Garlic Parmesan Radiators
by Ellen Stafford with help from WhiskAffair.com’s Garlic Parmesan Sauce recipe
Yesterday I was in the mood to make and eat something warm and comforting. I wanted a big pot of something yummy to share with friends and family. Colavita Radiators are currently my “go to” pasta. I wasn’t in the mood for tomato sauce so I started looking for a cheese sauce. I must confess, I have never made a good cheese sauce at home that didn’t start with Velveeta or Cheesy Melt. Whisk Affair’s recipe was simple and straight-forward. I think the best thing about their website is that you can choose whether you want 1x, 2x, or 3 times the original recipe. As usual, I made up the rest of the recipe with ingredients that I either had in my cupboard or looked good while walking through the grocery store.
General Ingredients
1 lb pkg, Colavita Radiators
1 pkg, Frozen Peas
1 Cup, Sun-dried Tomatoes
Optional veggies: Carrots, Celery, Kale, Onions, and Shaved Parmesan and cherry tomatoes for topping.
Optional meat: Italian sausage (fully cooked), ground with my food processor.
Sauce Ingredients – For 1 lb of pasta, you’ll have plenty of sauce
8 Tbsp, Butter
2 tsp, Roasted Garlic Powder or Granules (I used granules)
4 Tbsp, All Purpose Flour
2 Cups, Full Fat Milk
2 Cups, Vegetable or Chicken Broth (I used vegetable)
1 Cup, Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Chop any vegetables first
It’s important to have all of your ingredients chopped and measured before you start. The frozen peas will cook in the hot sauce so you don’t need to cook them, but any other raw vegetable does need to be sauteéd or steamed.
Prepare Your Pasta
In a large pot of boiling water (I do add a pinch of salt, but it is optional), cook the pasta for 5 minutes, test it, and then drain. Put it back in the pot to stay warm. Drizzle a little olive oil over it and stir to prevent sticking. This is one type of pasta that truly, only takes 5 minutes to cook. You definitely want it to be firm but not hard after it’s cooked. The main reason is that the pasta may end up waiting for you to finish the sauce and, it does tend to cook a little after it’s come out of the water.
The Sauce
Let me stress, the sauce is easy, but it is FAST. You’ll need all of the ingredients measured and ready to use.
Melt butter in a pot on low heat. Add flour and whisk for a minute. You should see bubbles, if you do not, raise the heat a little. Add milk gradually, while whisking continuously. The sauce should simmer and bubble but not burn. Add the broth gradually, continuing to whisk the sauce should thicken. Then add the roasted garlic. It’s still important to whisk so you don’t get lumps. Then add the parmesan cheese continuing to whisk. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add Extras
Add the sun-dried tomatoes and peas to the sauce continuing to stir. It will take only minutes to cook the peas.
Finishing Touches
Pour over pasta and stir. Add any extra, already cooked ingredients here such as the ground Italian sausage. top with fresh cherry tomatoes and shaved parmesan when you serve.
Enjoy!
Photos, preparation and serving notes
EH (Ellen) Stafford, Managing Editor
WANT MORE?
Click here to explore LKNConnect’s Cookbook. See all of our published recipes.
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed by our writers belong solely to them
and do not represent LKNConnect.com, its publisher or its staff.
