The best cream sauce is simply butter + double cream + salt + pepper. However, not very weight loss-friendly.
Has anyone had any success in making an alternative creamy sauce that doesn't have an insane amount of calories? I've been unconvinced by what Google's thrown up (complicated things involving stock and rice or milk), so thought I'd ask some real people for their ideas.
There's always a proper carbonara for a creamy texture, but I haven't made that in ages given it's only good for one portion as it doesn't keep.
I've been mostly eating tomato-based pasta sauces, which are much better calorie-wise, but the heart wants what the heart wants! (Or should that be stomach?)
Replies
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2016/nov/03/how-to-make-the-perfect-cacio-e-pepe
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/may/10/how-to-cook-perfect-spaghetti-carbonara
Thinking about it, the ridiculously complicated recipe I saw using rice was to get at the starch, so using the starchy pasta water makes sense. I assume cacio e pepe is like carbonara in that you can only really make as much as you need, because it doesn't keep at all? Still, it looks relatively simple (once you acquire the technique, which I appreciate is going to be the hard part!) so perhaps having to make it from scratch each time won't be too much of a pain.
Thanks so much for the suggestions!
One more tip about the cacio pepe. I have only successfully made it in a cold bowl or pan, not the hot pan that the pasta cooked in. Every once in a while, the hubby (who is a stickler for food temperature) insists I try to make it in the hot pan the pasta cooked in. The cheese always splits when I try this. If you have someone in the house who insists on steaming hot pasta, have them pop their serving in the microwave for a minute afterwards.
A couple of days ago I made a Lemon Orzo dish which was amazing. 50g of ricotta, zest of a lemon, lemon juice from half the lemon, black pepper and chopped fresh parsley. Threw some frozen peas and some chopped dwarf beans into the pasta water for the last few mins. Drained, reserving some of the starchy water, let down the ricotta mix with the pasta water, stirred into the Orzo & greens! Was so tasty and hit the creamy comfort spot!
This is similar to what I make, but I don't use a recipe usually. 10 Minute Cream Cheese Pasta
https://showmetheyummy.com/healthy-alfredo-sauce-recipe/#recipe
This looks very good--will try.
I sometimes make a carbonara using avocado. It's delicious and avocados are such a great source of "good" fats.
The recommendations of traditional cacio e pepe as a replacement are also great.
Also, you can substitute Greek yogurt in sauces that call for sour cream. That really helps a lot.
https://www.greatitalianchefs.com/recipes/pesto-trapanese-recipe
Avocado, basil and either Skyr or Greek Yoghurt. Whizz your avocado up with a large handful of fresh basil leaves, lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper and enough Skyr to make a creamy sauce consistency.
Throw into your hot cooked pasta with a touch of the starchy pasta water, and some chopped cherry tomatoes and extra basil if you like. I’ve added frozen peas on occasion, or some sliced asparagus spears, (dumped in the pasta pot for the last couple of minutes).