Guilt free Pasta Alfredo
PIN IT!Is it just me, or did this year really just start off on the WRONG foot? Everything that can possibly go wrong these past 6 days has and I’m on the verge of throwing in the towel and running away for about 2 months. Maybe to Fiji or something?
I know, total Debbie Downer today, but I’ve just had really bad days. And I’m SICK OF IT! I mean, I had a fire last year, isn’t that enough? Can’t I have a decent, non-life shattering year without anything horrible happening? Is that just too much to ask?
Ugh. Let’s change topics before I start bawling again. Let’s talk about something that’s amazing and actually makes me forget about the bad stuff around me, and that is this guilt free pasta alfredo. When I asked my friends on Facebook what they wanted to see today, pasta was the overwhelming winner. And I totally don’t blame you Facebook friends. When asked if I’d rather have a big bowl of pasta and say, a muffin, pasta wins every SINGLE time.
I’ve seen variations of this floating around the web and decided to finally make my own. I’ve tackled low-fat alfredo before, but I’ve never tried alfredo with cauliflower, which seems to be all the rage now. I really don’t know why I didn’t make this sooner, because DAMN, it’s good. It looks and tastes decadent, but has half the fat and calories of the kind you’d order in a restaurant. Without that weird pool of butter/grease that is always leftover at the bottom of the bowl.
You know what I’m talking about? It’s like that pour an extra cup of melted butter in the plate right before they serve it to you because the sauce made with 14 gallons of heavy cream just couldn’t possibly be good enough.
This has no heavy cream and a scant 1 1/2 tablespoons butter. Your New Year’s resolutions have never been easier to keep.
Guilt free Pasta Alfredo
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 6 -7. Recipe inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie.
Prep time: About 20 minutes
Cook time: About 10 – 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw cauliflower, cut into florets
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup skim milk
- 1/2 cup light cream
- 2/3 – 3/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese shreds
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 12 ounces spaghetti or linguine noodles
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place your cauliflower florets and garlic in an oven safe casserole dish. Top with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 – 25 minutes, or until browned. Pour the cauliflower and garlic into a blender and add 1/4 cup cream. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add the pasta and sprinkle with salt. Cook until pasta is al-dente, about 8 – 10 minutes. Rinse and set aside.
- In dutch oven, add the butter and cook over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to make a thick paste. Pour in the milk and heat until mixture thickens up (it should coat the back of a spoon). Remove from heat and stir in the cauliflower sauce and cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix the pasta into the sauce and serve immediately.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 330
Fat: 8 grams
Carbohydrates: 43 grams
Fiber: 5.5 grams
Protein: 12 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 8
I'm craving nothing BUT pasta lately with this cold weather in Michigan. I need some healthy options if I don't want to buy all new clothes come spring, so thank you for this recipe!