Creamy Vegetable Alfredo Fettuccine

I wanted Alfredo pasta for lunch, but didn't really want the usual version loaded with cream and a ton of cheese. So I made a simpler version with milk, a little butter, Parmesan and mozzarella, and used mushrooms, baby corn and sweet corn for the vegetables.

It turned out creamy, garlicky and properly cheesy without feeling ridiculously heavy.

Ingredients

Pasta

• 300 g fettuccine
• 1½–2 tsp salt, for the pasta water

Vegetables

• 200 g mushrooms, sliced
• 100–120 g baby corn, sliced
• 100 g sweet corn
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Alfredo sauce

• 500 ml milk
• 10 g butter
• 15 g maida (around 1tbsp)
• 40 g Parmesan (grated preferred)
• 30 g mozzarella (grated preferred)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• A small pinch of nutmeg, optional
• Salt, to taste
• 150–200 ml reserved pasta water

Method

1. Cook the pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water (around 1.5 or 2 tbsp) to a boil and then add the fettuccine and cook until just its cooked through but still with a little bite (al dente but yeah that naming conversion makes it tough).

Before draining, reserve around 250 ml of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and keep it aside. Don't rinse it.

2. Cook the vegetables

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add about half of the butter (5g). Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for around 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have browned properly and most of their moisture has cooked off.

Add the baby corn and sweet corn and cook for another 2–3 minutes, and then add half of the chopped garlic. Cook for around 30–45 seconds, just until fragrant.

Remove the vegetables from the pan and keep them aside.

3. Make the Alfredo sauce

Using the same pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the remaining butter (5g). Add the remaining garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add maida and stir it into the butter. Cook for around 30–40 seconds, but don't let it brown.

Slowly add the milk while stirring continuously. Keep stirring as the milk goes in so the flour doesn't form lumps (if lumps are formed what I did was sieved them through and then put it back).

Cook for around 4–5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce starts to thicken.

4. Add the seasoning and cheese

Add the black pepper, Italian seasoning, chilli flakes and a very small pinch of nutmeg (nutmeg is optional) and lower the heat.

Add the Parmesan and mozzarella and stir until the cheese has completely melted into the sauce.

NOTE -> First add parmesan and melt it in the pan and then add mozzarella.

Don't let the sauce aggressively boil once the cheese has been added. From now make sure everything is on low flame

5. Add the pasta

Add around 100 ml of the reserved pasta water to the sauce and mix. Then add the cooked fettuccine and toss everything together for 1–2 minutes.

If the sauce looks too thick, add more pasta water a few tablespoons at a time until you get a smooth, glossy sauce that coats the pasta (but slowly to keep the consistency of the sauce).

6. Add the vegetables

Add the cooked mushrooms, baby corn and sweet corn back into the pan. Toss everything together over low heat for another 1–2 minutes.

Turn off the heat and taste. Adjust the salt, black pepper or chilli flakes if needed.

A small thing that makes a big difference

Don't try to make the Alfredo sauce extremely thick before adding the pasta. The fettuccine absorbs quite a bit of the sauce, so it should be slightly loose and glossy when the pasta goes in. The reserved pasta water helps keep the sauce smooth and makes it much easier to get the right consistency.

Can finish with a little black pepper or chilli flakes if you like.

No cream, no huge amount of cheese, and no complicated ingredients. Just a creamy garlic Alfredo with mushrooms, baby corn and sweet corn.