Alfredo with Thyme Roasted Veggies

No story today people, just a plate of comfort for these cold winter nights. Take less than 30 minutes to prepare a yummy dinner and cuddle up in front of the TV watching all the holiday favorites, new and old. Have you seen the Christmas Chronicals on Netflix with Kurt Russel? My new favorite.

A few of my other favorites; White Christmas (I know every word to every song), Prep and Landing 1 & 2, Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, The Grinch (cartoon and movie), Elf, Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, Gremlins, Scrooged, A Christmas Carol, Die Hard……

Ok, this list would get a lot longer and I think you get the point. Happy Holiday Season Folks!

ALFREDO SAUCE:

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 cups of light cream

1/2 cup of Parmegiano Regiano, finely grated plus more for topping

Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley, for garnish

Fresh pasta or your favorite boxed (We like Barilla)

PREPARATION TIP: Start your sauce after your noodles have been cooked and drained. This sauce takes 3 minutes to make. If you make fresh pasta, they will also take 3 minutes to cook. There are several posts on the blog for fresh pasta, just search PASTA.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Once melted, add the garlic, then whisk in the cream.

Continue to whisk the cream for another minute. You will notice it will start to thicken slightly. Add the cheese and whisk some more.

Add a 1/4 teaspoon of salt, fresh cracked pepper and grate about 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg into the sauce.

Give it a good stir and then taste. Adjust seasonings as you see fit. Cream is very dense and will take a lot to flavor it. Do so gradually, you can always add more, you can’t take it out.

PREPARATION TIP: Sometimes we like to season our Alfredo with Cajun seasoning and top it with grilled shrimp. Just omit the nutmeg and add Cajun Seasoning

Add the pasta to the cream sauce and give it a thorough toss.

We usually serve this dish with a simple grilled chicken and always serve Alfredo with Roasted Thyme Veggies.

THYME ROASTED VEGGIES:

1 yellow squash, sliced into 1/2 inch rings

1 red pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 red onion, cut into bite sized pieces

8 ounce pack of crimini mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1-2 teaspoons of French Thyme

Preheat your broiler on high. Once all your veggies have been cleaned, cut and toss them in olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme.

Lay the veggies on a baking sheet in a single layer.

Place under the broiler until the veggies edges are nice and charred.

PREPARATION TIP:Prepare to pull the veggies from the oven around the time the noodles are finished cooking. As I mentioned before, the sauce only takes 3 minutes or so.

Plate the pasta, top with some parsley and grated cheese. Lay a heaping helping of veggies right beside the pasta and give in to the indulgence.