Skinny Lowfat Fettucine Alfredo with 75% less fat and all of the flavor as the original. A skinny version of the popular fettuccine alfredo pasta dish.
We are back in school which means that our nights are extra busy. I am always trying to find quick and healthy dinner recipes to feed my hungry kids before they run out the door to practice. Since my son is swimming these days, his coach wants him to eat pasta the night before a big meet. Since he loves fettuccine alfredo, I wanted to create a low-fat, healthier version of the classic alfredo sauce. He still gets his pasta which gives him the energy he needs without the extra fat that can weigh him down.
This Skinny Fettucine Alfredo is made with Horizon organic 1% milk instead of heavy cream. This is a huge calorie saver. This Skinny Alfredo Sauce has only a touch of butter, chicken broth for flavor, and parmesan cheese which has a huge bang for the buck.
I have been on the quest to make the ultimate Skinny Lowfat Fettucine Alfredo. I have found that kids seem to love alfredo sauce. When I taught kids cooking classes, my kids went crazy for my homemade alfredo sauce. Since we are trying to eat healthier in our home these days, I had to spend some time experimenting in the kitchen to create the perfect version of skinny fettuccine alfredo.
I made four different version of skinny fettucine alfredo sauce and employed 9 taste testers to be my judges. We definitely found a winner when I found all of the boys begging to lick the pan. Here's what we found in the process:
-- The low-fat cream cheese added extra creaminess but the tang from it added a bitter aftertaste.
-- Flour thickens the sauce but when too much is added, it creates a gummy paste and the flour taste is noticeable. We add just enough in this recipe to thicken it without picking up on the flavor.
-- Chicken broth adds depth of flavor and gives it a richness without the fat.
-- One minced garlic clove adds a nutty zing to the sauce without overpowering it. I tried this sauce with 1 clove, 2 cloves, and even 4 cloves and found that 4 cloves of garlic overpowered the sauce and kids could definitely pick up on it. We added one garlic clove but feel free to add a second one if you love garlic flavor.
-- Instead of using heavy cream, we used Horizon organic 1% milk. It made such a creamy sauce while saving a ton of calories and fat.
-- Parmesan cheese is one of my favorite cheeses to use in cooking since a little can go a long way. It is a strong, pungent cheese with a nutty flavor. It is perfect in this low-fat alfredo sauce.
The WINNER of the Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce competition contained the following ingredients:
Butter, Garlic, Flour, Chicken Broth, Horizon Organic 1% Milk, Salt + Pepper, and Parmesan Cheese. This has 1 tablespoon of butter where my usual alfredo sauce recipe calls for 8 tablespoons. I am already feeling good about myself. Plus no heavy cream! This lowfat alfredo sauce only calls for 1% milk. AMAZING!
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 Garlic Clove finely diced (may use two)
- 2 Tablespoons Flour
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Horizon 1% Milk
- 3/4 cup High-Quality Parmesan Cheese grated or shaved
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- Italian Parsley diced, optional as garnish
- 9 - 12 oz pkg. Fettuccine Noodles
- In skillet, over medium heat, add butter and let it begin to melt. Stir in diced garlic and let simmer for 1 minute.
- Stir in flour and stir quickly to form a paste.
- Quickly stir in chicken broth and use whisk to remove any lumps.
- Stir in 1% milk. Let simmer for 6-8 minutes or until it starts to thicken.
- Turn heat to medium-low and add parmesan cheese and salt and pepper, to taste.
- Remove from heat and let thicken. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
- Meanwhile, place water in large pot and bring to boil. Generously salt boiling water.
- Add fettuccine and cook according to package instructions.
- Toss fettuccine with alfredo sauce and top with parsley and parmesan cheese, if so desired.
Recipe Video
- Use high-quality parmesan cheese (the real stuff that is refrigerated)
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon Organic. The opinions and text are all mine.
I hope you love this Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo pasta as much as my family (and half of the neighborhood) did. Have a wonderful day!
Lee says
When I told my son I was making fettuccine alfredo my son said "who are you and what have you done with my mother?"
I would NEVER make a dish like this (unless it was his birthday) but the ingredients were low fat so I thought I'd surprise him.
I made this dish tonight for dinner and it was amazing!
I followed your recipe to the letter and it made a great dinner that I will make again and again.
Thank you for all your due diligence and time you spend perfecting your recipes. When I pull something from your site to cook I don't worry about measurements or if you've missed a step, everything turns out perfect each time. It makes me look like a super star ... and you did all the work for me - Thanks!
Modern Honey says
Hi Lee! Haha I love it! I am so glad that your family loved it. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. I appreciate your support.
