Eat Skinny Be Skinny: Low Fat Broccoli Alfredo
PIN IT!As most of you know, I got a promotion at work. Yay! Although it’s an exciting opportunity, it brings with it A LOT more work, which means A LOT more time spent inside the four walls of my downtown office building. Instead of working from 8:30-4:30, allowing me to be home by 5:30, I’m now working from 8:30-6 (at the earliest), getting me home at around 7:15! And trust me, by the time I get home, the last thing I want to be doing is whipping up a fancy meal. However tired I may be though, I’m determined not to let cooking slip through the cracks. It’s one of my favorite activities because of how therapeutic and relaxing it is. When I’m chopping, dicing and sauteeing, my mind is at ease, not focused on the daily 9-5 stressors of my job or wedding planning anxiety. So I fought off my exhaustion and apathy last night and whipped up a lighter version of one of my decadent favorites, pasta with Alfredo sauce. For added protein, slice up a chicken breast! Keep in mind, this dish does still have around 400 calories, so pair it with a light salad or veggies if you are trying to stay around 500-550 calories for dinner. Atlhough the calorie count is higher, the fat grams are considerably low, coming in less than 10 grams for a 1 cup serving! That’s 10 grams less than regular sauce!
Low Fat Broccoli Alfredo
What You’ll Need:
- 12 ounces of fettuccine or bow-tie pasta noodles [any kind would work, actually!]
- 1 cup of broccoli florets
- 1 1/2 cups cups skim milk
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
How To Make It:
- Cook pasta according to the package directions; drain.
- Steam or boil broccoli and set aside.
- Heat skim milk and butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Slowly whisk in flour.
- Simmer until slightly thickened, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Once sauce is thickened, remove from heat and stir in Parmesan and salt. Mix well.
- Add the pasta and broccoli and stir over low heat until heated through.
Nutritional Information per 1 cup: 440 calories, 8 grams of fat, 22 mg of protein and 4 grams of fiber.
That's a yummy pasta dish...Alfredo is my favorite sauce!
And congrats on the promotion! That's huge stuff!