My new favorite creamy pasta has gone green (perhaps in honor of Earth Day this Friday..) - the result: Basil Verde Potato Alfredo.
Have you tried "Potato Alfredo" yet? You must! I'm obsessed. It's creamy and cravable - yet packed with good stuff like white beans, nutritional yeast, garlic, soy milk and now lots of good green stuff. I've been making Potato Alfredo a lot this past week - and here's my green re-vamp of it. I may even like the green version better than the white classic (which makes me swoon as is!) - anything green and I'm in. For classic White Alfredo go with my original recipe. But for a spunky twist, go green with it. Get my vegan recipe and whip it up tonight!!..
Original White Alfredo:
Gone Green (here made with spinach noodles and parsley accent):
Gone Green. The base Potato Alfredo Sauce recipe stays the same - however I'm simply added in a few green ingredients and gone a tad lighter on the soy cream since I'm adding in rich, creamy avocado. And as the "green" part..
Basil.
Parsley.
Mache.
Spinach.
Arugula.
..these are your options for the leafy green part of this recipe - my favorite was a mixture of flat parsley, spinach and heaping amounts of fresh basil.
Add in a whole jalapeno if you like your pasta with a spicy kick. Remove the seeds first - unless you are a serious spice-dare-devil.
Basil Verde Potato Alfredo
vegan, serves four with leftovers
1 box fettuccine pasta (white, spinach or whole wheat)
Verde Alfredo Sauce
1 ½ cups cannellini beans, canned/drained
6 cloves of garlic – or equivalent garlic paste or roasted garlic
2 tablespoon vegan mayo, Vegenaise
½ cup sweet onion
⅔ cup dehydrated potato flakes (plain instant mashed potatoes)
¾ cup soy milk, plain
½ cup soy creamer, plain (or sub with soy milk for a lighter sauce)
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1-6 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes – optional but recommended
3 dashes of cayenne powder
½ teaspoon fresh black pepper
salt to taste if desired (I did not add any additional salt)
Verde Add-ins:
2-3 cups of raw leafy greens (see above for options - choose one or a selection)
½ avocado
jalapeno, de-seeded (optional)
3 tablespoon lemon juice - helps keep green color and adds zest.
Directions:
1. Drop the pasta and cook according to package.
2. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. For a thicker sauce add in more instant mashed potatoes - 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency you like. Same goes for a thinner sauce - adjust with soy milk or soy creamer.
3. Drain pasta and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Pour about 3 cups of the sauce right over the hot pasta. This will adequately warm the sauce.
4. Plate pasta – add a pinch of leafy greens and a sliver of avocado – and top with extra sauce.
Get my original White Vegan Alfredo Recipe here.
