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.
Made this tonight. ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. Thank you!
Thanks Amber, that’s great to hear!
Great sauce! Very flavorful and light. Making it again tonight over brown rice and shrimp.
Thanks for giving this a try Monique, I’m glad you liked it!
I love love love alfredo and have tried probably 4 or 5 “Light” alfredo sauces…just letting you know this one is THE best one…the sauce stays creamy, doesn’t get “gloppy”,and is SO cheesy and good. this will be my go-to alfredo sauce from now on:))) Thank you for the recipe!!
Thanks so much Leslie, I appreciate that! : D
This recipe was amazing! I had made chicken stock a couple weeks ago and thawed some for this recipe! I believe that was the key ingredient! I will be making this again soon. I will use freshly shredded Parmesan next time even though the powder tasted just fine!
So I am an alfredo snob. Yup I said that. ALFREDO SNOB. I have been told by my best friend that I should no longer order it when we go out to eat bc I never like it and its rare I find one that I love. One that I do love- Olive Garden! I was skeptical if this recipie…no butter? No cream cheese? No butter? No way. BUT I was proven wrong. This recipie is FULL of flavor. I didnt have fresh garlic so I just used garlic powder. I also sauteed mushrooms and a seasoned chicken breast. I reduced the amount of noodles to sub in these ingredients. I LOVED it. My husband also gave it a 9 out of 10. I have never gotten a 10 from him because he is a harsh rater…so that tells you just how much he liked it..and I consider myself a good cook so koodos to thus recipie! definitely recommend it. Its low calorie count is just a huge plus!
Thanks Morgan, I’m so happy to hear you and your husband approve! Thanks for giving it a try! : )
Looks delicious! Do you think I could replace the chicken broth with some pasta water? Or does the chicken broth contribute to the taste, and removing it would make it to bland? I’d probably start with 1Tbs of flour first too, because the starch from the pasta water thickens it up.
Thanks for the recipe, can’t wait to try this! :)
Thanks Crystal! Pasta water will have a nice starchiness and saltiness to it (if you add plenty of salt), but it won’t have as much flavor as chicken stock will, so I’d still use the stock! Hope that helps! : )
This alfredo recipe is soooo good! My husband couldn’t believe it had that few calories. If you are looking for an alfredo recipe without the calories, this is a great, tasty, super easy recipe and you must try it!
Can parmesan in a bottle be used if you don’t have fresh grated on hand?
It sure can!
Oh My Goodness!
This was wonderful! I followed exactly as the recipe said, and it turned out perfect.
Thank you Ali!
I made this yummy Skinny Alfredo Sauce last night and it was creamy and delicious! I also added one chopped shallot and about 10 asparagus (sliced finely into coins) to the garlic, then added the flour, etc after the shallots and asparagus were softened somewhat. I love the texture of the asparagus and the sweetness of the shallots with this yummy sauce. Served over white rotini! A keeper recipe, thank you!