Michele says
Can you use olive oil in place of the butter in this recipe
Modern Honey says
Hi Michele! I haven't tried it using olive oil but it should work out just fine. The sauce will be a little less creamy but still should taste great. Let me know if you try it!
Patrick says
I wanted to make Fettucine Alfredo for my kids...they love it, but I needed something low fat for my dietary needs (pancreatitis). This was OUTSTANDING!!! I even subbed in skim milk and a canola oil butter to make it even leaner (later added an extra tsp. of flour to thicken it up). I also tossed in some diced chicken and steamed broccoli (family preference) at the end. This is definitely going to the recipe box! Thank you!!!
Modern Honey says
I am so happy to hear it. Thank you so much for trusting me and trying my recipe! I am so glad you and your kids liked it!
Wendy says
Hello, a question please. Does the nutritional information include the pasta or just the sauce?
Jeff says
I absolutely LOVE this chicken alfredo recipe!! Healthy and soooo good! Thank you!
Stacy says
I made this tonight and it is amazing!! I blackened shrimp, asparagus and grape tomatoes and put the sauce over them with noodles. So good! I have a lot of the sauce leftover and am wondering if it can be frozen?
Shay says
I started a diet a few weeks ago which has been going so well, except for the random massive cravings I get for my favorite dish, fettuccine Alfredo. No matter where I went, I couldn’t find somewhere that made some that would be justifiable at all for the amount of fat and calories. Finally I decided if I wanted to eat it, I’d have to make it myself. I went through tons of recipes but this one was just WOW!! I couldn’t believe how this was low-calorie, low-fat, etc. It tastes exactly the same!! I will definitely be incorporating this into my dinners now and no more guilt! Only question I have is what would you estimate the calories be per serving? My family was begging me to make another whole portion of it after we finished the first!
Jillian Hopson says
This is the absolute best Alfredo sauce I’ve ever made! So awesome for us that it’s low fat and fewer calories! You can’t even tell there’s no heavy cream. My husband LOVED this too!
Laurie says
Made this exactly - kids loved it and so did I! Thanks.
Nadine says
I just made this for my family, my husband and the kids loved it. It was quick and easy to prepare. A definite keeper. Thank you
Julie says
Sooooo good! My family wants it again tomorrow night! 😂
Catrice says
I made this for my family tonight and we all LOVED it!!! So, so delicious. Thank you!!
Jeannie says
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I would highly recommend this dish if you are looking for something low fat.
Donna Benjamin says
My son is fussy and he LOVED this. I did this with kohlrabi spaghetti and added peas spinach and some of his left over cauliflower and brocolli puree. He is 11 months doesnt say much but he did say 'nyummy nyummy' a few times whilst eating this.
Eve says
My roommate is lactose intolerant, so I used unsweetened original almond milk and it was a FANTASTIC alternative. I am so thankful for this!
Bklyn B says
This was surprisingly delicious. I figured I’d give it a try and see what happens. My Italian husband loved it. Hard to believe it’s low fat. We were eating it feeling less guilty 😉. Definitely a keeper. Thank you for sharing it.
Charis says
Does anyone know how much is in one serving?
Sydney says
This was delicious, thank you so much for the wonderful recipe! I waited until after the meal to inform my family that this was actually a low fat version of fettuccine Alfredo and no one believed me. I added some cremini mushrooms and broccoli and served over fresh pasta. Amazing!
Heather says
I cannot believe how perfect the sauce was with 1% milk and chicken broth- I have no idea why anyone would make this with heavy cream and more than 1T of butter. Sauteed mushrooms and spinach (in the chicken broth) made it healthy, and I think next time I'll try it with broccoli and grilled chicken. SO so so delish.
Hanna says
I was looking for a skinny Alfredo recipe and stumbled upon this one. I was very skeptical at first but made it tonight and OH MY GOD it was so good! You can’t even tell it’s a skinny version. So creamy, so flavorful, so delicious! I used non-fat milk and sprinkled on red pepper flakes for spice.. those were the only 2 changes. Other than that, I loved this recipe!
Joan says
This recipe is delicious... did not change any ingredients except I had 2% milk instead of 1%. I was wondering if I can double the recipe and freeze it?
Sara S says
I cannot cook, to the point that it's sad But this was so easy to make and DELICIOUS. Not only that, but I can eat this happily on my low calorie diet.
Amy says
This was absolutely delicious!! I’ve been eating a lower calorie diet recently and stumbled on this recipe. It was absolute perfection. My whole family loved it. I will definitely make this again!
Thank you so much!
