Lighter Fettucine Alfredo

Fettucine alfredo is everyone's favorite to get at Italian restaurants! This lighter version isn't exactly "healthy" but it is "healthier" and still has all the great flavors you expect (plus garlic, because, I'm me)

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Ingredients

12 ounces fettucine
2 Tablespoons butter unsalted
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon parsley flakes dried

Instructions

Cook fettucine according to package instructions for al dente doneness.
While fettucine is cooking, melt the butter in a medium pot and whisk in the flour to form a roux. Cook for about 1 minute over medium-high heat.
Slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly to combine the roux with the milk.
Add in garlic powder and cook until the mixture starts to bubble and is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
Remove mixture from heat, stir in parmesan cheese and parsley. Taste and add salt as needed.
Mix the cooked fettucine with the sauce and serve.

Notes

If the sauce is too thick, add a little bit more milk to thin it out.

You can substitute a few cloves (like, 6) of roasted garlic instead of the garlic powder – to roast garlic, cut the top off of a bulb, drizzle a little olive oil inside, wrap it in foil and roast it at 400 °F for 30-40 minutes.

Keyword alfredo, pasta, vegetarian friendly

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Obligatory Fictional Backstory

While training for my latest marathon (watching the entire Lord of the Rings saga, extended edition) I decided to warm up by binge watching Season 4 of the American version of The Office.

After watching the first couple of episodes, I was inspired to make fettucine alfredo! But, since I don’t run *actual* marathons, I decided that I should probably work on a version that had slightly fewer calories.

A few attempts later, I found the perfect ratio of roux to milk to parmesan cheese to produce a sauce that was comparable to what you would get in a restaurant.

I sat down with a bowl of my lighter fettucine alfredo and started my marathon. I may have eaten the whole pot of pasta over the course of the movies, but it definitely sustained my energy levels and allowed me to complete all three movies!

Real Talk

I am aware that traditional fettucine alfredo does not have garlic in it, but I am of the opinion that any culinary creation can be improved by the addition of garlic. Unless it’s dessert.

Although someone did send me a recipe for black garlic ice cream which sounded intriguing…

Anyway, speaking of authenticity, I refuse to acknowledge the travesty that was The Hobbit trilogy and instead choose to pretend that only the original Lord of the Rings trilogy exists.

I have actually done a marathon of the extended editions with a couple of friends – I think it was a little over 14 hours, we did it overnight, and MAN were we punch drunk by the end! Totally worth it though.

What’s your favorite “marathon”?

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