In keeping with the healthy-eating theme from my last post (Chipotle Caesar Salad), here is another lighter version of a classic. I made alfredo pasta, but you won’t find any heavy cream or butter here. You can happily eat a bowl of this alfredo without feeling heavy or weighed down. Scroll down to see the full recipe 🙂 .

The timing of this recipe also works out to celebrate (albeit a few days late) national spaghetti day which was on Monday (4th). Honestly, I don’t know who chose January 4th, I could eat spaghetti any day of the year! For this pasta, I used whole wheat spaghetti which adds fibre to the dish.

Like I mentioned above, this creamy pasta has no heavy cream or butter, which are two items you’d commonly find in classic alfredo sauce. Instead, I used cream cheese and milk to give that dreamy consistency. I also use a little starchy pasta water to help bring the sauce together. (Note: this sauce will be on the thin side, but it coats the pasta so nicely.

For cream sauces like this one, it’s important that you have a good amount of seasoning. I added salt and pepper, as well as garlic powder and chili flakes. It was well-flavoured and I love the kick of the pepper and chili flakes – it’s not super spicy, it’s the perfect amount of heat.

Aside from the basic sauce and pasta, you can also add veggies to your pasta to make the meal even more nutritious. I added 1 cup chopped kale but you could use any veggies (1-2 cups) you have – ie: peppers, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini. No matter what you choose, make sure they’re cut small-ish, about the size of your finger nail, so they cook quickly.

This was such an easy dinner to throw together and it takes no time at all either! You could eat this healthy alfredo any day of the week and not feel bad about it 😛 . Bon appetit!

Ingredients:

• 375g whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup kale, chopped (or peppers, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini)
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup pasta water* (reserve before draining pasta)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp chili flakes
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in large pot to al dente, according to directions on package. *Before draining, use measuring cup to save 1/3 cup of the starchy pasta water. Drain pasta and set aside.
2. Return pot to burner, over medium heat, and add olive oil. Add kale or other veggie and saute ~3 minutes until softened.
3. Add cream cheese, milk and pasta water and stir to get it all incorporated and cream cheese melted (~1 minute). Add all seasonings. Let it simmer 5 minutes just for flavours to come together. Sauce will be a little thin.
4. Add cooked pasta to pot and toss with sauce. Serve immediately.