Creamy Garlic Alfredo with Broccoli, Parsley, and Fresh Roma Tomatoes

I had some leftover heavy cream from a cake that I made, and not having any other use for it, I decided to make alfredo for the first time! Alfredo takes less than ten minutes to make and you can start your pasta at the same time you get your sauce going. Making the alfredo was thankfully quick, and it had all the creamy, cheesy goodness you want from your classic sauce. 

Because alfredo is not the healthiest thing in the world, I decided to saute some veggies in the pan to add into my sauce. I used the same pan to cook my veggies, make the sauce, and combine all the ingredients together! I even served my alfredo straight out of the pan because I'm not a fan of doing dishes. Plus I conserved water and time, so no one's complaining :)

While making my alfredo I noticed that my cheese and sauce starting to separate so I quickly put in on low heat and stirred constantly so the ingredients melded together. The reason my ingredients started to separate was because I wasn't continuously whisking, so whisk your alfredo is my advice to you! Other than than my almost-going-to-be-a-problem, I had no other issues and found the recipe straightforward. 

Also if you want to make a this recipe gluten-free friendly just swap out the pasta for whatever gluten-free kind you prefer. I just chose penne because I already had a bag open!

Creamy Garlic Alfredo with Broccoli, Parsley, and Fresh Roma Tomatoes

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com & makes four servings. 

2 cups penne 

5 tablespoons butter

1 cup heavy cream

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 monterey jack cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup chopped broccoli

1 roma tomato, diced

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the penne pasta and cook until tender, 8-10 minutes.  Strain water from pot of pasta to stop the pasta from cooking further. 

2.  Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Place broccoli in the skillet and cooked until cooked through. Stir in the diced roma tomato and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat and place in a separate bowl. 

3. In the clean skillet melt remaining butter over medium low heat. Add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, broccoli, & tomato. 

See how easy this was? You can mix up your cheese and add whatever toppings you want (bacon sounds delicious).  Hope your alfredo experience was as fast and filling as mine :) Also, I didn't add a whole tbsp of butter to cook my broccoli so just use as much as you need!