This Lightened Up Spaghetti Alfredo with broccoli is creamy, cheesy and decadent but much healthier than the original so you can feel good about eating it.
*This post was originally published on 2/28/2012. The pictures and recipe have been updated but the text below remains original. This Lightened Up Spaghetti Alfredo is restaurant quality without the guilt (or stupidly high price you’re stuck paying for pasta dishes when you eat out!). It’s ready in just 20 minutes and sure to be a comfort food crowd pleaser. Hope you enjoy!
This looks like a creamy heart attack on a plate doesn’t it?
Oh, but it’s soooo not.
Which means you can shovel forkful after forkful of delicious pasta into your mouth without that nagging feeling in the back of your mind about how bad of a decision it is.
Alfredo sauce is that restaurant dish that haunts you.
It’s the thing you know is absolutely horrible for you when you’re staring at the menu but your brain refuses to let go of the idea of the delicious creamy sauce.
So, you throw caution to the wind, order the butter and cream laden dish and then before you know it you’re shoving half the contents of the bread basket down your throat and ordering tiramisu for dessert since you’ve completely thrown any attempts of healthy eating out the window for the night anyway.
It happens. Right?
Please say it’s not just me?
The alfredo bug bit me hard yesterday and before I knew it, things were coming out of the pantry and fridge and I was determined to show the sauce who’s boss with this healthy spaghetti alfredo.
See that measly one tablespoon of butter? That’s it for the “bad stuff” in this recipe.
Total creaminess achieved and barely a dent in my butter stash.
Good for the wallet and for your heart.
The rest of the creaminess comes from a combination of low fat milk, cream cheese and parmesan. Needing heavy cream or half and half for that Alfredo taste is a total myth (like this cottage cheese Alfredo illustrates), don’t be fooled!
From prep to roux to finished product this whole thing takes under 20 minutes.
Beats the restaurant wait and there’s no bread basket or dessert menu to tempt you. If you want to add some protein, leftover chicken is easy to add or make shrimp Alfredo using fresh or frozen shrimp.
Swap out a gluten-free pasta to make this dish gluten friendly. This post on the best brands of gluten-free spaghetti is a great resource!
Love this healthier spaghetti alfredo recipe?
Try these other decadent but healthy pasta recipes: garlic shrimp bucatini, creamy tomato farfalle with peas and prosciutto, creamy butternut squash pasta with sage and mushrooms or pasta checca with burrata.
Lightened Up Spaghetti Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/4 cup 1% or 2% milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 4 ounces low-fat cream cheese or neufchatel
- 2.5 cups broccoli florets
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add spaghetti. Cook until 2 minutes before al dente.
- While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet with raised sides over medium heat.
- Add shallots and garlic once butter is melted and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened.
- Add flour and whisk together, cook about 30 seconds.
- Slowly add milk, whisking constantly.
- Add salt, pepper and nutmeg and continue to whisk until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
- Once thickened, add cheeses and stir until melted and incorporated.
- At this point (2 minutes before pasta is done cooking), add broccoli to the pot with the pasta and cook for remaining 2 minutes.
- Drain pasta and broccoli in a colander and pour into skillet with alfredo sauce.
- Toss to fully coat pasta with sauce and garnish with additional parmesan, parsley, red pepper flakes and/or toasted panko breadcrumbs.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
This looks like the best alfredo! I’m all of a sudden starving, looks delicious!
I love alfredo too but I never order it because I know how bad it is for me when I make it at home…it can only be worse in a restaurant. Besides my throwing calories out the window pasta dish is carbonara. Thinking about it makes me drool.
Oh, how I love carbonara! I came ridiculously close to adding bacon to this ala carbonara :)
You post some of the best recipes! I didn’t really ever use recipes until stumbling upon your blog. Now I want to try them all! I am not much of a spaghetti person, as it’s not my favorite… but when I do get the rare craving for spaghetti, I will be sure to make this recipe my go-to! Thank you :)
Thanks Paige :)
I’ve never been much of an alfredo person…but this makes me want to be one.
Your not the only one. Alfredo always catches my eye on menus but I never get it cause it’s so unhealthy. I’m loving this homemade, lightened up version :)
Mmmm….looks awesome. And cream-based sauces always intimidate me anyway, so I’d be all over making this as opposed to regular alfredo!
Wowzers! I can’t wait to make this!
: ))
Jen
yum, looks seriously amazing. not a super huge broccoli fan, but would love to throw some thick marinated, grilled garlic portobello mushrooms on here. thanks!
on your note on cashew cream above: you must try it!! it’s ridiculously rich, creamy and has such a subtle sweet flavor. i made it in this *skinny + rich delicata squash bisque*. it literally looks like custard. it’s pretty magical stuff. https://channingosity.com/2011/10/29/delicata-squash-bisque/
Love portobello mushrooms, they would be sooo good! Definitely going to check out your cashew sauce. Thanks!
I’m bookmarking this to try – soon! You are totally not the only one, I can’t get that alfredo sauce out of my head once it’s in there and this looks awesome. And the fact that you added broccoli makes me want to try this even more, I’m a huge fan of mixing veggies into my mac and cheese and other creamy noodley dishes :)
This is my kind of spaghetti… creamed with low fat milk and cream cheese and full of broccoli! I would eat a plateful and more without feeling guilty. Hope the foot is feeling better.