This lighter fettuccine alfredo is so scrumptious! A deliciously fun and lighter twist on the beloved and classic fettuccine alfredo.
Ohhhhh heyyyy there pretty pasta.
Please don’t let this bowl of deliciousness fool you… it’s not just a pretty face-err pasta. It’s actually not so bad for you. Note that I didn’t say the word healthy because it’s still a pile of saucy carbs. What I did manage to do is shave off… ohhhhhh like over a THOUSAND or two calories. Give or take.
Typically I don’t like to brag. But in the case of fettuccine I just have to. So here it goes. Actually, you might want to sit down. I’ve been working on a fettuccine recipe that didn’t call for butter and particularly one that wouldn’t curdle on me. So I’ve scaled it down from two sticks of butter to… wait for it… two tablespoons of olive oil. I know. I know! It’s pretty much all kinds of ridiculous. Now I didn’t skimp on the cheese, so don’t worry there. It’s just lighter and well great.
FUN FACT: Two sticks of butter is 1,680 calories. I Googled it.
First things first get all your prep done first.
Grate and measure your cheese, measure the broth and heavy cream and finally, dice up a medium shallot and two cloves of garlic.
Oh and measure out a quarter cup of dry white wine… or if you prefer not to use wine then just add a quarter cup more of the broth.
In a deep skillet, measure out two tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium temperature.
Once hot, throw in the diced shallot.
Cook until soft, about 2-3 minutes.
Mine got a little too brown while I tried to snap the picture… don’t be like me. Now add in the minced garlic and cook for a minute.
Add in the white wine and let bubble for a minute or two.
Next pour in the cup of chicken broth…
Along with 1/3 cup of heavy cream. Traditionally fettuccine calls for 3/4 cup that’s 616 calories, folks… crazy.
Stir and simmer until the sauce thickens and starts to coat the back of your spatula.
Meanwhile, season the pot of boiling water and drop in the fresh pasta. It should only take about 3-4 minutes, so now is the perfect time to drop it in. I personally prefer fresh over a box of dried fettuccine. Until I get my pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid, it’s the best I can do.
Here’s where I forgot to take a picture of stirring in the cheese. Gah! I know! TRUST me on this, you’ll want to grate the cheese yourself. Buying pre-grated cheese is a bad idea unless it states that the only ingredient is parmesan. Otherwise, it won’t really melt into the sauce, I bet it’s because usually pre-grated cheese is coated in an anti-caking substance that keeps the cheese from clumping together which then clumps in your alfredo sauce, riddle me that? If you aren’t up for grating it by hand then cut off pieces and process it in a mini food processor until it’s finely “grated”.
Reserve a 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta into a colander. Kill the heat under the pan, add the pasta into the cheesy sauce and toss to coat. If you find the sauce to be a tad too thick then pour in a little of the pasta water.
Taste and season with salt and black pepper to your preference.
Serve with more black pepper and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
I have to say, my husband is my official fettuccine taste-tester…and he approves.
Oh and guess what?! This lighter fettuccine alfredo didn’t curdle. WIN.
The moral of the story is this; if you’re looking for that ultra rich and buttery classic fettuccine recipe this lighter fettuccine alfredo clearly isn’t it. But if you’re looking for a way to enjoy alfredo without feeling like you need to run a mile after each bite… then this is your jam.
It’s alfredo on the lighter side and the fresh noodles really takes this dish over the top… well that and the cheese, of course.
Speaking of bites… NOM!
Enjoy! And if you give this Lighter Fettucine Alfredo recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Lighter Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium shallot, diced small
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup dry white wine, or substitute with chicken broth
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- 12 ounces fresh fettuccine noodles
- kosher salt, to taste
- coarse black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil.
- Heat a large 10-inch skillet over medium-medium/high heat.
- Drizzle in the olive oil and add in the diced shallots. Cook for 2-3 minutes until softened.
