Healthy Alfredo Sauce Recipe
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Yes!!! I finally did it! I created a delicious, healthy alfredo sauce recipe!!!
Did you know that Alfredo sauce as we know it today in America, actually isn’t Italian at all? The sauce we know and love here is actually and American creation!
While a version of Alfredo sauce reportedly started off in Rome, the recipe made its way here to the states and evolved into what we know as Alfredo sauce today.
What Makes This Alfredo Sauce Healthy?
I’m glad you asked! Traditional Alfredo sauce is usually a heart attack on a plate. It has tons of saturated fats. But this recipe is just a little different.
This recipe uses cottage cheese! And while it will still have a few saturated fats (hello dairy!), this is far healthier than anything you’ll ever get at a restaurant or from a jar. The fat and calories are significantly reduced here.
What You’ll Need
- 4 cups cottage cheese – You can try low fat, but full fat will work best here. Some folks have had success with fat free cottage cheese, but any fat free dairy is very highly processed. So choose what feels right to you.
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese – Do not use Kraft parmesan for this. It won’t work well and is very highly processed stuff. Opt for real, grated parmesan. Don’t use shredded because it will take longer to melt which may end up causing separation from overheating.
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder – 1 to 2 tsp. if you have to talk to people the next day.
- 1/4 cup milk + some on reserve – Having a little milk on reserve will allow you to quickly and easily adjust consistency in your sauce.
How To Make Healthy Alfredo Sauce
- This recipe requires a double boiler. I have also figured out that some brands of cottage cheese do not work as well as others. So you may have to experiment a little bit. I used cottage cheese from Trader Joe’s.
- Add all ingredients to a double boiler and turn on the heat. DO NOT BRING THIS TO A STRONG BOIL! Keep the heat well controlled. You want a slow melt.
- As the mixture begins to warm, blend in the pot with a hand blender.
- Blend till smooth, and the continue to warm until it’s nice and hot.
- Pour about a half a cup over your pasta and serve.
Making Healthy Fettuccini Alfredo
Once this sauce is made, you can ladle it over some whole grain fettuccini. And if you really want to up the health level, add some lightly steamed broccoli and baked chicken breast for a healthy chicken broccoli fettuccini!
More Healthy Sauce Recipes
Healthy Alfredo Sauce Recipe
Healthy Alfredo Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- Double boiler
Ingredients
- 4 cups cottage cheese
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (Real, grated parmesan. Not Kraft)
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder (1-2 tsp. if you have to talk to people the next day)
- ¼ cup milk + some on reserve
Instructions
- This recipe requires a double boiler. I have also figured out that some brands of cottage cheese do not work as well as others. So you may have to experiment a little bit. I used cottage cheese from Trader Joe's.
- Add all ingredients to a double boiler and turn on the heat. DO NOT BRING THIS TO A STRONG BOIL! Keep the heat well controlled. You want a slow melt.
- As the mixture begins to warm, blend in the pot with a hand blender. Blend till smooth, and the continue to warm until it's nice and hot.
- Pour about a half a cup over your pasta and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
I'm Tiffany, a writer for MSN and the AP Newswire, a cookbook author, digital publisher, food lover, and mom. I create healthy, clean eating recipes for everyday living.
I did it. Delicious! Now to test on kids.
Bamagrad95 – Haha! Fantastic! I hope they like it!! 😀
Tried this recipe tonight and it turned out fabulously. We used great value (walmart brand) cottage cheese- low fat-nothing fancy… and it worked out beautifully! I was sceptical about this recipe because I can not stand the texture of cottage cheese lol. This however, is now one of my favorites. Even the husband and kids ate it up. 🙂 We made it with asparagus and tuna along with mung bean noodles which I find at whole food/health food stores. They are amazingly high in protien and zero carbs. Worked great!! Cant thank you enough for this recipe.
Jenny – My pleasure! I’m so happy it worked well for you! 😀
Very good! The only problem I had was getting it creamy.
Ashley – Not sure what you mean. It’s pretty cheesy. Did something separate?
This recipe is great!!! The secret is to Use low heat, then it shouldn’t separate! Good luck!
Danielle – Definitely!!
With this sauce being heat sensitive, do you think it would work work as a white sauce for pizza?
Kelly – I’m going to guess, no. I think it would separate too much. However, if you precook your crust and make sure the sauce gets covered with other toppings, there is a chance it might work if you don’t cook it for too long. But again, that’s just a guess. I haven’t tried it.
Hello, thanks for your recipe, I’ve just made it for a third time. I’m just wondering why you heat the mixture first, before blending, and then return to the heat? Why not blend the mixture beforehand? I meant to try it that way tonight, but chickened out. Also, I hand grated my Parmesan Reggiano and it melted just fine in my makeshift double boiler (a tall soup pot with an inch or more of water and a saucepan that fits on top that leaves three or four inches of space between water level and pan). It was delicious.
Mary – So glad you liked it! 😀 I just find it blends better when it’s warm. But feel free to try it the other way!
I tried this tonight and it may not have turned out like desired consistency-wise. I swapped the parmesan for blue cheese, left out the garlic and only made a quarter of it. But it was really yummy although I might have overheated as it turned out curdly. Definitely will try again 😁
Bine – Ya, this recipe can be a bit finicky. But with a little practice, it’ll be amazing. Also try a different brand of cottage cheese. I find that sometimes the brand can make a difference. I’m glad you enjoyed it though!
I just have a question that I didn’t find the answer, maybe I overlooked. For the cottage cheese are you ladies using large or small curd or does it even make a difference?
Heixi – I’m not sure it matters, but I used large curd.