Oprah Just Spilled the Secret on How She Makes Ultra Creamy Pasta Sauce Without Cream

If there’s one person in the know when it comes to life hacks, it’s Oprah Winfrey. The famed television host turned media mogul has long had the inside track on the latest and greatest products, people, and innovation. So when she shared a hot tip on making delicious pasta, it wasn’t quite a surprise, but it’s still a tip we mere, non-billionaire mortals need to know about. 

In a recent video shared to both her Instagram and on Oprah Daily, Winfrey shared her favorite pasta, made by her chef, Philippe Chevalier, in what appeared to either be a gorgeous commercial kitchen or Oprah’s very chic home. Either way, we were instantly hooked.

“When we first met, I loved his food, but there was one problem — too much cream, too much butter, because that’s what the French love, right,” Oprah says, pointing to Chevalier. 

Oprah, who is an investor in WeightWatchers, noted she wanted to hack the pasta recipe, so it contained fewer calories, thus equating to fewer points. But we’re here merely for the delicious factor, and to give you one more way to enjoy a creamy pasta meal, even if you forgot to pick up butter or cream at the store. 

As Winfrey explained, Chevalier was able to craft a rich, creamy-tasting pasta sans cream with one little secret ingredient: Oatmeal water. 

In the video, Chevalier cooks a batch of steel-cut oats and saves the water from the cooking process while straining the oats. The starchy liquid, which Winfrey’s website said is “almost akin to oat milk,” is then added to the pasta sauce, which included sauteed mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme, to give it a thicker consistency.

“I love it so much,” Winfrey said upon the first bite of the pasta, which was topped with lemon zest and grated parmesan. “There’s your meal,” she added, while high-fiving Chevalier for a job well done. See the entire recipe here.