Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Gloriously (SKINNY!) Garlic Pasta

Alfredo with just the Ooo! :)
It's "I Can't Believe It's Not Alfredo!"

So, a couple of weeks ago, I talked about the speedy way to peel a ton o' garlic
Now that you know how, wanna try a recipe that will literally change your life?

I really mean that. It will. It's THAT GOOD. 
Think of the best, brightest note of garlic flavor in a truly excellent Alfredo sauce.
Now imagine that flavor without the glucky heaviness. Or a "hot" flavor, like raw garlic.
Just a pure, clean essence of garlic, singing on your tongue.

This is that perfect flavor. 
So pure and true, it'll knock your socks off!
And a big ol' bonus: it's not chock full o' fat! Big flavor, tiny calories.
That Festive Holiday Padding (a.k.a., the Spare Tire Of Winter) has overstayed its welcome. Time to lose it!

Alfredo, with just the "Oh!"

Gloriously (Skinny) Garlic Pasta

2 c. garlic cloves, peeled and ends cut off
2 c. chicken broth
2 c. shredded Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago
1 lb. pasta (anything from bowties to linguine will work)

Salted water to boil pasta

Put the garlic and broth in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Boil garlic for 12 minutes, or until about 1/2 cup of the broth has boiled away, and the garlic cloves are tender, but not mushy.

In the meantime, cook pasta according to your preference. Drain, and put in either a large bowl, or if you’re lazy like me, back into the cooking pot. (Just a hint- to prevent cheese from adhering to the sides of the pot, do a quick schmear of olive oil or butter in the pot- it helps!) Cover with lid while you make the sauce.

Pour the garlic and broth mixture into a blender or food processor. Starting from the lowest setting (so that none of the hot mixture flies out of the machine!), puree the garlic into a smooth, thin-ish sauce. (You're looking for a texture and consistency similar to a cream soup or thin gravy.)

Finish by pouring some sauce into the pasta, tossing in some cheese, and stirring or tossing. Repeat until sauce is used up, and most of cheese is, too. Serve with a little extra cheese on top.

This recipe doubles nicely, and the sauce (without cheese) freezes like a dream! Just toss with hot pasta and cheese, and you're good to go. Also, the prepared pasta reheats nicely in the microwave, so leftovers definitely don't go to waste. 

Alfredo, sans Alfred- Just Glorious Garlic!

I hope you try it, and love it as much as my family does- the Big Guy has gone so far as to suggest that we (GASP!) try making lasagne without ricotta layers- he'd like to have this sauce in the layers, instead. 
And this is from a man who's practically made of cheese!
(You know, if "you are what you eat", and all that....*wink*!)

Hope that wherever you are tonight, it's starting to look like Spring for you.
And if not, that at least you're cozy.

Boise sunset
The veiw from our front window

Hang in there. Spring's coming. 


Linking up to Craft-O-Maniac Monday! :)


  1. This sounds so simple and yummy and yes, I'm going to try it...thanks for sharing!

    1. *Hee hee* Just a warning- you WILL have garlic breath, after! Totally worth it, though! :)

  2. Wow. That sounds like it tastes delish and it's something I might even be able to successfully motivate myself to attempt! Cooking is scary.

    1. Fear not! This one's so easy, really, I've thought about letting Thing Two do it. My only reservations have to do with the use of the blender. For some reason, in my head, I keep seeing his younger brother dropping in a few plastic soldiers. Y'know, just to make it interesting. It's totally something that could happen. ;)

