Be Mine! Lauren’s Skinny Alfredo Sauce a Valentine’s Day Treat
Holy smokes, it’s already Valentine’s Day, this year is already flying by! Valentine’s Day is one of those Holiday’s you either love or hate, I personally love Valentine’s Day. Why? Well it’s simple, I love cooking, baking, and creating in the kitchen, and even if you don’t cook, Valentine’s Day seems to inspire everyone to try their hand in the kitchen. Brody and Blake both love it when Momma makes dessert and Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion to go over the top with the sweets. I’m a firm believer in everything in moderation and I can’t wait to cure my sweet tooth! Since I know we are going to be going over the top with sweets today, I wanted to counter balance that by preparing a healthy dinner that won’t leave us feeling terrible after. You know that feeling after you have a heavy meal, and then dessert… you feel like you literally need someone to roll you to bed. I definitely don’t want to feel that way. It’s okay, my Skinny Alfredo Sauce makes you feel like you’re having an indulgent meal, but doesn’t go straight to your hips.
We always celebrate Valentine’s Day at home, because who wants to wait in long lines!
Valentine’s Day is on a Wednesday, so that’s even more reason to prepare your Valentine’s Day dinner at home. No one wants to wait in long lines at cliché restaurants, eat way too much, and then have to get up for work early the next day. That’s why this Skinny Alfredo Sauce is a win win, scoot over Olive Garden there’s a new Alfredo Sauce in town. Plus, is there anything better than getting to hang out in your PJ’s with a glass of wine, and indulge in the shows that are piled up on your DVR just begging to be watched.
Brody loves to help out in the kitchen, we had a lot of fun making the Skinny Alfredo Sauce for this post. I call him my little Chef (we may love Ratatouille)!
My inspiration for my Skinny Alfredo Sauce
Okay what you’ve been waiting for the Alfredo Sauce, so because it’s Valentine’s Day, I’m going to give you my full fat indulgent Alfredo Sauce recipe, we can thank my GK (grandmother, she was to hip to be called grandma, so she’s GK) for the OG version. Her Alfredo Sauce is so good, when I was at a different place in my life I will honestly say I made this at least 3 times a month, I seriously love pasta. Since I have changed my eating habits, I love to find ways to incorporate the food that I love, but make it healthier so I don’t feel bad after having it. I took her original Alfredo Sauce and skinnied it up, and it’s still just as good!
Even if you don’t count calories, knowing that you’re eating better, makes you feel better!
To make my Skinny Alfredo Sauce you are going to need butter (I use salted), half and half, cornstarch, ground white pepper, sea salt, fresh garlic cloves, and shredded Parmesan (I used a shredded three cheese blend of Parmesan, Romano, & Asiago). Now that you have your ingredients you may be asking why, Cornstarch? I use cornstarch in place of flour a. to cut calories b. to thicken the sauce. This method saves 65 calories, I know you’re probably thinking 65 calories, but calories add up fast. I use 3 Tablespoons of butter vs. a stick in the OG Alfredo Sauce this saves 500 calories. I opt for half and half over heavy whipping cream in the original version because 1 pint of heavy whipping cream is 1600 calories! One pint of half and half is 640 calories, that’s a massive difference of 960 calories! Oh the savings!!
I like to be prepared before cooking.
I get everything I need to make my meal out, so I’m not constantly running back and forth to the fridge or pantry. Let’s get prepping, so I like to smash the garlic with my hand to peel it (Brody thought this was hilarious) and then finely chop it, add all of the seasonings in a bowl, prepare the cornstarch slurry (slurry just means mix the cornstarch with a little water), I measure the cheese, and cut the butter into even portions.
Let’s get cooking!
Over medium heat melt the butter, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, pour in the half and half, salt, white ground pepper, and cornstarch slurry, whisk continuously, do not let it come to a boil about 3-4 minutes. Once the sauce starts to thicken a little stir in the cheese and it’s ready to enjoy!
Lauren’s Skinny Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
1 pint half and half
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp cornstarch (add some water to make a slurry)
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white ground pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan, shredded or shaved
Directions
Over medium heat melt the butter, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, pour in the half and half, salt, white ground pepper, and cornstarch slurry, whisk continuously do not let it come to a boil about 3-4 minutes. Once the sauce starts to thicken a little stir in the Parmesan cheese. ❤
Let’s dig in!
I serve this with grilled Cajun chicken, zoodles, and top with fresh cherry tomatoes, it’s delicious! The Skinny Alfredo Sauce is great for seafood enchiladas. It’s also great over garlic wine marinated chicken breast with roasted mushrooms. It can be served with regular pasta too, the combinations are endless.
Gk’s OG Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 stick butter
1 tbsp flour
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white ground pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup Parmesan, shredded or shaved
Directions
Over medium heat melt the butter, add the flour and whisk until its incorporated. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, pour in the heavy whipping cream, salt, white ground pepper, and nutmeg, whisk continuously do not let it come to a boil about 3-4 minutes. Once the sauce starts to thicken a little stir in the Parmesan cheese. Now it’s done like dinner! 😉
When I make my GK’s OG Alfredo Sauce I serve it over linguine and panko crusted chicken. I top it with fresh cherry tomatoes or roasted red bell peppers depending on my mood. ❤
I hope you love my Skinny Alfredo Sauce!
I hope that you enjoy my Skinny Alfredo Sauce recipe, if you tried it and liked it let me know. If you found a way to make it better or have an amazing healthy Alfredo recipe please share it with me!
Let me know what you think, I value your feedback, drop a comment below, use my contact form to message me privately, reach out to me on Facebook, or Instagram. I hope you have the best Valentine’s Day ever!
I just got home from picking up Brody, we are about to head in the kitchen to whip up dinner and wait on Blake my other Valentine to get home! 😉
Until next time…
I love your feedback - Lauren!