- Add in the garlic and cook for one minute. Once fragrant, pour in the 1/4 cup of dry white wine. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until reduced slightly.
- Pour in the cup of chicken broth and the third cup of heavy cream. Simmer until the sauce starts to thicken and just starts to coat the back of a spoon.
- Season the pot of water with a heavy pinch of kosher salt and drop in the fresh fettuccine. Cook according to the package directions. {about 3-4 minutes}
- Stir in the freshly grated Parmesan until smooth.
- Kill the heat and add in the cooked pasta. Taste for salt and pepper and toss to coat. If the sauce is too thick go ahead and pour in a little of the reserved pasta water.
- Serve immediately with more black pepper and Parmesan.
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THANK YOU in advance for your support!
I’m not a big fan of the traditional fettuccine alfredo but this lightened up version sounds right up my street. Going to be making this asap!
I love this recipe! Sounds like you still get all the creamy flavor while cutting back on the added fat – good one!
This looks delicious Laurie! Love that you lightened it up–I usually do a version of alfredo that is literally just some butter and a LOT of parmesan, but yeah, that’s definitely not good for you either 😉
YUM! Want a big bowl of this now.
This is beautiful, and as long as there’s still plenty of cheese involved, I’m in! Great recipe!
Thank you Anna!
I seriously want to dive into that bowl of pasta! It looks amazing and stacked perfectly 🙂
Ha-ha! Thanks so much Rachel! 🙂
Gorgeous pics in this one, Laurie! There’s nothing more comforting than a giant bowl of noodles in a creamy sauce 🙂
I totally agree! Thanks Gina!
OOOHHH. I love creamy pasta without the guilt. Pinned.
I love all that black pepper on top!
NOM NOM NOM, gorgeous pics too!
Those words pretty much sum up how I feel too! 🙂
This pasta sounds dreamy!!! Love it!
Glorious mound of carbs. Those photos are what dreams are made of. Yum!
Thanks Meredith! Long live carbs!
Absolutely love your photography and love this recipe! Great job 🙂
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Thank you!
You just get me – alfredo is my down fall – but I haven’t had it in YEARS (no joke) becuase of the guilt… I know will be freebasing this whole pan to MYSELF!
Thank you for all the recipes Laurie! Amazing job!
Best regards,
Vanya
Oh hey pretty pasta is right! Great dish you’ve got going here, want!
Amazingly delicious!
This sounds so yummy, and I can’t wait to try it! I wonder if instead of using 1/3c. heavy cream, which is about 274 calories, close to 30g of fat, about 2.5g of carbs, and over 1.5g of protein, you could use fat free half and half. The Fat Free Half and Half has 106.6 calories, 0 fat, 15.99g of carbs, and 5.33g of protein. There’s also a great recipe in Woman’s Day Magazine for another great makeover of fettucini alfredo: http://www.womansday.com/recipefinder/fettuccine-alfredo-recipe-wdy0214?click=recipe_sr
Wowza, Laurie! This looks so good. Regular old Fettuccine Alfredo is nice for special occasions, but way too heavy to eat regularly. This would be great for a weeknight!
I tried this recipe this weekend, and it was wonderful! Very light but filling! We added a grilled chicken breast split between 2 to ours. I have a question if anyone else experienced this, but the Parmesan cheese got a little gooey and clumpy while stirring. Any way to prevent this, do think I did anything wrong?
OMG do I love pasta! I didn’t really realize it, until I started limiting myself for all too obvious reasons. It would be fun to have a reward day that was
delicious as well as still pretty much on the straight and narrow path. Gosh that sounds boring. I am a woman. I like wide and meandering paths! What was I thinking?
Usually I’ll skip over “light” recipes, but this one has real ingredients, not low-fat substitutes. Though I’m not sure anything can replace butter, I’m definitely willing to give this sauce a try.
i would LOVE to make this but my hunny HATES parm cheese what would be a suitable sub?? thanks!!
Hates Parmesan?! Jk hmmm I would say Romano or Asiago or both!