Pasta is everyone’s favorite food group! Yes, I have referred to it as a food group because it is available in so many different shapes/ forms/ types and can be cooked in as many different ways as well. This Alfredo Penne Pasta recipe is Amazing!
In addition to that, with a little bit of creativity, you can savor pasta with so many unique combinations of ingredients, there will always be a dish you will hold close to your heart in the pasta world!
Pasta dishes taste great if subtle and non-overbearing vegetables are added to it, which lets the pasta sauce shine through, much like this preparation of Alfredo penna pasta with spinach, where only one vegetable helps to bind the fantastic flavors of this awesome dish subtly.
What is the Best Pasta for Alfredo Sauce?
There are different schools of thought on the answer to this question. Many suggest long flat noodles like fettuccine or linguini. One of the reasons I chose penne is that it’s a favorite with kids. They love to stick the pasta on the tines of their forks. It’s also a bit easier for kids to manage rather than the longer noodles. Other pasta options kids like include:
- macaroni
- bow-tie pasta
- pasta shells
Is Alfredo Penne Pasta Easy to Make?
Manageable within 20 minutes, this vegetarian preparation is something that your entire family will truly love and get addicted to. It has butter. It has milk, cheese, and cream cheese in it; that’s pretty much all possible forms of dairy to get a nice and creamy texture.
Is Alfredo Pasta Healthy?
As we all know that moderation is the key to good health. I’ve have used all the “fattening” ingredients in limited quantities to have the sauce taste appealing and cheesy as we would always like it to be without making it too high on calories.
Pasta and cheese go hand in hand in this dish so, it includes parmesan and cheddar cheese (but in a limited quantity) to get a perfect gooey texture in this preparation. A cheese grater is the only non-typical tool used in this dish.
I like to practice the 80/20 rule so that you have some wiggle room for 80% healthy meals and 20% for splurging.
Can this dish be Gluten-free?
If you are not a big fan of gluten-based pasta, you can savor this preparation with fibrous and gluten-free varieties of pasta as well.
How to Make Alfredo Penna Pasta
This is the truly the best and easiest Alfredo sauce pasta recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients
250g dry penne pasta
1 cup baby spinach, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup low-fat milk
¼ cup low-fat cheddar cheese, grated
¼ cup low-fat cream cheese
Salt, to taste
Black pepper powder, to taste
Fresh parsley, finely chopped for garnish
Directions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al-dente stage.
- Drain and keep it aside.
- In a large pan, heat the butter until it melts on low heat.
- Sauté onion into the butter and cook it until soft or pink in color.
- Stir in garlic and cook it for two more minutes.
- Add milk to the pan and bring it to a boil.
- Add cream cheese, spinach, salt, and black pepper powder to the milk.
- Let all of it cook for 2 to 3 minutes and then add the cooked pasta to the pan.
- Add cheddar and parmesan cheese to the pasta and cook it all for 2 to 3 minutes or until you get a gooey consistency of the sauce. Add ½ a cup of water to the pan if the sauce turns too thick.
- Serve hot pasta and garnish it with parsley!
How Long can alfredo pasta sauce sit out?
Cooked food sitting at room temperature is in what the USDA calls the “Danger Zone,” which is between 40°F and 140°F. In this range of temperatures, bacteria grows rapidly and the food can become unsafe to eat, so it should only be left out no more than two hours.
Tools we like for this alfredo penne pasta
Check out The Daring Kitchen blog. They share genuine reviews on 6 cheese graters for your kitchen.
Additional ideas for this recipe: Chicken Alfredo or Shrimp Alfredo
It’s so easy to add some protein to this recipe to make it more savory. A few items I love to add are shrimp or chicken. After all, shrimp alfredo and chicken alfredo are two very popular ways to make this recipe as well. Another addition the kids enjoy are meatballs.
Alfredo Penne Pasta with Baby Spinach
A delicious and easy to make recipe for Alfredo Penne Pasta
Ingredients
- 250 g dry penne pasta
- 1 cup baby spinach finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup low-fat milk
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
- ¼ cup low-fat cheddar cheese grated
- ¼ cup low-fat cream cheese
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper powder to taste
- Fresh parsley finely chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al-dente stage.
- Drain and keep it aside.
- In a large pan, heat the butter until it melts on low heat.
- Sauté onion into the butter and cook it until soft or pink in color.
- Stir in garlic and cook it for two more minutes.
- Add milk to the pan and bring it to a boil.
- Add cream cheese, spinach, salt, and black pepper powder to the milk.
- Let all of it cook for 2 to 3 minutes and then add the cooked pasta to the pan.
- Add cheddar and parmesan cheese to the pasta and cook it all for 2 to 3 minutes or until you get a gooey consistency of the sauce. Add ½ a cup of water to the pan if the sauce turns too thick.
- Serve hot pasta and garnish it with parsley!