Spring Fettucine Alfredo

I love pasta-flat out admission, I love it. However I do try and limit to once a week but I had some beautiful asparagus from the farmers market, as well as some peas and carrots. I turned to an indulgent comfort food to celebrate these lovely veggies-Fettuccine Alfredo! However this is being deemed a "Spring Alfredo" with the addition of my farmers market finds and some diced ham added to the mix. Homemade Alfredo sauce is too easy to make, and I know there are a lot of variations out there, and that's good. I love the one I use. When I am in the grocery store passing through the spaghetti aisle, I cringe when I see jarred Alfredo sauce. It's so easy-try it for yourself!

Spring Fettuccine Alfredo (source: me!)

2 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup of heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan (can also use asiago, but DO NOT use the powdery stuff in a green plastic container)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (prefer fresh)

prepared fettuccine (we usually use about half of a box of dried-prepare according to package directions)

1 cup sliced asparagus (remember to break the woody bottoms off!)
1/2 cup carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup fresh peas
3/4 cup diced ham
sliced green onions for garnishing

While your pasta water is heating, assemble the sauce ingredients so they are ready to use as soon as you need them. The sauce comes together rather quickly, so you don't want to be hunting for things last minute.

Prepare the fettuccine according to packaged directions. I added the asparagus, carrots and peas to the pasta water two minutes prior to the end of the cooking time. This was done primarily to cook the asparagus and carrots a little before adding them to the finished pasta(you could also add the sliced ham to the pot just to heat it up if it's been in the refrigerator if you wish.) If you prefer to cook them separate, feel free to do so. At the end of the cooking time, drain the pasta and veggies and set aside for the moment.

To prepare the sauce:

In a skillet or saute pan, preheat over medium heat and add the butter to melt. Once that has melted add the cream to the the pan and heat until bubbles start to appear and the cream has become hot. Add the cheese to the pan and swirl the pan to combine. Add the nutmeg to the sauce. At this point the sauce should start to thicken. Add the pasta along with the veggies to the pan and toss to combine.

Garnish with fresh Parmesan, sliced green onions, and chopped Italian flat leaf parsley if you choose.