Creamy Alfredo Pasta= Couch Potato

Whenever I want to render Tim immobile I make a homemade Alfredo dish. When we eat Alfredo you can bet we are spending the next 5 hours on the couch watching TV. We are happy but full. So with that note, here is some cheesy goodness for you. (of course with a slightly healthy twist) I altered a couple of myrecipe.com recipes to make this.

First let's round up the ingredients.

 

Pasta with Alfredo Sauce

• 1 tablespoon butter ( I used smart balance)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups skim milk *next time I will use a little more so it isn't so thick
• 2 tablespoons light cream cheese
• 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided 
• 4 cups hot cooked pasta (cooked without salt) *I used shells but any kind is fine
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• Freshly ground pepper 

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic, and saute 1 minute. Stir in flour.

Gradually add skim milk, stirring with a wire whisk until mixture is blended. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly.

Stir in cream cheese; cook 2 minutes. Add 1 cup Parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until Parmesan cheese melts. This is where it really thickens up. If you want it to be less thick, add more milk.

Pour sauce over hot cooked pasta, and toss well to coat. Top fettuccine with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and pepper.

 

What I loved about this recipe was that it was heavy but not too heavy. Next time I will add some shrimp or chicken. The hubby liked it and the best part is that it was about 345 calories for a whole cup of that deliciousness. Not too bad for Alfredo.

Do you have any yummy recipes you tried out? What dish is so yummy and filling that it makes your family couch potatoes the rest of the night?