Fettuccine Alfredo with Fresh Spring Vegetables

March 24, 2018lectinfreemama

There’s a real grieving process upon switching to a lectin-free diet. I don’t know what else to call it: the urge to eat old comfort-food favorites (like fettuccine alfredo) is so strong, many people have to remove them from the house altogether or even avoid eating out for several months. There were days I literally cried because I felt I couldn’t eat anything anymore.

I’m here on the “other side” to tell you that the grief ends–you have to persevere. Do whatever it takes to avoid those old foods, and you’ll learn to replace your old regulars with new regulars. It’s even possible to make dishes you thought you’d never eat again. I’ve already converted:

Do they taste exactly the same as the traditional recipes? No, especially if the traditional recipe includes lots of grain, sugar, and/or tomato sauce. I’m being 100% honest when I say they actually taste a little better. Once you know you can’t have something, your tastebuds (and your brain) learn to accept it, and they move on to greener pastures. They learn to like new flavors and textures, and all you have to do is feed them the new favorites!

Make rich, creamy fettuccine alfredo Plant Paradox compliant with grain-free pasta, bright spring vegetables and herbs, and a refreshing lemon zest.

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Fettuccine Alfredo

Luckily, many of the ingredients used in fettuccine alfredo are already compliant, like improted Italian mascarpone and parmigiano-reggiano. Check your local grocery store with a specialty cheese counter for these things. If you can’t find imported mascarpone, sub 1 cup of coconut cream.

Other than that, all you have to do is switch out the pasta and add some vegetables. There are a couple options.

 

Almond Flour Pasta

Cappello’s is the current gold standard for almond flour pasta (and if you check out the price for a 6-pack, you’ll see that’s literally true). The texture is divine and the cook time is a mere 90 seconds (and not a second more).

The downside to almond flour pasta  is there are a lot of almonds that go into a serving of this pasta. Recent reports from Gundry patients with autoimmune disease suggest that it may increase their inflammation from the sheer amount of almonds it takes to make even a cup of flour. If you are in phase 2 or are being very, very cautious about going into phase 3 (a good thing), you may want to go with another option.

 

Hearts of Palm Pasta

A newer pasta alternative on the market, these linguine-style noodles taste remarkably like real pasta. They are made 100% from–as you may have guessed–hearts of palm, which are the edible buds of palm trees. They look and taste like grain-made pasta, but are almost calorie-free because of the high fiber and water content. They’re available through Amazon Prime.

 

Shirataki Fettuccine

Ah, good ol’ shirataki! Most are zero calories, and the konjac flour used to make these is one of the best foods for your gut bugs. In fact, people take supplements for its prebiotic effect. If you can overcome the non-traditional pasta texture, these are a great option for those in phase 2 and those worried about increasing inflammation or carbohydrates. The fettuccine-style noodles are available through Amazon Prime and Thrive Market.

 

Thrive Market

 

The Recipe

Make rich, creamy fettuccine alfredo Plant Paradox compliant with grain-free pasta, bright spring vegetables and herbs, and a refreshing lemon zest.

PREP TIME 30 MINUTES     TOTAL TIME 30 MINUTES     SERVES 4-6

INGREDIENTS

  • sea salt and black pepper
  • 4 servings of grain-free pasta (fettuccine or linguine style)
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for tossing
  • 5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 bunch thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup imported Italian mascarpone
  • 1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley or basil leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • zest of 1/2 lemon

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. COOK pasta according to package directions. Strain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water and toss with extra-virgin olive oil in a colander.

2. HEAT 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and raise heat to medium-high heat. Cook undisturbed for 1-2 minutes and then cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Add the remaining olive oil, the asparagus, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until asparagus is crisp tender and mushrooms are completely browned, about 3 minutes.

3. TURN off heat and add the mascarpone and the cooked noodles. Toss to coat and add the reserved cooking water, ¼ cup at a time, to moisten the noodles and thin the sauce to desired consistency. Gently stir in the pecorino, herbs, Italian seasoning, and lemon zest. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

 

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Printable Recipe

Fettuccine Alfredo with Fresh Spring Vegetables

Make Plant Paradox compliant creamy fettuccine alfredo with grain-free pasta, bright spring vegetables and herbs, and a refreshing lemon zest.

  • sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 box Cappello's fettuccine or 2-3 packs shirataki fettuccine noodles
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for tossing)
  • 5 ounces shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
  • 1 bunch thin asparagus (trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces)
  • 1 cup Imported Italian mascarpone
  • 1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • zest of 1/2 lemon
  1. COOK pasta according to package directions. Strain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water and toss with extra-virgin olive oil in a colander.
  2. HEAT 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and raise heat to medium-high heat. Cook undisturbed for 1-2 minutes and then cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Add the remaining olive oil, the asparagus, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until asparagus is crisp tender and mushrooms are completely browned, about 3 minutes.
  3. TURN off heat and add the mascarpone and the cooked noodles. Toss to coat and add the reserved cooking water, ¼ cup at a time, to moisten the noodles and thin the sauce to desired consistency. Gently stir in the pecorino, herbs, Italian seasoning, and lemon zest. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

For those fighting autoimmune disease or strictly in phase 2, it’s best to use the shirataki fettuccine noodles instead of the almond flour pasta.

 

10 Comments

  • Susan Tulu Bounds

    March 27, 2018 at 11:38 pm

    Wait – I love your website! This recipe looks amazing and I will definitely try this ASAP. I love vegetarian and wheat free meals.
    Love,
    Susan

    1. Autumn.m.boyle@gmail.com

      March 27, 2018 at 11:54 pm

      Yay, I’m glad you like it! Let me know how you like the fettuccine 🙂

  • June Cappola

    April 2, 2018 at 9:56 pm

    I made this today using shirataki, Coconut Cream, Italian grated cheese. Although it tasted pretty good, it was very sweet (probably the coconut cream) and the sauce was not thick enough. Maybe I should have tried it with the heavy cream (?). The pasta was fine, I used Gundry”s method of preparation. The addition of asparagus and mushrooms was very nice and tasty.

    1. lectinfreemama

      April 3, 2018 at 5:50 pm

      Are you sure you used unsweetened coconut cream? I only ask, because I made it with the coconut cream as well and it was not sweet at all. My sauce was thin at first too, but it thickens as it cools. Glad you liked it!

  • June Cappola

    April 7, 2018 at 8:16 pm

    Autumn, I found the solution – my grocery store has two brands of coconut creme. They both have no indication of sweet or unsweet and are apparently both sweet. The cans are 15 oz, not 5.4 like those from your link. So no wonder my result was so sweet and too thin!!!! I did look at the nutrition info on the can when I bought it and it didn’t have a lot of calories so I assumed it was unsweet. I am placing an order for some labeled “unsweetened” so I can try that recipe again.
    June

    1. Autumn.m.boyle@gmail.com

      April 8, 2018 at 7:20 pm

      That is so strange–my store only has unsweetened, lol. Well, at any rate, now I know I have to be super specific when it comes to these things! I hope it’s great the second time around!

  • Kat

    April 10, 2018 at 10:39 am

    Why are tomatoe sauces off limit. Traditional Italian sauce is made without the skins and without the seeds?

    1. Autumn.m.boyle@gmail.com

      April 10, 2018 at 5:35 pm

      Although removing the skins and seeds reduces the lectin content, it doesn’t eliminate it, so the sauce is not allowed in phase 2. And for people with autoimmune disease or in remission from one, it can remain a problem beyond phase 2 🙁 I know many people who experience flare-ups after eating tomato sauce, unfortunately.

  • Linda

    April 14, 2018 at 3:58 pm

    I’m new to the lectin free lifestyle so I’m confused why this recipe includes whipping cream, cheese, and butter. I thought all dairy was off limits. Perhaps your recipes minimize lectin ingredients? It looks amazing-all of your recipes look incredible, but I’d love to hear how using dairy is ok.

    1. Autumn.m.boyle@gmail.com

      April 14, 2018 at 4:17 pm

      Hi Linda! Heavy whipping cream and butter are approved on a Lectin avoidance diet because they are nearly 100% fat. There is not enough casein (milk protein) to cause an adverse reaction (unless you have a life threatening allergy, in which case you would probably not want to risk it). Cheese is where it gets more complicated–cheese from Italy is approved because the milk protein (A-2 casein) is a digestible, much, much older strain of protein than the protein in most American and northern European cows. For this reason, cheeses with predominantly A-2 casein (i.e. Italian parmigiano) are approved at 1 ounce or less per day.

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