Pioneer Woman gave me the math, I'm trying to find the right numbers. To do what? To lighten up Fettuccine Alfredo.
(I'll wait until you all stop laughing.)
Really though, I have avoided making this dish for the last few months because we've been eating better than we used to. This week I decided I couldn't wait any longer. It's quick. It's easy. It is freaking delicious. I love it. I wanted it in my tummy.
I also decided I was going to stray a little from PW's recipe in an attempt to lessen the food guilt because this is the only dish I feel that for, but as I've mentioned, it is also a favorite in this house. Instead of using a cup of heavy cream, I used half a cup of 1% milk mixed with half a cup of 1/2 & 1/2. I also mixed in a teaspoon or less of flour to help thicken things up. This halved the calories of the cream part of the sauce. However, I was concerned about the creaminess and taste of the end result. Did it end up working out? Onward!
Uh. Yum.
I hate, hate, hate cooking Fettuccine. I find if you don't stir it constantly when it is least stir-able it sticks together no matter what you do. I also love cooking Fettuccine because once it is no longer sticking together you don't have to stir it anymore. Just pop the lid on and forget about it.
This part is where the "make Alfredo healthy" quest sort of falls by the wayside. I think you have to use real butter. Eventually, I will try it with something ever so lighter, but that day was not today. In fact, I didn't even need the half stick that was in there (I only made half a box of pasta). I just threw it in for good measure.
This was my milk/half and half mixture. I used about a half to three-quarters of a cup for half a box of pasta. I like to err on the side of too much sauce.
Mix in what you feel is necessary. Black pepper is a must, fresh ground if you know what's good for you. I never would have considered putting nutmeg in this dish, but PW got me hooked.
Toss half the grated up cheese into a bowl and pour the still hot sauce on top of it. I was really, really depending on the cheese to thicken the sauce up.
Add the just drained pasta on top of the cheese/sauce pile.
And toss the rest of the cheese on top. Mix everything together, and let it thicken up. Using the milk and half and half mixture produced a need for a little more cheese to thicken the sauce. Of course, this was alright, because I don't think I had grated enough for the original recipe (even halved) to begin with.
Most people would taste the dish to see if any extra spices are needed. I go by smell and past experience. If the scent of the pepper and nutmeg doesn't stick out, I add more. Almost every time I have served this meal at that point Chris has added more black pepper to his plate, and I have added more nutmeg to mine. So, this time, I added more of each right after the additions from the "scent test".
After all of the adjustments it came out perfect! I know, I know. It is still nowhere near the realm of healthy, but saving a few hundred calories in the sauce has to count for something, right?
Make this soon! You won't be sorry.
