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 was one of the best skinny Alfredo sauces that I have made! I used zoodles instead to make it even more low cal! I will definitely make this again!
I just made this delicious recipe! I was so happy that I actually had all the ingredients right at home! Turned out delicious. Who would have ever thought making fettucini Alfredo is easy?? Thanks for sharing this (I feel like a pro chef) :)
Ummmm, YUMM!!! Made the sauce tonight w/ cheese tortelloni and sauteed vegetables and I was actually running my finger on the plate to get every last drop! Thanks so much! PS – has anyone tried this w/ whole wheat flour?!?!
You have to make this!! I added one minced shallot and a little extra olive oil. One of the best dishes I’ve ever had and so easy to make.
Made this for my husband and I last night, and it was DELICIOUS!! He is a huge fettucine alfredo fan, but we needed a more calorie conscious option. So thank you! :) We will be having this many more times to come!
Maybe a silly question, but are the nutrition facts calculated with 12 oz of cooked pasta? or 12 oz of uncooked pasta?
12 oz. uncooked pasta.
Made this tonight! Very good.
I was excited to come across this recipe. It will make a great base for a lot of dishes that are hard to make lower cal.
Thank you so so so much for sharing! :)
Could you use almond milk for this recipe?
You definitely don’t want a sweet milk. But unsweetened almond milk should work. :)
Thank you so much! Made it tonight and you honestly can’t tell its a skinny recipe! And for the lady having trouble with the flour clumping… I just added the flour after the chicken stock and whisked it in.
This was delicious! I couldn’t get the sauce to a smooth consistency though. The flour clumped up with the garlic and after a LONG time of whisking with the chicken broth I just gave up and added the milk and cheese. Any idea how to fix this for next time? It still tasted wonderful but I’m sure it would have been even richer if the flour hadn’t clumped.
I use to have that problem all the time when I made pasta sauces. I find it best to either make your rue (the mixture of fat (in this case olive oil) and flour), more of a thin paste so it will melt into the sauce easier. And also, when putting in the chicken broth to do it a little at a time to let the rue melt into the broth easier, or else you’ll be stuck with a clumpy sauce.
Kristen, I had this same problem with the flour so I started over. I put the flour in a bowl and added some of the chicken stock to it and stirred to make a runny paste. I added the rest of the stock to the flour paste, then slowly added all of the mixture to the pan with the hot oil and garlic. I don’t know why I didn’t do this from the start. I know when making gravy it is always easier to make a paste with the flour first. Hope this helps! Sandra
Kristen,
Mine clumped too – I took a fork and kept smashing the clumps until I couldn’t get them any smaller. Still seemed lumpy after using the fork, but when I added the rest of the ingredients it smoothed out perfectly. Hope that helps for you.
Also, I added about 1/4 teaspoonful of nutmeg.
This recipe is amazing! Can’t wait to add it again!!
I mean, can’t wait to “make” it again, not “add” it again. Typo! Sorry!!
I used a very large non-stick sauce pan and a whisk making wide sweep across the pan. I’m no cook and this is the first time I’ve made a rouge that didn’t clump.
Before adding the liquid turn the heat down a little. The rouge shouldn’t clump if you’re adding cool or cold liquid (warm/hot liquids will cause clumps). I add the liquid slowly whisking as I go. Hint if you end up with clumps you can always use a immersion blender.