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.
This legitimately just took me five minutes to make. It was my midnight snack. Cooked with angel hair instead of fettuccini and it cut down the time even more. So delicious!!!!
Yum! I sauteed onions and mushrooms with the garlic, and added chopped cooked chicken and spinach in the last few minutes of simmering the sauce.
Delicious! I added onion and mushrooms to the garlic, doubled the sauce and then added cooked chicken and steamed broccoli. My hubby had no idea this was a lightened recipe! Yum!
My husband loved it and asked if it was unhealthy! I could actually tell him it was healthy and he was so surprised, especially because it tasted so good. Thank you so much for creating this wonderful recipe!!
My 12 year love alfredo sauce so I’ve been looking for a low-cal version since I’m trying to drop some pounds. I made this last night and it was AWESOME. I used 1% milk. The only change I made was adding a bit more olive oil when cooking the flour. I steamed some broccoli and tossed that into the sauce along with some sauteed chicken. It didn’t taste low-cal at all. I was afraid the sauce was a bit thin at first, but it thickens as it sits. The best part is the leftovers. I packed some leftovers in a thermos for her lunch today and it tasted just as good. (Usually when I warm up leftover alfredo sauce from a restaurant, it’s an oily mess.) We will definitely make it again.
Incredible! took barely anytime at all, and was so thick and delicious! I added a bit of chicken breast to my pasta and paired it with a light salad.
This recepie is phenomenal and is now on my go to meal list. My kids are incredibly picky and will come back for seconds for this Alfredo sauce. Thank you for the excellent quick and easy recepie!
WOW! I used this recipe when I didn’t have my other accessible when at the grocery store today. I got enthusiastic thumbs up from my family when I served it tonight. I didn’t have enough parmesan cheese when doubling the recipe so I added some romano cheese for the remaining part needed (1 c parmesan + 1/2 c romano). It was WONDERFUL! (Bonus: I didn’t tell my family it was the “skinny” version of the real thing, so it’s definitely worth its weight in gold!). Thank you for sharing this GREAT recipe! It is now permanently in my “Recipes – tested and good” folder on my computer. :)
fixed this and used spaghetti squash as the noodles and added broccoli…very good
This is a tasty recipe. I’ve tried other “low-fat” fettuccine alfredo recipes and this is the only one I’ve liked. My picky family (husband) like it too! Followed recipe exactly as listed and it turned out great.