Alfredo Pasta with Roasted Carrots

Both roasted carrots and Alfredo pasta tastes amazing separately and in my opinion, it pairs perfectly well in a plate too. A bowl of salad with pasta is a great way to balance the meal but during cold days, when I crave warm food, roasted veggie is a great option.

This Alfredo Pasta with Roasted Carrots is an effortless meal. While the carrots roasts in the oven, you can prepare the pasta on the side. And the meal will be ready in no time. 

We eat pasta very often and a few of our favorites are the Roasted Pepper and Tomato Pasta, my son's all time fav is Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Ingredients for Alfredo Pasta with Roasted Carrots

Carrots - Tender carrots are the best for this dish as it not only tastes sweet but also looks very nice when served with pasta. I used assorted colors, but you can use just the regular orange carrots too.

Spices - I used garlic powder, smoked paprika and salt. Kept it very simple, but you can use your choice of herbs and spices you like. I use the spices only for roasting the carrots.

Pasta - Typically this fettuccine pasta is used with Alfredo sauce, but we love this sauce a lot and make it whatever pasta I have at home.

Butter - Butter is one of the key ingredient of this sauce which adds the richness to the sauce.

Garlic - Fresh garlic is always a good choice and all you need is one or two cloves.

Parmesan Cheese - Always use freshly grated Parmesan cheese for the best flavor and taste. If you cannot find blocks of Parmesan cheese, then you can use the powdered cheese you get in a bottle too.

Heavy Cream - I believe the traditional Alfredo sauce doesn't use heavy cream, but I love the creamy richness you get in the sauce from adding heavy cream. If you want to skip heavy cream, you absolutely can. Just add some pasta water, to make the creamy sauce.

How to prepare the Roasted Carrots

Line the washed carrots in the baking sheet. Make sure to preheat the oven.

Drizzle oil, sprinkle the spices and massage it all around. Then roast it until it's tender by piercing a fork. It should slide in easily.

1. Drizzle oil on the carrots along with the spices and massage it all around.
2. Roast until it's tender but not mushy.

Steps to prepare Alfredo Pasta

1. Melt butter in a medium hot pan. You want to use good quality butter for the best flavor and taste.
2. Add the grated garlic. Fresh garlic adds to the flavor a lot as compared to garlic powder.

3. Pour the heavy whipping cream and whisk it around to mix it. You don't need to thicken the sauce too much, as it thickens up after adding pasta. But if it looks too watery, then cook in medium low heat until it looks creamy.

4. Scatter the grated Parmesan cheese and whisk it around. Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese instead of the store bought Parmesan powder for the best creamy salty flavor.

5. Next, add the boiled pasta to the pan. Make sure to cook the pasta in salted water. Save a little bit of the pasta water, just in case you need to thin out the consistency of the sauce after adding pasta.

6. Mix the pasta around in the sauce, add pasta water if needed. Add a bit more Parmesan cheese before serving.

Pasta tastes best when served fresh. So prepare it just before serving.

Re-heating Pasta

You can re-heat in a pan on stove top or in microwave. I like to add a little cream or milk when I reheat, so it turns creamy once again. Grate some Parmesan cheese and enjoy.

Other variations to try

Here are a few other variations you can try:

Shrimp and Mushroom goes very well with Alfredo sauce.

Instead of just carrots, you can add a few more roasted veggies too, like cauliflower and parsnip.

Few other veggie choices would be peas, asparagus, spinach, broccoli that goes very well with Alfredo pasta.

If you enjoy light pasta, try the 5 ingredients Asparagus Pasta or Spaghetti with Kale and Ricotta Cheese

If you find the sauce bland you can add some dry herbs like oregano, chili flakes, dried thyme.

Adding fresh sage also adds a lovely flavor to the sauce.

If you have too much leftover pasta, instead of reheating the next day, turn it into a Spaghetti Pizza or Spaghetti Fritters

Alfredo Pasta with Roasted Carrots

Both roasted carrots and Alfredo pasta tastes amazing separately and in my opinion, it pairs perfectly well in a plate too. A bowl of salad with pasta is a great way to balance the meal but during cold days, when I crave warm food, roasted veggie is a great option.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Calories 416 kcal

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

for the roasted carrots

• 13 Tender carrots
• ½ Teaspoon salt
• ½ Teaspoon Garlic powder
• 1 Teaspoon Paprika powder
• 1 Tablespoon Oil

For the Alfredo Pasta

• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• ⅓ Cup Heavy cream
• 8 Ounce Spaghetti
• ½ Cup Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

 

for the roasted carrots

• Layer the carrots in a baking dish and drizzle oil on top. Season with some salt, paprika and garlic powder.
• Preheat the oven to 400F and roast for 15 and 20 minutes

for the pasta

• Boil enough water in a big saucepan, season with salt and drop the spaghetti.
• Let it cook for about 8 minutes.
• In the meantime, prepare the sauce.
• In a heavy bottom skillet on medium heat, add the butter and once it melts, add the grated garlic and stir it around for 1 minute.
• Pour the heavy cream and mix it around. Let it simmer for 1 minute.
• Sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese and mix everything.
• Once the pasta is boiled, add it to the sauce and mix it around.
• Add more Parmesan cheese for extra flavor. If the sauce looks dry, add a little pasta water to thin out the sauce.
• Serve warm Pasta with the roasted carrots. Grate more Parmesan cheese and enjoy.

Video

Notes

If you enjoy garlic like I do, you can mash the garlic cloves after they're soft and add it to the sauce.

Roasting time of the carrots will differ depending on the kind and size of carrots that you are using.

Any other kind of pasta can also be used in this dish.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingsCalories: 416kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 13gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 608mgPotassium: 174mgFiber: 2gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 389IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 207mgIron: 1mg

Keyword 30 minutes, date night dinner, easy dinner, easy meal, pasta