Lightened Up Alfredo Pasta
This Lightened Up Alfredo Pasta still has that creamy sauce you expect from a traditional alfredo, but not quite as heavy. Finished with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of parsley, this Lightened Up Alfredo Pasta is sure to please.
I can’t believe it’s December already!! I swear, once we had kids, time absolutely started FLYING by! I literally feel like it was just yesterday when we brought Jack home to our apartment.
Then, time has seemed to go even faster since we brought Will home to meet his big brother. I mean, look how tiny they both are in the picture!
Will, all curled up like a little baby koala bear and Jack with his chubby cheeks. Aaaand, now they are 6 and 3 – cue the tears.
Ok, I’ll stop reminiscing and get back to reality now!
We just celebrated Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for this year. Sometimes it can be hard to not get bogged down by the holidays. Stressing over the food, making sure your house is clean and trying to get that perfect family photo. Instead of getting lost in all of this, I tried really hard to just take a step back and focus on all that I have to be thankful for this year.
My husband and my boys are at the top of my list. Ok, fair warning, I might get a little mushy here but if you can’t get all sentimental around the holidays, when can you?! I am so lucky to have the husband that I do. Matt is an absolutely incredible person – kind, thoughtful, caring and loving. He is my constant supporter and cheerleader. He balances me out so incredibly well and is just plain fun to be around. I knew I chose well when I decided to marry him but, 10 years later, I have to come to the realization that I knocked it out of the park with him! So, yeah, I’m pretty thankful for you Matt!
And then my boys – my sweet and analytical Jack and my spunky and loving Will. Man, these two give me a run for my money but, man, are they amazing. Jack has such a kind heart. His empathy for others is unreal – he told me a story yesterday about a girl in his school who was nervous to start this new before school class. He told her he was kind of scared too but he took a deep breath and tried to be brave and he knew she could do it too. I almost started crying when he told me that. I so badly want to raise kind and thoughtful boys and Jack is proof to me that we are doing just that.
Will is so full of life – he is always talking about his day and everything that happened, he is constantly running around keeping tabs on everyone and everything, he loves cracking jokes and getting people to laugh and he has a perpetual smile on his face. He absolutely loves helping people. His new favorite thing to do is to hold the door open for random people when we are out in public and say “Have a great day!” He has such an incredibly kind soul. Needless to say, I’m so lucky and thankful to be surrounded by these three.
We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my immediate and extended family this year. And, oh my goodness, we were treated to a FEAST!! If my pants would have allowed, I would have gone back a few more times! Thanksgiving dinner is always such a treat – all the dishes you remember from childhood, all the carbs you can imagine and all of the seconds, thirds (and fourths!!) you can handle!
Healthy Comfort Food
I feel like we are in that time of year where I just crave creamy, delicious soul food. But, I also want it to be kind of healthy. Is that even possible?! Well, this Lightened Up Alfredo Pasta is my attempt at just that. You still get that creamy, rich flavor but without all of the heaviness.
Alfredo Pasta Sauce
In this recipe, the base of the alfredo sauce is skim milk and chicken stock. And cheese, you can’t forget cheese! Most alfredo sauces are made with half & half or whole milk, so by just substituting skim milk, you are already turning up the health-o-meter a notch or two (if such a thing exists). I add the chicken stock to thin the sauce but, more importantly, to add flavor.
Lightened Up Alfredo Pasta Ingredients
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- olive oil
- butter
- flour
- skim milk
- chicken stock
- shredded parmesan cheese
- garlic
- papardelle pasta
- salt and pepper
- lemon
- parsley
Zucchini Noodles
Have you ever tried zucchini noodles? They are an interesting change up to your traditional noodle. Because alfredo sauce tends to be a little heavier, I think substituting zucchini noodles for pasta noodles is a really tasty (and nutritious!) swap.
If you want to lighten up this dish even more, substitute zucchini noodles for the pasta noodles! You can find zucchini noodles already prepped in some grocery stores. If you can’t find them already prepared, you can make your own. It’s a lot easier than you would think – just make sure to get yourself a spiralizer!
Healthy, Quick & Easy Recipes
Whenever I ask my readers what types of recipes they would like to see more of, the resounding answer is always “quick and easy dinners”. I always like hearing that answer because those are the kind of recipes that I want to make! So, whenever you come to Land of 10,000 Recipes, you will always be able to find recipes that are healthy, quick and easy!
Tips for Involving Kids
- If you are using fresh zucchini noodles, you can let your kids help you spiralize them.
- Have them help you measure out all of the ingredients.
- Let them stir the chicken and keep an eye on everything cooking (while you keep a close eye on them, of course)!
- Kids Knives: These things are GREAT! My boys both use them daily. They are made of plastic and can cut through just about anything you would want to slice but not their little fingers.
Lightened Up Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced into bite-sized strips
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 1 cup skim milk
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- ¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 16 oz papardelle pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
- lemon for serving
- parsley for serving
Instructions
- Cook noodles according to package directions.16 oz papardelle pasta
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add the chicken.2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink in the middle. When done cooking, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.salt and pepper
- In the same pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant.5 cloves garlic, 2 Tbsp butter
- Add the flour to the melted butter and garlic and whisk to combine.3 Tbsp flour
- Slowly pour in the milk and chicken stock and continue to whisk.1 cup skim milk, ¾ cup chicken stock
- Once the sauce is smooth, add in the parmesan cheese and whisk to combine.¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Season with salt and pepper.salt and pepper
- Toss the cooked noodles in the sauce.
- Top the alfredo with parsley and a squeeze of lemon. Enjoy!lemon, parsley
