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Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo

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Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo -- lightened up with a few simple tweaks, and so delicious and creamy! | gimmesomeoven.com

Mmmmm, fettuccine alfredo.

I don’t know about you, but this rich and creamy and oh-so-decadent pasta is pretty much the ultimate comfort food in my book. It has long been a favorite dish of mine, and one that I always looked forward to ordering out at some of my favorite Italian restaurants on special occasions. But I made the mistake of peeking at the nutrition facts for fettuccine alfredo a few years ago. And after seeing just how much (hint: so much) extra butter and heavy cream restaurants usually toss into this dish, I felt like it was probably time to swear it off for good.

But let’s be real — a girl needs her favorite fettuccine alfredo every now an then.

So I set to work a few years ago experimenting and tweaking with ways to lighten up this classic dish. I stuck with the traditional ingredients (no cauliflower sauce here), although I completely nixed the heavy cream in place of low-fat milk with a roux. And lo and behold, it actually worked!!! Turns out you can have rich and creamy and oh-so-decadent fettuccine alfredo made at home — bonus, in just 20 minutes! — with this lightened-up easy recipe. And I’m obsessed with it.

And today I thought I would bump it back to the top of the blog to re-share it with those of you who might have missed it and need some healthier fettuccine alfredo in your lives. :)  I went ahead and updated the pictures from the original post that I shared about 3 years ago, but the recipe is the same and just as good as ever. So put on some water to boil, and let’s make some pasta!

Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe | 1-Minute Video

Skinny Fettucine Alfredo 4

This recipe, of course, centers around its two namesake ingredients — fettuccine and alfredo sauce.

You’re welcome to use any kind of pasta you’d like for this recipe — traditional semolina, whole-wheat pasta, gluten-free pasta (if so, check out my gluten-free alfredo sauce recipe), totally up to you! My one tip as always is just to be sure that you generously salt the water before adding the pasta. This is your one opportunity to kick up the flavor in the actual pasta itself, so don’t skimp!

But the sauce — this magical sauce — is the rockstar of the recipe. As I said, no heavy cream or cream cheese is used in this recipe. All you need are:

  • olive oil (a healthier fat, or you’re welcome to use butter for the flavor)
  • fresh garlic (a must!!)
  • flour (to thicken)
  • chicken broth (more flavorful than milk; you can also sub in veggie stock)
  • low-fat milk (you can use any milk, even soy)
  • Parmesan cheese (if you freshly grate it, it will be more flavorful)

Both the sauce and pasta cook quickly. So when you’re ready, drain your pasta and then add in the alfredo sauce.
Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe | gimmesomeoven.com

Then toss them together until everything is nice and creamy and evenly coated.

Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo -- lightened up with a few simple tweaks, and so delicious and creamy! | gimmesomeoven.com

Then a delicious pan of fettuccine alfredo is yours to enjoy! You’re welcome to just serve it plain…

Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo -- lightened up with a few simple tweaks, and so delicious and creamy! | gimmesomeoven.com

…or you can top it with a little extra Parmesan, some fresh parsley or basil, or whatever sounds good. :)

Skinny Fettucine Alfredo 5

But the best news? As opposed to the fettuccine alfredo recipe from Olive Garden, which clocks in at a whopping 1220 calories a serving, one serving of this alfredo sauce clocks in at 141 calories, and when combined with the fettuccine it is 450 calories a serving. Not too shabby for a thick and creamy pasta. Perfect when served with a light salad like this one.

Enjoy!

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Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 95 reviews
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Description

This easy fettuccine alfredo recipe is made “skinny” with a lighter alfredo sauce recipe — but it’s as delicious and creamy and flavorful as ever!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 12 ounces fettuccine (or any pasta shape)
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely-minced
  • 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup low-fat milk (I used 1%)
  • 3/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • (optional toppings: chopped fresh parsley, extra Parmesan)

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions, in generously-salted water.
  2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil (or melt butter) in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute one minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Sprinkle with flour, and stir to combine. Saute for an additional minute to cook the flour, stirring occasionally.
  3. Slowly add chicken broth, whisking to combine until smooth. Whisk in milk, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let cook for an additional minute until thickened, then stir in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until the cheese melted. Reduce heat to medium-low until pasta is cooked.
  4. Drain pasta, then immediately add pasta to the saute pan with alfredo sauce. Toss to combine. Serve topped with chopped fresh parsley if desired.

