Vegetables with Alfredo Sauce

Looking for a way to increase your vegetable consumption?  How about veggies smothered in Alfredo sauce? 

Arguably, this might minimize the health benefits of the vegetables, right? 

Not with this Alfredo sauce. 

The base: Great White Northern (or Cannellini) Beans. 

Seriously. 

Give it a try. 

Vegetables with Alfredo Sauce – Adapted from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

Ingredients

• 2 C whole wheat penne pasta
• 1 (14 oz) can Great White Northern or Cannellini Beans, drained
• 3 medium bell peppers, red, orange or yellow, diced
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 6 stalks of asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 C milk
• 1/4 C Parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Begin by boiling the pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside. 

Meanwhile, sauté the bell peppers, mushrooms, asparagus and garlic in a skillet until crisp tender – about 10 minutes.  If you normally need to use some olive oil to sauté, do that here. 

Using a blender, puree your rinsed white beans, adding up to 1/4 C milk to help create a smooth sauce.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Pour the sauce over the cooked and drained pasta.  Add 1/4 C Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. 

Stir well until the sauce covers all the pasta. 

Pour the veggies into the pasta mixture and stir to combine. 

Serve warm, topped with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. 

You could easily add cooked, diced chicken or Italian sausage to this dinner!