Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (2024)

FAQs

How do you make Alfredo thinner? ›

Heat cream and cheese in small saucepan below the boil and then over low heat until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. If you think its too thick, add a few drops of milk. Stir often. Shut off heat and cover.

The easiest way to accomplish this is to mix about a spoonful of cornstarch to 2 spoonfuls of liquid – it could be water or chicken stock or even milk. You will add this mixture, also called a slurry to the sauce and as it starts to cook, the sauce will thicken.

Heartier herbs like thyme or oregano can be added in to simmer with the sauce. Add delicate herbs like parsley, basil, or chervil at the end to maintain their delicate, aromatic flavor. Quick tip: Swirl in a bit of leftover pesto to add another herbaceous twist to your Alfredo sauce.

The Bad News: Fat and Calorie Overload

A typical portion of this decadent dish has 1200 calories, 75 grams of fat, 47 grams of saturated fat and gives you more than half a day's worth of sodium. Yikes! Looking at a recipe, it's not hard to figure out why.

If the sauce seems too thick, whisk in a splash of milk, broth, or water until the sauce is as thinned as you like. Use reheated sauce immediately: Toss with cooked pasta or pour over cooked vegetables, chicken, or fish.

A: Alfredo sauce tends to thicken as it cools. If it's too thick, you can thin it with a bit of reserved pasta water, milk, or cream.

Add Cheese

The key ingredient in Alfredo sauce is cheese—generally Parmigiano Reggiano—and lots of it. To thicken Alfredo sauce, simply add more cheese than the amount called for in a recipe until you achieve the consistency you want.

Cube softened cream cheese and whisk into the Alfredo Sauce into a pot over heat until the cheese is smooth. It can take a little while for the cream cheese to melt and become smooth so be patient. Start with just a little cream cheese at a time unless you're ok with a stronger cream cheese flavor.

Alfredo should never have anything but pasta water, butter, and cheese in it. Make sure the cooking water has salt in it but remember part is salty.

Is shredded or grated Parmesan better for Alfredo? ›

You can use pre-shredded Parmesan cheese in this Alfredo sauce recipe, but it won't have the pronounced, intense, fresh flavor you get when you grate it just before use.

Yes, you can eat pasta and still stick to your weight loss goals and lose fat. The main consideration to keep in mind when making food choices while trying to lose weight is to remain in a calorie deficit. Very simply, if your body uses more calories than you consume, then you will lose weight.

If you are buying a jarred or canned sauce, choose a tomato-based (marinara) sauce rather than a creamy sauce. Creamy sauces usually have more saturated fat and calories. Eating too much saturated fat has been linked to heart disease. Tomato-based sauces also contain more nutrients like vitamin A and lycopene.

Luckily, there's a simple fix that will have your creamy sauce back to its perfect, delicious self in no time. The key is to add a little bit of liquid. The most common thinner for any creamy sauce is milk, however, you can also use other liquids like water, broth, or cream.

Use Cornstarch

To make a cornstarch slurry, whisk together equal parts of cornstarch and water—about 2 tablespoons of each. From there, add 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time. Start by whisking just 2 teaspoons of the slurry into the sauce, let it come to a boil, which will activate the starch, and then add more if needed.

For a thinner sauce, add 1 tablespoon of milk or heavy cream. For a thicker, more creamy sauce, reduce the amount of heavy cream/milk used and add either sour cream or cream cheese 1 ounce at a time. To add spice, include red pepper flakes, white pepper or cayenne pepper. Top with fresh parsley just before serving.