Fettuccine Alfredo

This lightened up fettuccine alfredo is wonderful as is or, add leftover sliced rotisserie chicken breast or grilled shrimp for extra protein.

May 17, 2022

If you’ve ever made fettuccine alfredo, you know how rich and creamy it is. With the main ingredients in alfredo sauce consisting of butter, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese – of course it’s going to be rich and creamy. Unfortunately, those ingredients create a dish that’s loaded with calories and fat.

The trick to lightening up this classic Italian sauce is using a roux-based sauce in place of heavy cream. A roux (pronounced roo) is a smooth paste made from equal amounts of flour and fat (typically butter) that’s heated in a saucepan. When a liquid, such as milk or broth, is whisked into the roux, a thick and velvety sauce emerges. This sauce is used to make cream soups, savory gravies, thick stews, and cheese sauces for macaroni and cheese, lasagna, and fettuccine alfredo.

If you’re new to making a roux, let me share some helpful tips. For today’s alfredo sauce, start by melting the butter and oil blend in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Sprinkle the flour over the melted fat and whisk. You’ll notice the mixture will bubble and then form into a paste. Continue to heat the roux for about 2 minutes, whisking constantly. This heating phase helps to eliminate the taste of raw flour.

The next step is combining the roux with a liquid ingredient. I used 1% milk in today’s alfredo sauce. To ensure a lump-free sauce, I find it helpful to take the pan off the heat when adding the milk. Slowly add the milk, a little at a time, to the roux and whisk constantly to smooth out the lumps. Once all the milk is added, return the pan to the heat and allow the sauce to simmer and thicken slightly.

If you’re wondering, is it worth using this roux-based thickening sauce in place of heavy cream in today’s recipe, check out these numbers. I did a nutritional analysis of the recipe below with the following adjustments: I omitted the 1% milk and reduced-fat cream cheese and replaced those ingredients with 2 cups of heavy cream. Using the roux-based sauce instead of heavy cream reduced calories by 43% (407 vs. 720), total fat by 74% (14 grams vs. 53 grams), saturated fat by 78% (7 grams vs. 32 grams), and cholesterol by 78% (34 milligrams vs. 154 milligrams).

The only thing I can say about these numbers is, WOW. You have to try this recipe.

To your health,

Darlene

FETTUCCINE ALFREDO

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 1 cup

Prep: 10 minutes

Ready: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces dry fettuccine noodles
2 tablespoons spreadable butter and oil blend (such as Challenge Spreadable Butter)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups 1% milk
1/4 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot of unsalted boiling water, cook fettuccine noodles according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining to use if needed for thinning alfredo sauce.
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter and oil blend. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and continue to whisk the mixture until the flour paste (roux) is light golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Remove pan from the heat and slowly add the milk, a little at a time, whisking continually to smooth out lumps. Once all the milk is added, return pan to heat, reduce temperature to low and allow sauce to simmer and thicken slightly; 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream cheese and a 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and whisk until cheeses are melted. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg and stir to combine.
Add sauce to drained pasta and gently toss to combine. Use reserved pasta water if needed to thin sauce to desired consistency. One serving consists of 1 cup fettuccine alfredo topped with 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese (cheese topping uses remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan) and minced parsley.

Nutrition Information per Serving

407 Calories, 14 g Total fat, 7 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 34 mg Cholesterol, 445 mg Sodium, 52 g Total carbohydrate, 0 g Dietary fiber, 8 g Total sugars, 0 g Added sugars, 17 g Protein, 1 mcg (6%) Vitamin D, 316 mg (25%) Calcium, 2 mg (10%) Iron, 203 mg (4%) Potassium

Adapted from Damn Delicious and tested by Darlene Zimmerman, MS, RD