Contributed by Samantha Irving

Winter is all about root vegetables, and I know sometimes it can be difficult to find new ways to use them to keep them fun and interesting. I first made this celeriac alfredo a number of years ago, and it’s definitely remained one of my favourite ways to use this delicious, versatile veggie!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ to 2 cups of heavy cream (or a mix of milk and cream if you’re looking for a lighter fare)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 cups grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
• ½ cup butter
• Black pepper
• Salt
• ¼ celeriac, cubed (approx. 1.5 - 2cups)
• ½ medium onion, diced
• ½ to 2 cups spinach
• Any other vegetable you’d like to add! (such as celery, mushrooms, arugula, fresh parsley, etc.)
• Pasta of your choice! (For cubed celeriac, I prefer to use elbows or rotini, as the chunks play better with that style of pasta. If you cut the celeriac into matchsticks, go with a linguine or fettuccine instead!)

Instructions

Start by prepping everything! Grate your garlic, chop your spinach, cube your celeriac, dice your onion, grate your cheese! If you prep everything you need for the recipe beforehand, it’ll make it so everything finishes cooking at the same time.

Put a pot of water on to boil for your pasta!

For the sauce, start by adding the butter and cream to a pot. Simmer over medium heat until it just starts to boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat and stir in your garlic, pepper and salt (if needed: the cheese I used was very salty, so I didn’t add any salt.)

Continue to simmer for about two minutes to let the garlic cook, then stir in the cheese. The cheese ought to thicken the sauce naturally, but if you find it’s too thin, you can use a cornstarch slurry, or a flour slurry to thicken it. Only use a little at a time, so you don’t make it too thick! It ought to coat the back of a spoon once it’s done.

In a saucepan, sweat the onions in some olive oil until they turn translucent. Add the celeriac and sauté until tender! If you use cubes of celeriac instead of matchsticks, it might take a little longer, but if you use some pasta water and a lid, you can steam the celeriac to hasten the process.

Once the onions and celeriac are cooked, add in the chopped spinach. Sauté lightly for about two minutes, then add the sauce to the saucepan. At this point, your pasta ought to be al dente, so add that to the pot and fold everything together!

Now you’re ready to eat! Serve and enjoy immediately or portion it up for leftovers for work or school lunches! It keeps very well and reheats just fine.

I hope you give this recipe a try and I hope you enjoy it if you do!

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