320 Calorie Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli

A restaurant Fettuccine Alfredo meal can provide a days worth of calories, several days worth of saturated fat if made from cream, and over a days worth of sodium. All you get for your 2,000 calories is a large plate of Fettuccine Alfredo, a salad and bread. Add an appetizer, drink and dessert, and you have a 3,500 calorie meal.

For the one-third or less calories than restaurant Fettuccine Alfredo meal, you can eat:

• 320 Calorie Fettuccine Alfredo (320 Calories)
• A slice of garlic toast (150 calories)
• A salad (up to 200 calories)
• Dessert (up to 300 calories)

The 1,290 calories may seem like a lot of calories for one meal, but it is also a lot of food with less than 1,000 mg of sodium, 15 g of saturated fat, and about 60 g of protein. You would have to eat six protein bars to get 60 grams of protein, and you also get about 1,200 calories and 30 grams of added sugar.

Low fat buttermilk replaces heavy cream in this recipe reducing calories and saturated fat without sacrificing flavor. The secret to a great Alfredo sauce in in the cheese. For the best flavor use Parmigiana Reggiano. You cannot beat it for flavor. It is well worth the price. Other parmesan cheese pale by comparison making you use more cheese and still not achieve the same flavor. To reduce cost, you can use a mixture of Parmesan and Romano cheeses.

The pasta, milk, chicken, and cheese combine to make this a high protein meal with a fraction of the calories and sugar in protein bars and drinks.

Reducing Preparation Time

You can reduce preparation time for this recipe by using frozen, pre-cut broccoli, and frozen grilled chicken or leftover rotisserie chicken. You can also use leftover cooked broccoli. When using refrigerated broccoli and chicken, add to the sauce during the last 5 minutes to reheat before adding the pasta.

Substitutions & Additions

Cooked grilled or rotisserie chicken

Cooked fresh broccoli

Romano for Parmesan Cheese

1 tablespoon (15 ml) cornstarch for flour

Ingredients

• 8 oz. (225 g) fettuccine or or linguine
• 1 tbsp. (14 g) butter
• 2 tbsp. (30 ml) all-purpose or rice flour
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) buttermilk, low fat
• 1/2 cup (60 g) Parmigiana Reggiano cheese
• 1/4 tsp. (2.5 ml) dried thyme or to taste
• 1/8 tsp. (1.25 ml) grated nutmeg or to taste
• 1 lb. (450 g) grilled chicken breast, fresh or frozen
• 12 oz. (340 g) frozen or fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces

Method of Preparation