Skinny Homemade Alfredo Sauce

I know what you are thinking - the words skinny and alfredo just don't go together. You may be right, but I am about to change your mind. Like you won't even know it's "skinny" good. You know I don't joke about that. This guiltless alfredo sauce couldn't be simpler or easier to whip up. You can do it on a weekend or weekday - it takes under 10 minutes to whip up. Now that's my kind of dish. For this sauce you will need just a few things - low fat milk, parmesean cheese, light cream cheese, lots of garlic, a bit of butter, flour and a dash of salt. The little bit of light cream cheese makes this dish so rich and creamy and makes you think you are having the real deal.

To get this sauce started, you first want to put the milk, softened cream cheese, flour and salt into a blender and blend until nice and smooth. Just a few seconds. Once everything is nice and blended, melt the butter in a pan on medium heat and soften up the garlic. Just be careful not to burn it. Your garlic can go from perfect to burn in a blink of an eye, trust me. When the garlic is smelling delicious, add in the blended cream mixture and stir around until it becomes thick and bubbly. Once it's nice and alfredo-y (is that a word? If not, it is now), add in the cheese and stir. Now comes the hardest part. Once the cheese is all melted, turn off the stove and wait for about 10 minutes. This extra time allows the sauce to thicken and get ooey gooey. Just what you want in an alfredo. Right? Right!

Once the sauce is ready to go, you can pour over your favorite pasta, use it as a pizza sauce or if you are like me, just eat it straight with a spoon. 1/4 cup of this yummy sauce comes in at just about 100 calories. A quarter cup may not seem like much, but when you toss it with a serving of whole wheat pasta, some fresh veggies and some chicken or shrimp, you have a totally satisfying meal. Even better, you have one that cuts calories like you wouldn't believe. If you go to your favorite Italian restaurant, once pasta alfredo dish comes in at almost 1000 calories. Can you believe it? I sure can. Especially when the real deal sauce is loaded with heavy cream, tons of butter and heaps of cheese. As much as it's delicious, it's not so good for the scale. I promise you this new lightened up version will become one of your favorites and if you gave someone a taste test, I am willing to bet they'd never know it was "skinny".

skinny ingredients!

 

blending the cream mixture

 

nothing smells better than butter and garlic

 

add in the cream mixture

 

stir until nice and thick!

 

add in the cheese

 

let sit until nice and thick

 

I enjoy my pasta with a side of business law lecture

 Skinny Homemade Alfredo Sauce (from Our Best Bites)

2 cups low-fat milk
1/3 cup (3 oz) low fat cream cheese, softened
2-3 Tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.  In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don’t want to burn it.Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.


When it’s nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Season with additional salt if needed.  Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

 

Skinny alfredo? Who knew it would be so good!