andrea2289
04-01-2008, 09:01 PM
Just wanted to share this:
My sister and I brainstormed tonight on the phone and came up with a lower fat version of one of our favorites...Alfredo Sauce. I served it with steamed sugar snap peas and sauteed mushrooms (we love mushrooms and we all ended up mixing it into the pasta) and salad.
I never have measurements...I am a 'little of this and a little of that' kind of cook but it is an EASY one to adapt!
I cubed up a block of fat free cream cheese into a saucepan over medium heat, and then poured in about 1 cup of 1% milk and a can of chicken broth. I added some garlic powder and let is slowly come to a simmer stirring frequently (so the milk didn't scorch the bottom).
Once it was simmering, I added Parmesan cheese about a 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly. I probably ended up using about a cup and a half. Then I added a little salt and a lot of pepper (both to taste).
I let is all cook on low heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes and then tossed it with Rigatoni! YUMMY! (eat it immediately for a nice creamy consistency because it thickens up quick once tossed with the pasta)
It was SO SO good. If the proportions aren't right for you, you can easily add more/less of anything except the cream cheese, start with one block as your base. If it doesn't get thick enough for you, you could use a little cornstarch whisked into a couple TBS of milk. You could also add some fat free half and half if you wanted it a little richer, but for me the broth gives it a nice rich flavor. My sister almost doubled her recipe and added more milk/broth and she needed a little thickener. Either way, the basics are cream cheese, milk, broth, garlic powder, Parmesan, salt and pepper!
My sister and I brainstormed tonight on the phone and came up with a lower fat version of one of our favorites...Alfredo Sauce. I served it with steamed sugar snap peas and sauteed mushrooms (we love mushrooms and we all ended up mixing it into the pasta) and salad.
I never have measurements...I am a 'little of this and a little of that' kind of cook but it is an EASY one to adapt!
I cubed up a block of fat free cream cheese into a saucepan over medium heat, and then poured in about 1 cup of 1% milk and a can of chicken broth. I added some garlic powder and let is slowly come to a simmer stirring frequently (so the milk didn't scorch the bottom).
Once it was simmering, I added Parmesan cheese about a 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly. I probably ended up using about a cup and a half. Then I added a little salt and a lot of pepper (both to taste).
I let is all cook on low heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes and then tossed it with Rigatoni! YUMMY! (eat it immediately for a nice creamy consistency because it thickens up quick once tossed with the pasta)
It was SO SO good. If the proportions aren't right for you, you can easily add more/less of anything except the cream cheese, start with one block as your base. If it doesn't get thick enough for you, you could use a little cornstarch whisked into a couple TBS of milk. You could also add some fat free half and half if you wanted it a little richer, but for me the broth gives it a nice rich flavor. My sister almost doubled her recipe and added more milk/broth and she needed a little thickener. Either way, the basics are cream cheese, milk, broth, garlic powder, Parmesan, salt and pepper!