This recipe is a spin off of the normal Alfredo recipe. You may think a homemade cream sauce sounds difficult to make, but it’s really pretty simple and relatively hard to mess up. Think about it, what could be bad about cheese & cream. I found this recipe to be comparably rich to anything you would find at your neighborhood Italian spot, but it was made with skim milk and fat free half and half, instead of heavy cream and lots of butter. The recipe starts out by making a roux, cooking in some veggies, then adding in the creamy, cheesy goodness. A roux is a mixture of flour and fat, which is used to thicken sauces, soups, and stew. Don’t let the fancy word scare you, making a roux takes little instruction and will help you in many of your future cooking endeavors.
What you will need:
- Small & Large Knife
- Large Saucepan
- Whisk
- Spoon
- Cutting Board
Ingredients:
- Medium Sized Yellow Onion
- 4 Large Mushrooms
- 3/4 Cups Peas
- 1/2 Tbsp Garlic Salt OR 1 Tbsp Fresh Minced Garlic: I was out of garlic so used salt instead, though I am certain that fresh garlic would be better.
- 1/2 Tbsp Dried Parsley
- 1 Cup Skim Milk
- 1/2 Cup Fat Free Half & Half
- 2 Ounces Reduced Fat Cream Cheese
- 3/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 2 Tbsp Butter, Unsalted
- 2 Tbsp Flour
- Optional: 2 strips turkey bacon. (I used turkey bacon because I do not cook pork, but thought it would add a nice salty, smokiness to the sauce. Unfortunately, I didn’t think it added anything special. For those unopposed to using real pork, try it out!)
Instructions:
Place the butter in the pan over medium heat to melt.
Before adding in the flour, allow the garlic to cook for a minute in the melted butter.
In the meantime, wash and slice the mushrooms and slice the onion.
Add the garlic. After letting the garlic cook for a minute, whisk in the flour. The butter and flour will clump together, but will loosen when the other liquids are added.
Add 3/4 of the milk and all of the half and half while whisking. Continue to whisk so that the roux is dispersed and the sauce begins to thicken (a few minutes). Add the onions and set on very low heat, stirring occasionally.
Add the half & half and milk to the roux while whisking, then allow the onions to simmer in it.
- I served this with salmon and angel hair, so while the onions were cooking, I started on those projects.
When the onion has softened, add the mushrooms and 1/2 Tbsp parsley. Stir.
Add the mushrooms, and turkey bacon if you choose, and let cook for a minute before incorporating the cheeses.
- If the sauce seems very thick, add the rest of the milk, then more half and half if you feel necessary.
Add the cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Mix until completely melted into the sauce.
Add the peas. Mix.
- I added turkey bacon to the sauce because I thought it would add to the flavor, though I do not cook pork; however, I think the sauce would have been equally as good having foregone this ingredient. If you do decide to use it, add it with the mushrooms.
Serve immediately, while HOT!
I served the sauce with salmon over angel hair. I think it would also have been good with chicken or all on its own!
College Cook! 