Mmmmm, fettuccine alfredo.
I don’t know about you, but this rich and creamy and oh-so-decadent pasta is pretty much the ultimate comfort food in my book. It has long been a favorite dish of mine, and one that I always looked forward to ordering out at some of my favorite Italian restaurants on special occasions. But I made the mistake of peeking at the nutrition facts for fettuccine alfredo a few years ago. And after seeing just how much (hint: so much) extra butter and heavy cream restaurants usually toss into this dish, I felt like it was probably time to swear it off for good.
But let’s be real — a girl needs her favorite fettuccine alfredo every now an then.
So I set to work a few years ago experimenting and tweaking with ways to lighten up this classic dish. I stuck with the traditional ingredients (no cauliflower sauce here), although I completely nixed the heavy cream in place of low-fat milk with a roux. And lo and behold, it actually worked!!! Turns out you can have rich and creamy and oh-so-decadent fettuccine alfredo made at home — bonus, in just 20 minutes! — with this lightened-up easy recipe. And I’m obsessed with it.
And today I thought I would bump it back to the top of the blog to re-share it with those of you who might have missed it and need some healthier fettuccine alfredo in your lives. :) I went ahead and updated the pictures from the original post that I shared about 3 years ago, but the recipe is the same and just as good as ever. So put on some water to boil, and let’s make some pasta!
Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe | 1-Minute Video
This recipe, of course, centers around its two namesake ingredients — fettuccine and alfredo sauce.
You’re welcome to use any kind of pasta you’d like for this recipe — traditional semolina, whole-wheat pasta, gluten-free pasta (if so, check out my gluten-free alfredo sauce recipe), totally up to you! My one tip as always is just to be sure that you generously salt the water before adding the pasta. This is your one opportunity to kick up the flavor in the actual pasta itself, so don’t skimp!
But the sauce — this magical sauce — is the rockstar of the recipe. As I said, no heavy cream or cream cheese is used in this recipe. All you need are:
- olive oil (a healthier fat, or you’re welcome to use butter for the flavor)
- fresh garlic (a must!!)
- flour (to thicken)
- chicken broth (more flavorful than milk; you can also sub in veggie stock)
- low-fat milk (you can use any milk, even soy)
- Parmesan cheese (if you freshly grate it, it will be more flavorful)
Both the sauce and pasta cook quickly. So when you’re ready, drain your pasta and then add in the alfredo sauce.
Then toss them together until everything is nice and creamy and evenly coated.
Then a delicious pan of fettuccine alfredo is yours to enjoy! You’re welcome to just serve it plain…
…or you can top it with a little extra Parmesan, some fresh parsley or basil, or whatever sounds good. :)
But the best news? As opposed to the fettuccine alfredo recipe from Olive Garden, which clocks in at a whopping 1220 calories a serving, one serving of this alfredo sauce clocks in at 141 calories, and when combined with the fettuccine it is 450 calories a serving. Not too shabby for a thick and creamy pasta. Perfect when served with a light salad like this one.
Enjoy!
Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fettuccine (or any pasta shape)
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or butter
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely-minced
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup low-fat milk (I used 1%)
- 3/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- (optional toppings: chopped fresh parsley, extra Parmesan)
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente according to package directions, in generously-salted water.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil (or melt butter) in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute one minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Sprinkle with flour, and stir to combine. Saute for an additional minute to cook the flour, stirring occasionally.
- Slowly add chicken broth, whisking to combine until smooth. Whisk in milk, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let cook for an additional minute until thickened, then stir in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until the cheese melted. Reduce heat to medium-low until pasta is cooked.
- Drain pasta, then immediately add pasta to the saute pan with alfredo sauce. Toss to combine. Serve topped with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!*Nutrition facts calculated with My Fitness Pal.
Such a great recipe. So easy and delishous! The sauce is light but flavorful. I will be making this again. Thank you for sharing.
My family and friends have raved!!!! They say it was better than Olive Garden’s….a huge compliment since that is one of our favorite places. We will keep this recipe as a family favorite for sure!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! (Did I say thank you?!?!) for posting this recipe!! My husband cannot have wheat flour, so that had ended his days of anything with Alfredo Sauce for the past year. I found your recipe and substituted Gluten Free Flour and kept everything else the same and he LOVED it!! Fettuccine Alfredo was one of his favorite things to eat, and he has been super upset about it. Now he is a happy camper again! You are the best!! And…if I didn’t say it…THANK YOU!!
Finally! An alfredo sauce that doesn’t use cream cheese or heavy whipping cream! And my picky son loved it! Thank you so much–this will be a new favorite in our house.
Solid recipe. By far my fave Alfredo sauce I’ve tried! This is a house staple now.
I have been the cook of the house for a long time. Meals have recently become boring and repetitious. I use a crock pot to try to expand the menu but still have hit a dead end. Years ago, before children, I was way more creative and could make many dishes low fat and lower sodium. As we all know, children can be very picky and somehow limit the variety of dishes we prepare. Just two nights ago, my wife asked if I could cook that way again mentioning fettuccine alfredo as an example. So, I Googled for a recipe and found your site. It was awesone! I couldn’t believe how creamy it really was. I am planning many more meals from your site, especially slow cooker soups and stews.
I tried this recipe for my nutrition cooking class and I added a little bit of milk to thin out the sauce. It tasted great and a lot of people enjoyed it. I cooked it with a small box of rotini pasta (cooked Al Dente) and the sauce evenly coated the pasta :)
Not too heavy and just tasty overall!
This recipe was so easy and VERY yummy! My little one even ate all of it! Thanks for a great go to alfredo recipe :) Definitely will be making it again!
Just made this recipe, OMG it was delicious! Thank you so much! I added a splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice and Parsley. I can’t wait to make it again! Great Job!
I made this two nights ago and it was a disaster! I used whole milk and vegetable stock. It was not thickening up after I added the cheese and so I added 1/4 c of mozzarella to help thicken it with another tbsp of flour. It was brown and running and not even “sauce” ended up having to use sauce from a jar with the noodles that were already cooked. Any ideas of why this didn’t turn out? Boyfriend and I were really excited to try this!