Kyra says
i was wondering if you could replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth because I was going to make this for my family and someone in my family is vegetarian and won't have chicken broth?
Eva says
I made my own broth using vegetarian Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken and it was delicious.
Dale says
came out perfect. I divided it in half, half as is and the other half added a bit of grated lemon rind and garlicy shrimp!! So good. Used skim milk so added about 1/4 c. 10% coffee cream within the milk measurement. It's a keeper, thank you!
Can't see why you couldn't use veggie broth instead of chicken broth, go for it!
Diana says
Hi, is the full recipe 257 calories? Or is it per serving?
Thanks!
Shelley says
Delicious....Thanks for the tasty recipe
Natalie W says
Tried this recipe out and it was delicious! I added homemade zucchini noddles along with the regular noodles to give it an extra vitamin boost. Only problem is it was not exactly enough food for 3 people - I always forget that the term "serving" is generally smaller than my version of a "serving" LOL. I'll be sure to double it up next time.
Natalie W says
Sorry, I meant noodles, not noddles lol
Kathryn says
AMAZING. Way faster than my full-fat recipe and so so tasty. We loved it!!!
Jessica says
I have been going to the gym and dieting so I was looking for a lighter option and I followed every step I did make a side of baked Broccoli and sautéed some small shrimp as side dishes however I really didn’t even need this as this was soo good!! Thank you for the amazing recipe!!
Peppa & George says
My family loved this recipe. I prefer this over the full fat version since it’s so much lighter but still very flavorful. New family favorite!
Roxann Kopischke says
I would like to know if the calorie count includes the noodles, and if it does what would be the calories without the noodles?
Carly Perez says
Thank so much for this recipe. My daughter loves Alfredo sauce but we hate the jar stuff and hadn't found a lower fat recipe she likes. Until now! She loves it.
Angela De Santiago says
I have made this recipe several times before, and it turns out tasty. My son really, really ikes it.
Can corn starch be used instead of flour?
Nidhi says
Great recipe... I used fat free milk and it worked. We like it much better than the heavy restaurant alfredo
Cass says
Alfredo is my favourite and something I avoid because of the fat, been looking for a good low fat version for years.
When adding in the chicken stock, I had my doubts but its delicious. Used more garlic than recommended, added chilli flakes and reduced fat cheddar, served with tagliatelle, king prawns and black olives, and less than 500 calories for the whole thing.
This will become a staple, excited to see what other changes can be made to make different creamy sauces!
Shannon says
I have been trying to find good quality recipes but also less calories! This is it- husband is picky about flavors when I put us on a “diet” but said this was great- I added chicken but will add shrimp next time!! Thanks!
Cindy says
Thanks for the recipe. My son loved it.
Alexandra Ulloa says
I’ve made this recipe about 10 times and it’s great. I use the refrigerated pasta and add sautee broccoli and carrots. Thank you for posting this!
Eva says
Highly recommend. This recipe is sooooo good -- you'd have no idea it's a "skinny" version it tastes JUST like the real thing! I made a stock using vegetarian Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken (instead of chicken broth-- I'm a vegetarian), and mixed in a bit of steamed broccoli when I tossed the pasta. I had 2% milk on hand so that was slightly different than what the recipe called for. I think using high quality parmesan and fresh pasta was key! I think this recipe is a home run for serving guests. Will definitely make again.
BECCA NEAR says
Hi! What can I use instead of chicken broth? Vegetarian here 🙂 thanks!
Kitty says
Easy and delicious! Thanks do much for creating a skinny version. We used carba-nada pasta so it was lower in carbs. Added shrimp for some protein and it was yummy! Definitely going in the rotation!
Jessica says
Can I sub Parmesan cheese with mozzarella? It’s all I have at the moment.
Babs says
I followed the recipe exactly. It was wonderful… a guilty pleasure meal without all the extra calories!
Jen says
This was amazing! I stumbled upon this page when searching for basic fettuccine alfredo recipe and I am thrilled that I did. Tastes delicious and decadent with none of the heavy/greasy factor of a full fat version. Pure comfort food without the awful saturated fat of a full stick of butter! And leftovers the next day reheated beautifully. Absolutely no reason to prepare this dish any other way. This is a winner!
Dianna says
Found this recipe tonight and the comments were so good I had to try it. I am so glad that I did! This is absolutely delicious and does not taste lowfat. I'll never use another recipe!
Amber says
I had a little bit of doubt in mind, I thought it was going to be good but not as good as the original— how almost all substitute low cal recipes are. WAS I WRONG! WOW!!! This was SO GOOD and I am so glad I have leftovers so I can have it again tomorrow. Thank you!