Ricotta Fettuccine Alfredo with Broccoli

Look at this picture. It could be my amateur photography skills but does this look appetizing to you? The answer is probably no.  I wish it was a case of 'don't judge a book by it's cover' but unfortunately the story ends in disappointment.  This was T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E.  Now we're not ones to waste food, so we ate the leftovers, but it is a 'never make ever ever again'.  We even added in bacon for a little more protein and I added a little truffle oil and it could not save this recipe. 

We started out hopeful; I needed a recipe to use the rest of my ricotta cheese.  I thought this would be a great low-cal version of Alfredo plus a sneaky way for some veg.  I would have rather eaten plain beans than this meal.  We even used 1% milk instead of skim which should have made it creamier, but it didn't.  Please, do yourself a favor. If you see this recipe, please avoid making it. 

Surprisingly, nine people gave this an average rating of 4 out of 5.  Nine isn't a large number--seems low enough that these people may all have a rare genetic condition where they do not have any taste buds.  

So make at your own risk, but don't say I didn't warn you.....

Recipe by Cooking Light, March 1999

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

• 2  cups  small broccoli florets
• 2  tablespoons  butter or stick margarine
• 2  tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2  cups  fat-free milk
• 2/3  cup  (2 1/2 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2  cup  grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  coarsely ground black pepper
• 4  cups  hot cooked fettuccine (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
• 2  tablespoons  minced fresh parsley

Preparation

Steam broccoli, covered, 3 minutes or until crisp-tender.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook 15 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Stir in cheeses, salt, and pepper, and cook 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Stir in broccoli and pasta. Sprinkle with parsley.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 421 (28% from fat)

Fat: 13.3g (sat 5.3g,mono 4.5g,poly 2.4g)

Protein: 21.5g

Carbohydrate: 53.6g

Fiber: 3.8g

Cholesterol: 23mg

Iron: 3mg

Sodium: 529mg

Calcium: 437mg