Healthy Alfredo

I love carbs. And I would probably eat pasta every single day if I could; however I know that I should probably vary my diet a little bit more than only eating pasta. As far as foods go, pasta can only be so healthy, since its often processed, but you can make healthier pasta choices. Try whole wheat pasta instead of white pastas, try fresh made pasta, or make your own. The less processed, and the more natural ingredients the better. For this recipe any kind of pasta will do, whether its wheat flour or rice flour pasta, they're all delicious!

As for the Alfredo sauce, again it can only be so healthy. This recipe is toned down from traditional recipes, in that it doesn't use butter or cream, but the variety of spices I use really don't make you feel like you're missing anything. This recipe also has no added salt, and tons of vegetables, so its at least got some nutritional elements!

Alfredo Sauce:
1/3 c onion, minced
1/2 c red pepper, chopped
4-6 mushrooms, chopped
1/3 cup ham (or shrimp or any other kind of meat you want)
1/8 c flour or corn starch (for thickening)
1/2 - 3/4 c skim milk
2 tbsp low fat or fat free cream cheese
1/4 c white wine (optional)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp paprika
pepper to taste
1 tsp dried oregano or 2-3 fresh leaves chopped fine
1 c loosely packed spinach, chopped
4-5 basil leaves, minced
1 tbsp parmesean cheese (optional)
3-4 stalks green onion, diced
2/3 small tomato, diced


1) In a large saucepan, heat a small amount of olive oil. Add onions and red pepper. Cook on medium to high heat until onions begin to become translucent. Add ham and mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes until ham has started to brown.
2) Reduce heat to medium-low and add flour. Quickly mix to ensure vegetables and meat are thoroughly coated. Add garlic, nutmeg, paprika and pepper.
3) Add milk, wine, cream cheese & parmesean and cook until thickened. If it does not thicken up, you made need to add a bit more flour (do so tiny bits at a time)
4) Add basil, oregano and spinach, and cook until spinach is soft.
5) Cook pasta as per directions on package.
6) Serve pasta with raw green onions and raw tomatoes as garnish with pepper and additional parmesean.