend to be softer after a quick sauté.
I’m pretty on the fence about mushrooms for this recipe. They’ll work fine, but I prefer them in a pasta recipe like this mushroom carbonara.
How to cook the vegetables
There are a few tricks to making these vegetables soft in this dish and also to avoid turning them to mush. One trick is to cut them up and sear them in a hot pan over medium-high heat so they have some color, but you don’t want them to get mushy.
Just a few minutes of cooking will be enough.
Add the sweet corn and continue to cook. Again, this is a quick burn of the vegetables. Don’t overcook them or your finished vegetables will be too mushy in the pasta.
Once the vegetables are cooked, transfer them to a bowl and save them for later. Wipe the pan and you are ready to make the sauce!
Preparation of alfredo sauce
This is a fun sauce to make. You want low to medium heat here or it will curdle the heavy cream.
Melt the butter in the same large pan along with the garlic. Then add the cream and bring it to a boil.
When the sauce cooks for a few minutes, add the parmesan cheese and it’s ready!
It’s okay if the sauce looks a little thin at this point. It will continue to thicken as it mixes with the cooked pasta.
Finishing off the Fettuccini Alfredo
Cook your fettuccine in salted water until just al dente and then add it to the pan along with the reserved vegetables.
Toss everything together to finish the Vegetable Fettuccine Alfredo!
Use the tongs to really mix the fettuccine alfredo well. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little reserved pasta water to thin it out. If it seems too thin, just keep tossing the pasta together over low heat and it will thicken just fine.
Season the finished pasta with salt and pepper (you probably need a pinch of both).
Serve the vegetable fettuccine alfredo with some lemon zest and fresh chives or green onions!
Ideas for exchange
This is a very flexible Fettuccine Alfredo and I encourage you to experiment with the vegetables and pasta you use.
We have already talked about some of the vegetable substitutes, but you are welcome to experiment there. You can also change up the pasta by using something like penne, bucatini, or even short spaghetti. I think wider noodles tend to be more common in alfredo recipes.
While the focus of this recipe is the vegetables, if you want to add some extra protein to the dish, you can add grilled chicken breast or even crispy bacon bits to the pasta for a protein boost and a big flavor boost.
Storing and reheating this fettuccine alfredo
Alfredo’s leftovers don’t have a very long shelf life. However, it will keep fine for a few days in the fridge. Whatever you do, don’t microwave the leftovers!
Heat the pasta over low heat in a pan with a splash of water and it will come back to life!
My Alfredo summer vegetable fettuccine recipe
Alfredo vegetable fettuccine
By Nick
- presenter:
- Serves 4-6
- Preparation time:
- Cooking time:
- total time:
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This Homemade Fettuccine Alfredo is the perfect use for whatever summer vegetables you have. I like to use a mix of pumpkin, zucchini and sweet summer corn!
Component
10 ounces fettuccine, cooked
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 summer squash, sliced
1 ear of sweet corn, kernels removed
6 tablespoons of butter
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 lemon, grated only
Fresh green onion, garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil fettuccine in salted water until al dente. When finished, reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta and set aside.
- Meanwhile, add olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and pumpkin and saute with a pinch of salt and pepper until the vegetables start to get some color, but don’t become mushy, maybe 2-3 minutes. Then add corn and cook for another minute or two.
- Remove the vegetables from the pan. Wipe pan and add butter and garlic. When the butter melts, lower the heat to medium and add cream. Mix together and bring to a slight boil. Cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes and then reduce the heat to low. Stir in Parmesan cheese towards the end.
- Add pasta to the pan along with the vegetables. throw to union. If the sauce seems too thick, add reserved pasta water to thin it out. The sauce will continue to thicken as the pasta cools.
- Season the Alfredo pasta with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately garnished with lemon zest and fresh green onions or chives.
Leftover fettuccine keeps well in the fridge for a few days. Heat gently in a pan over low heat with a splash of water. Do not heat in the microwave.
