Alfredo

abuck_13
abuck_13 Posts: 382 Member
in Recipes
ok, this is one of my favorite recipes that has been made "better". It is roughly 1/3 of the fat of normal alfredo and about 1/2 the calories.


makes 4-5 servings:

2 tsp unsalted butter
2-3 minced garlic cloves
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 - 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
3/4 cup low fat chicken broth
3/4 cup no fat greek yogurt
1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
(or 1/4 cup above and 1/4 cup aged grated asiago - I highly recommend this with a good aged asiago)
salt and pepper
hot sauce (tabasco, red hot etc)

as pasta cooks (I use a whole wheat with extra fiber):

melt butter in sauce pan and add garlic over medium-low heat, cook until fragrent (about 2 minutes)

combine nutmeg and cornstarch with chicken broth and mix well. Pour into sauce pan, raise heat to slow simmer, whisking occasionally. Whisk in half the cheese until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in yougurt, pinch of salt, some fresh ground pepper, 2-4 dashes of hot sauce and remaining cheese until smooth.

Mix with pasta and serve

Replies

  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Alfredo - copious amounts of butter and parm, add hot pasta and maybe a splash of pasta water. Toss until a creamy sauce forms. That's it.

    Not sure how this is in any way better
  • abuck_13
    abuck_13 Posts: 382 Member
    Let's see - the average alfredo recipe has close to 6 tbsp of butter, 1 cup of cheese and 1 to 2 cups of heavy cream....so 1/3 of the butter, 1/2 of the cheese and replacing heavy cream with no fat greek yogurt....hmmm....I wonder how it can be lower calorie.....

    I think if you tried to pass off just butter, cheese and water as alfredo, you probably wouldn't get very far
  • merisaOct3
    merisaOct3 Posts: 197 Member
    @abuck_13 thanks for posting this! sounds great and I love "lightened up" recipes that keep a lot of flavor and don't use a lot of fake or replacement ingredients.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    abuck_13 wrote: »
    Let's see - the average alfredo recipe has close to 6 tbsp of butter, 1 cup of cheese and 1 to 2 cups of heavy cream....so 1/3 of the butter, 1/2 of the cheese and replacing heavy cream with no fat greek yogurt....hmmm....I wonder how it can be lower calorie.....

    I think if you tried to pass off just butter, cheese and water as alfredo, you probably wouldn't get very far

    Perhaps do a little more research on the actual recipe and history of it.

    There are numerous people who consider real Alfredo just parm and butter, but hey what do I know.

    http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/The-Original-Fettuccine-Alfredo
  • KameHameHaaaa
    KameHameHaaaa Posts: 837 Member
    Thanks for the recipe man :) ignore any negative nancies. People keep forgetting we're not all on the same "diet/lifestyle change" here. Post things that work for you because in the end that's what matters and I'm sure there are other people doing something similar.
  • JazzFischer1989
    JazzFischer1989 Posts: 531 Member
    That sounds really good, definitely trying this.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Acg67 wrote: »
    Alfredo - copious amounts of butter and parm, add hot pasta and maybe a splash of pasta water. Toss until a creamy sauce forms. That's it.

    Not sure how this is in any way better

    Only thing I'd suggest, a handful of romano along with the parm, and a couple egg yolks at the last minute before serving.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    edited November 2014
    abuck_13 wrote: »
    Let's see - the average alfredo recipe has close to 6 tbsp of butter, 1 cup of cheese and 1 to 2 cups of heavy cream....so 1/3 of the butter, 1/2 of the cheese and replacing heavy cream with no fat greek yogurt....hmmm....I wonder how it can be lower calorie.....

    I think if you tried to pass off just butter, cheese and water as alfredo, you probably wouldn't get very far
    Having worked professionally as a cook, and in a place that made an amazing american alfredo... it does not have 1 to 2 cups of heavy cream. :)

    Why? That would be expensive. Good amount of cream yes, but an alfredo starts with a bechamel sauce, which is milk and roux.

    Additionally, butter, water, cheese and egg yolk is traditional alfredo. You put up a recipe for american alfredo, which is fine. Just not italian.
  • abuck_13
    abuck_13 Posts: 382 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    abuck_13 wrote: »
    Let's see - the average alfredo recipe has close to 6 tbsp of butter, 1 cup of cheese and 1 to 2 cups of heavy cream....so 1/3 of the butter, 1/2 of the cheese and replacing heavy cream with no fat greek yogurt....hmmm....I wonder how it can be lower calorie.....

    I think if you tried to pass off just butter, cheese and water as alfredo, you probably wouldn't get very far
    Having worked professionally as a cook, and in a place that made an amazing american alfredo... it does not have 1 to 2 cups of heavy cream. :)

    Why? That would be expensive. Good amount of cream yes, but an alfredo starts with a bechamel sauce, which is milk and roux.

    Additionally, butter, water, cheese and egg yolk is traditional alfredo. You put up a recipe for american alfredo, which is fine. Just not italian.

    That would not surprise me. The alfredo recipes I've seen from cooks in restaurants used butter, cheese and a lot of cream. As with anything there are always variations.
  • abuck_13
    abuck_13 Posts: 382 Member
    Acg67 wrote: »
    abuck_13 wrote: »
    Let's see - the average alfredo recipe has close to 6 tbsp of butter, 1 cup of cheese and 1 to 2 cups of heavy cream....so 1/3 of the butter, 1/2 of the cheese and replacing heavy cream with no fat greek yogurt....hmmm....I wonder how it can be lower calorie.....

    I think if you tried to pass off just butter, cheese and water as alfredo, you probably wouldn't get very far

    Perhaps do a little more research on the actual recipe and history of it.

    There are numerous people who consider real Alfredo just parm and butter, but hey what do I know.

    http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/The-Original-Fettuccine-Alfredo

    I'm going by the recipes that I have seen. And if you look at that, 1/2 pound of butter and 1/2 pound of cheese. That would be a lot of fat involved.

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