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.
If I wanted to add red roasted peppers to this lovely sauce (which I have made and find it sooo tasty wonderful) how many would you suggest adding into the recipe to make it a red roasted pepper alfredo sauce?
Oooh, we think that’s a delicious idea! Maybe you could puree 1 roasted pepper and add that to the sauce? It depends on how much roasted red pepper flavor you want, but we’d start there! :)
Do you think it would work with coconut milk? I haven’t used coconut milk much in cooking but I love it for smoothies!
Hi Jessica! Hmmmm, we haven’t tried it with coconut milk — do you mean the thick, canned stuff, or coconut milk (similar to almond and soy milk?) You could try making it with a cup of canned coconut milk/cream, though it probably won’t be “skinny” anymore. :)
WOW! this is A M A Z I N G!!!! just made it and my family loved it. My son is a picky eater btw. Even he loved it!
Thank you Ruth, we’re so happy to hear you and your family loved it (especially your son), that’s awesome! :)
This is SO good! I’ve made it twice now – once for me and my husband and again last night for a dinner party with friends. Because there were 4 couples I doubled the recipe and then my husband and I had fun making add-ons — we had steamed broccoli, grilled asparagus, sautéed mushrooms, lemon chicken, garlic shrimp, and grilled pepper steak all on the side at the table so that our friends could pick and choose which they added to their fettuccine Alfredo. It was so fun to see the combinations people came up with and everyone raved about it. No one believed that the Alfredo sauce wasn’t chock full of calories. It was the best dinner party we’ve hosted in a long time!! Thanks so much for such a fun and versatile recipe.
Jacqueline, we’re so thrilled to hear that, thank you for sharing! And what a fun idea to have a variety of mix-ins for your dinner guests — we love it! :)
Better than a restaurant and a jar.My kids and I loved it, and I’m terrible at cooking.
Thanks Rich, we’re glad to hear it was a hit with you and your kiddos!
Made this tonight. Followed the recipe exactly. We loved it. I steamed some broccoli and heated some grilled chicken for mix ins. I think we’ll be making this often. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Julie, we’re so glad you liked it! Grilled chicken and steamed broccoli are awesome mix ins. :)
Using this sauce tonight as a base for grilled pizzas. Mine with chicken and broccoli, my wife (she doesn’t eat meat) with spinach, artichokes, and shrimp. Can’t wait!
That sounds amazing — awesome idea! And we hope you like the sauce! : )
this is an incredible go-to recipe! We are a pretty clean-eating family and I love to use the instead of teaching for a jar. I throw it together with shrimp, chopped leftover ham, peas – whatever I have in the fridge. It would also be good as white pizza sauce. I used whole wheat white flour and skim milk, and I didn’t measure the cheese, just went with my gut :) oh and I also used 1 tsp better than bouillon with a cup of water and omitted the salt. A keeper!
Awesome!! So glad to hear it! And yes, I love this sauce on pizza too. :)
thank you for an amazing recipe! The whole family loved it :) it will a regular staple in our house!
Fantastic! So glad to hear it! :)
Wow this was amazing! I have been looking for healthier pasta dishes and this one is definately a keeper! I used 3 cloves of garlic, nonfat milk and whole wheat rotini along with some boiled broccoli and it was fabulous.makes a great main dish for my hungry vegetarian family! Thank you so much
Thank you, Rachel, we’re so glad you enjoyed this! : )