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 tried this today for a quick lunch with some bowtie pasta and I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was. It actually got thick like a regular Alfredo sauce which I didn’t expect minus the butter. We added in some spinach and roasted garlic and cleaned the pot! Thanks for sharing, great recipe I plan to try again.
Thanks Drew, we’re glad to hear you were pleasantly surprised! :) Also, roasted garlic and spinach sound like lovely additions, good call! :D
Thanks for sharing this recipe! It’s sooooo good. I don’t miss the heavy cream or butter! Ha.
You’re welcome Paula, we’re glad to hear that!
No cream in the house, my daughter wanted pizza, and I love Alfredo on my pizza. This was an easy and tasty alternative! It won’t replace my full fat version, but it’s a great backup for cream-less pizza nights!! Thanks!
Thanks Erin, we’re happy you and your daughter enjoyed this!
I used this sauce with spaghetti squash and added kale, mushrooms, and chicken! It was wonderful! Thanks for this lighter alternative.
Those additions sound amazing Kaitlynn, and we’re happy you enjoyed this!
When I made the sauce mine was more brown than white? And it seemed a little too thick. I made it exactly as stated im not sure where I went wrong? Any ideas
Thanks
Hi Megan! Hmmm, that’s strange. Was your chicken stock homemade? The homemade stuff tends to be darker and richer (a good thing!) but we still aren’t sure even that could have caused this color to be different. How did everything taste? Otherwise, we can’t think of what would have caused the color to be brown. :/
How is this baked when there are no baking instructions?
Hi Natalie, we’re not sure we understand your comment. This pasta is not baked. However, if you would like to do a baked version, you could follow the instructions in this recipe:
I scaled this recipe up to serve 70 men at a transitional shelter I volunteer at. I added broccoli, spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, and chicken. Served it as a “Skinny Chicken Veggie Alfredo Casserole” with whole-grain rotini. It was a HUGE hit with the guys! Also didn’t break the bank to make about 100 servings, so it has been added to my recipe list for the shelter. Thanks for the great recipe!
That’s so nice to hear Kristin! We’re so happy it was a hit, and we think your volunteer work is amazing. Good for you!
Loved this! The sauce is very quick and easy and has all the creamy garlicky goodness of an alfredo with a fraction of the calories – win win! We put the sauce on tortellini with eggplant meatballs. Thank you so much for a delicious sauce that I can use guilt-free!!
We’re happy to hear that Linda, thanks for sharing! :)
Used this sauce to create a Panera Bread primavera pasta dupe and I did not want the traditional version of alfredo sauce. I halved the recipe and it was really good. I also sautéed onion along with the garlic, and let the sauce thicken for about 5-7 minutes before adding the cheese. It was super easy and next time I will make the full amount of sauce.
Awesome, thanks for sharing with us! :)
This was delicious; thank you so much for sharing! i added spinach and tossed it with some egg noodles.
You’re very welcome Vedantam! We’re happy you liked it! :D