Light Chicken Alfredo

My roommate Nichole was one of those amazing people like Ratatouille who could eat something or smell it and tell you what was in it. I miss her. She made incredible pasta with a very light butter parmesan sauce. I have never found it's equal. But this recipe is pretty close.

Disclaimer: I love Alfredo, but I guess I'm getting old enough that I don't want to feel like I gained 19 pounds just over a bowl of pasta. So this is a great light recipe for cheesy sauce that doesn't contain sugar or cream. It is adapted from Ellie Kreiger over at Food Network.

This is the perfect portions for a family of four.

Light Alfredo Sauce

2 grilled chicken breasts slice into strips
1 cup of a vegetable of your choice {broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, peas...}
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
3 T minced garlic
2 T flour
1 cup low-fat milk
1/2 c fat free evaporated milk
3/4 c parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 c chopped parsley

Grill the chicken breasts with a great Italian seasoning until done.

Meanwhile, saute, steam, boil, microwave, or grill the veggies however you prefer.

Meanwhile, saute the garlic in the olive oil for a couple minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and low-fat milk together.
Add to the garlic, whisking it all nicely together.
Bring to a boil, keeping the whisk going.
Reduce heat to low and boil for a couple minutes.
The creamy mixture will be thickening.
Add the evaporated milk and the parmesan cheese.
Keep whisking until all the cheese melts.
Add seasonings.





Meanwhile, Let me tell you how I like to cook pasta noodles. Its really fun.
I heard once of a thing called "drunken pasta" where you cook the noodles in red or white wine. Then the pasta absorbs all that flavor.

Since I'm not a raging alcoholic, I wanted to find an alternative to the wine. I tried juice, like regular purple or white grape juice. It required a lot of salt to balance the sweetness. Plus {Heather you might remember this} it turns the noodles purple. Bright purple. That tends to frighten people. Unless it is a holiday where purple noodles would be permissible. Long story longer, as my dad would say, I figured a way to get the flavor without the wine or juice. I mean pasta has enough carbs, right?

Cooking your noodles according to your package instructions,
add 1-2 T red wine vinegar {I use 2}
and 2 T extra-virgin olive oil.
It adds a nice light kick to your noodles, but it doesn't take away from the yummy sauce.

Try it. It's fun.

Now you have noodles, veggies, sauce, and grilled chicken. Pile it all together in a light pasta meal.