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.
I made this last night and it was amazing! Thank you so much for this recipe- I will definitely be making it again! I was also super proud of myself for making Alfredo sauce from scratch, instead of using a jar. And it didn’t even add to the cooking time because I was able to prepare the sauce while the pasta was cooking. I just sautéed some red pepper and shrimp and mixed it all together- yum!!
Wonderful Jessica, we’re so glad to hear you enjoyed this! :D
Excited to try this tonight :P my taste buds are tingling x
Yay, we hope you love it! :)
I don’t normally leave comments but after trying this I definitely had to say something. AWESOME!! It was so easy to make and love the fact that it does not require butter or heavy whipping cream. It was so creamy and tasty that my picky 3 yr old ate her whole plate and asked for more! Thank you, this is a keeper!
YAY!!! So glad to hear it! :)
I’m not sure where to find the nutrition facts on your recipes. You mentioned the calories but wanted to the fat, carbs, etc. Thank you!
Hi Lisa! We’re sorry but we currently aren’t publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!
I loved the idea of your recipe, but cannot find a single reference to calorie count. I will never make a recipe that does not supply that information, especially one that claims to be skinny or low calorie or low fat etc. When you make these claims people WANT the calorie count. I really wanted to try this but I log all my calories daily and this won’t work for me.
Hi Debbie. We’re sorry but we currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!
thanks for the recipe i really enjoyed the taste of it and it went great with the noodles i really love the fact that it requires no butter and no heavy cream. :)
You’re welcome Brandon, we’re glad you enjoyed it! :)
Do you have to use the chicken broth or is it just for a bit of extra flavor? Thanks.
We recommend it. It’s for flavor and to also thin everything up a bit, so it’s more saucy. You could always add it gradually (to your taste preference). We hope you enjoy!
i made this twice. its really good, but i exchange the stock for milk, and its also good if you dont have fresh garlic, replace it with even amounts of garlic powder, and dried oregino. i use penne for the pasta
Does anyone know if you could substitute unsweetened almond milk? I’m sure it would only taste slightly different but I’m more unsure of its cooking properties. I’ve only experimented with it in oatmeal!
It will be a little thinner, and taste slightly different, but you can definitely use it!
I tried it tonight for my family and it was amazing ! Thanks for sharing !
Thanks Elizabeth, we’re glad you and your family liked it!