*Nutrition facts calculated with My Fitness Pal.

Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo -- lightened up with a few simple tweaks, and so delicious and creamy! | gimmesomeoven.com

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632 comments on “Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo”

  1. I made this two nights ago and it was a disaster! I used whole milk and vegetable stock. It was not thickening up after I added the cheese and so I added 1/4 c of mozzarella to help thicken it with another tbsp of flour. It was brown and running and not even “sauce” ended up having to use sauce from a jar with the noodles that were already cooked. Any ideas of why this didn’t turn out? Boyfriend and I were really excited to try this! 

  2. Just made this recipe, OMG it was delicious! Thank you so much! I added a splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice and Parsley. I can’t wait to make it again! Great Job! 

  3. This recipe was so easy and VERY yummy!  My little one even ate all of it! Thanks for a great go to alfredo recipe :) Definitely  will be making it again!

  4. I tried this recipe for my nutrition cooking class and I added a little bit of milk to thin out the sauce. It tasted great and a lot of people enjoyed it. I cooked it with a small box of rotini pasta (cooked Al Dente) and the sauce evenly coated the pasta :)
    Not too heavy and just tasty overall!

  5. I have been the cook of the house for a long time. Meals have recently become boring and repetitious. I use a crock pot to try to expand the menu but still have hit a dead end.  Years ago, before children,  I was way more creative and could make many dishes low fat and lower sodium. As we all know, children can be very picky and somehow limit the variety of dishes we prepare. Just two nights ago,  my wife asked if I could cook that way again mentioning fettuccine alfredo as an example. So, I Googled for a recipe and found your site. It was awesone! I couldn’t believe how creamy it really was.  I am planning many more meals from your site, especially slow cooker soups and stews. 

  6. Solid recipe. By far my fave Alfredo sauce I’ve tried! This is a house staple now.

  7. Finally! An alfredo sauce that doesn’t use cream cheese or heavy whipping cream!  And my picky son loved it!  Thank you so much–this will be a new favorite in our house. 

  8. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! (Did I say thank you?!?!) for posting this recipe!! My husband cannot have wheat flour, so that had ended his days of anything with Alfredo Sauce for the past year. I found your recipe and substituted Gluten Free Flour and kept everything else the same and he LOVED it!!  Fettuccine Alfredo was one of his favorite things to eat, and he has been super upset about it. Now he is a happy camper again!  You are the best!! And…if I didn’t say it…THANK YOU!! 

  9. My family and friends have raved!!!! They say it was better than Olive Garden’s….a huge compliment since that is one of our favorite places.    We will keep this recipe as a family favorite for sure!

  10. Such a great recipe. So easy and delishous! The sauce is light but flavorful. I will be making this again. Thank you for sharing. 

  11. So I needed an Alfredo sauce to go over my chicken with mushrooms, broccoli, and lemon dish. This was perfect! I added a bit of butter since my kids were having this for dinner. I made pesto gnocchi  this time as a side, but next time I’ll use this sauce over it too! Thanks!

  12. -Wow-. I just made this for dinner this evening and its already a new staple in this house. Very tasty and doesn’t at all taste like its a lightened up version. The only thing I changed was adding a little more 2% milk (no more than a tablespoon) at the end to thin in out a little and stirred in a teaspoon of parsley flakes before adding the pasta. Delicious.

  13. This was AMAZING!!!! Made it tonight, and the hubby approved!  As promised, it was rich and creamy without a ton of calories. One question, though: you list the calories per serving, but what’s the serving size? 

