Light Fettucini Alfredo

Let’s play a quick game of Never Have I Ever, shall we? Never have I ever been on a big roller coaster (and it won’t ever happen). Never have I ever been skiing (blame this on my years in the pool). Never have I ever eaten fettucini alfredo. Like ever. Not even at the Olive Garden. For some reason, white sauces on pasta never really appealed to me. I guess when you grow up solely on red sauces, the world of white sauces is completely unknown territory. Yet, they are made from butter, flour, and cheese, three of my absolute favorite things. Probably yet another reason is you hear about how heavy they are and you think to yourself is it really going to be worth those extra calories? Probably not.

That is until I found this recipe. A lighter version of fettucini alfredo, I could finally try this popular pasta dish and not feel guilty about it. I planned this for a Sunday night since I like to make things a little bit fancier on the last night of the weekend, that is of course when my mom is not cooking. I was pleasantly surprised that this dish took no longer than 30 minutes to make and was incredibly easy. While the pasta cooks, you make your roux then load it up with some cheese. You have yourself an amazing, cheesy, waist-friendly pasta that you will devour in no time. Now that I am no longer a stranger to this dish, and since Blair absolutely loved it, you can guarantee it will be making many more appearances. Clearly, I have been missing out!

Light Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. fettuccine pasta, uncooked
• 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/8 – 1/4 tsp garlic powder, to taste
• 1 1/2 oz. freshly, finely shredded Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp slightly packed)
• 2 oz cream cheese (low fat), diced into cubes
• freshly ground white or black pepper, to taste
• chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. In the meantime, in a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Once fully melted mix in flour and cook, whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes. Add in milk a little at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in cream, lemon juice, salt, and garlic powder. Cook sauce until mixture thickens and begins to gently bubble, stir occasionally so the sauce is smooth.

Reduce heat to low, add in Parmesan cheese and cream cheese. Stir until cheese has melted. If you want a thinner sauce, stir in a few tablespoons of the pasta water. Take the cooked pasta and drain well (do not rinse pasta with water or the pasta sauce won’t stick) Combine the drained pasta into the sauce and toss to evenly coat. Serve immediately garnished with ground pepper, optional parsley, and Romano cheese.

Adapted From Cooking Classy