  14. I am a 11 year old chef who loves to cook but needs some more inspiration. This is so awesome I love the recipe it’s easy to make and tastes great. I made it for my homec teacher and she ended up taking the rest to the teachers lounge and eating it!

  15. This looks so amazing and love the fact that it is guilt free! Ahhh – is it dinner time yet? I need this now! 

  16. Delicious! Can not even tell that this is not super fattening! So good! Make this if you haven’t yet! Thanks for sharing!

  17. This looks yummy,  I am sure you can use the same sauce for  mac/cheese,  adding  1/2 cup of pumpkin puree for colour and a bit more cheese.  I always use unsweetened organic soy milk and it works great.

  18. I cannot wait to try out this alfredo sauce recipe and according to all of the comments, I will be in love!  Thanks for an awesome recipe, it was worth the 4 year wait : P

  19. Wow, this was amazing!  In fact, it was way better than the one with butter and heavy cream!  Thanks for a great recipe!

  20. I was very unsure about the sauce at first bc it was so clumpy and I couldn’t get it smooth like the recipe said. After adding the milk and using a mini whisk, I finally was able to smooth it out as best as I could. Any tips for that? The Alfredo sauce tasted fabulous! My husband could not believe it was a skinny version! 

  21. Anybody have a video of one making this recipe it would help me :) 

  22. I’m feeding a family of six, while I intend to add some leftover rotisserie chicken and do a vegetable side, I was concerned that this would not stretch far enough for dinner.  Four of the bellies I fill are black holes and I’m not sure if i should double it or not.  
    Thanks!

  23. I made this for the first time today, I wish the constancy was a little bit thicker, but it was very good for my first time. I made it w/ Farfalle and added ground beef, carrots at the end. Lemon Zest and a pinch of dried parsley :) 

  24. Fettuccine and alfredo are my favorite together.  This recipe looks oh so delicious, thanks for sharing!

  25. Hi!

    We used this recipe to celebrate National Fettuccine Alfredo Day for our daily National Food Day blog! It was a success – very delicious! Thanks very much for the recipe. You can find our post on https://littlenibblers.tumblr.com

    Many thanks,

    Little Nibblers

  26. I tried this recipe last night and loved it! One misstep I made was letting the sauce thicken too much and it didn’t coat the pasta as well. But I added a touch of milk to thin it out and it was great.  I also added some broccoli using a great trick I found: when you have about 4 minutes left to cook on the pasta, throw a bag of frozen broccoli into the pot where you’re boiling your pasta and the broccoli and pasta will be done at the same time.  Drain them together and toss into the sauce.  Super yummy!

  27. Can you substitute the chicken broth with vegetable stock or broth?

  28. I’d like to calculate Weight Watcher points for this. Can I get the fat, fiber, carbohydrate and protein amounts per serving? Or does anyone already know how points per serving it is?

  29. I just made this tonight and it was as good as everyone is claiming! I love Alfredo sauce, but was shying away because I am following the Weight Watchers program. Since others have asked, I will post what I figured out for points. I used 2% milk because that is what we drink. With that, the sauce is 18 points and linguinie was 30 points so 48 points for the recipe. If you stretch it to 6 servings by adding a salad or broccoli, that’s an 8 pt meal! 

  30. Does the Alfredo sauce freeze well? 

  31. I made this yummy Skinny Alfredo Sauce last night and it was creamy and delicious! I also added one chopped shallot and about 10 asparagus (sliced finely into coins) to the garlic, then added the flour, etc after the shallots and asparagus were softened somewhat. I love the texture of the asparagus and the sweetness of the shallots with this yummy sauce. Served over white rotini! A keeper recipe, thank you!

  32. Oh My Goodness!
    This was wonderful! I followed exactly as the recipe said, and it turned out perfect. 
    Thank you Ali!

  33. Can parmesan in a bottle be used if you don’t have fresh grated on hand?

  34. This alfredo recipe is soooo  good!  My husband couldn’t believe it had that few calories.  If you are looking for an alfredo recipe without the calories, this is a great, tasty, super easy recipe and you must try it!  

  35. Looks delicious! Do you think I could replace the chicken broth with some pasta water? Or does the chicken broth contribute to the taste, and removing it would make it to bland? I’d probably start with 1Tbs of flour first too, because the starch from the pasta water thickens it up. 

    Thanks for the recipe, can’t wait to try this! :)

    • Thanks Crystal! Pasta water will have a nice starchiness and saltiness to it (if you add plenty of salt), but it won’t have as much flavor as chicken stock will, so I’d still use the stock! Hope that helps! : )

  36. So I am an alfredo snob. Yup I said that. ALFREDO SNOB. I have been told by my best friend that I should no longer order it when we go out to eat bc I never like it and its rare I find one that I love. One that I do love- Olive Garden! I was skeptical if this recipie…no butter? No cream cheese? No butter? No way. BUT I was proven wrong. This recipie is FULL of flavor. I didnt have fresh garlic so I just used garlic powder. I also sauteed mushrooms and a seasoned chicken breast. I reduced the amount of noodles to sub in these ingredients. I LOVED it. My husband also gave it a 9 out of 10. I have never gotten a 10 from him because he is a harsh rater…so that tells you just how much he liked it..and I consider myself a good cook so koodos to thus recipie! definitely recommend it. Its low calorie count is just a huge plus!

  37. This recipe was amazing! I had made chicken stock a couple weeks ago and thawed some for this recipe! I believe that was the key ingredient! I will be making this again soon. I will use freshly shredded Parmesan next time even though the powder tasted  just fine!

  38. I love love love alfredo and have tried probably 4 or 5 “Light” alfredo sauces…just letting you know this one is THE best one…the sauce stays creamy, doesn’t get “gloppy”,and is SO cheesy and good. this will be my go-to alfredo sauce from now on:))) Thank you for the recipe!!

  39. Great sauce! Very flavorful and light. Making it again tonight over brown rice and shrimp. 

  40. Made this tonight. ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. Thank you!

  41. Fettuccine Alfredo is my all time favorite.  I am going to try to use plain almond milk and see what happens, because dairy tends to upset my stomach a little.  Super glad I found this.  All of your recipes look so good! 

  42. Excellent low calorie alfredo sauce and The whole family loved it!!

  43. Just tried this recipe, works really well.  I just added a touch of chili flakes to give it some heat but otherwise instructions perfect!  The end result was a creamy, cheesy pasta sauce.

  44. This recipe is delicious! But I am trying to lose weight and I need to know what the serving size is for this dish, any help?

    • Thanks Katie! We don’t have any nutritional info for our recipes, but a portion of this should be about a cup. I hope that helps!

  45. Hello! 
    This recipe looks delicious! I just recently began meal prepping and I was wondering how this would hold up in the fridge for a few days? or if it is one of those meals you just really need to eat fresh?

  46. Quickly made this with Bob Evans’ Spicy Sausage over Cheese-filled Ravioli and garlic bread on a weeknight and it was delish!! Start to finish in 30 minutes. Thanx for the alternative recipe!

  47. I used whole milk and this turned out yummy. In order to reduce the carbs (I do a low-carb, semi low-fat diet) I lessened the pasta to 8.5 oz and it worked out just great. (I had the whole milk on hand for my toddler so it was more fatty) but overall I’d make again. We used brown rice pasta too since my toddler has a wheat allergy. You’d need to use a higher quality melting cheese, like one from a block, not pre-shredded.

  48. Really good and My husband loved it. I added cooked frozen spinach to it so we had a veggie too!

  49. I was disappointed that it was so bland.  I guess for true alfredo taste, I need to go back to the heavy cream, etc.  Oh well, it was worth a try!

  50. For a skinny but creamier taste I like to blend one can canellinni beans with three cups plain soy milk and 1/3 cup each of Parmesan and new balance butter