You are going to fall in love with this Healthy Alfredo Sauce with Fettuccine Noodles Recipe. A wonderful chicken broth and cauliflower base is blended into a rich and creamy sauce that is lower in fat, and high in nutrients.
Healthy Alfredo Sauce with Fettucine Noodles
The concept of a healthy alfredo sauce may seem like an oxymoron. How is it possible to make something loaded with butter and cheese healthy? Well, this recipe is definitely an option that gives you the same creamy texture without all of the added ingredients that just aren’t great for you.
How to Get a Smooth Sauce
The key to making this healthy alfredo sauce feel like a traditional sauce is to make sure you blend until smooth. There are many methods of blending cooked vegetables, but when making a sauce, I believe a high powered blender or an immersion blender will be the best choices. Another option that may work for you is a food processor, but these typically don’t hold the volume you would have in this sauce once cooked.
An immersion blender is ideal for blending directly in the saucepan. If you prefer to have fewer dishes, this is a favored method. Of course, if you don’t blend soups or sauces often, an immersion blender may be impractical to have on hand. In that case, the blender is your best choice.
The Vitamix or Blendtec blenders are the top quality options that give you the best smooth sauce result. They are pricey but well worth the price if you plan to blend smoothies, shakes, sauces, and soups on a regular basis.
Note: Remember that hot liquids expand. So, when making this sauce and blending in a blender or food processor, you will want to blend in smaller amounts. Alternately, I recommend waiting until the soup has cooled before blending. You can then reheat to temperature for serving.
What to Serve with this Creamy Alfredo Sauce
Of course, as shown, this sauce is ideal over your favorite pasta. You can use your favorite pasta, but a thick Fettucine noodle is traditional and holds up well with a thicker sauce. If you want a healthier pasta, you can use lentil, rice, or edamame based pasta or even make your own homemade pasta.
If you prefer to avoid pasta, this sauce works beautifully over spiralized squash or zucchini. It is also ideal for serving as a dipping sauce for cauliflower breadsticks, roasted vegetables, or other dippable foods.
Grilled chicken or shrimp are common proteins paired with alfredo. For an extra kick, you could definitely use my spicy chicken seasoning recipe on your protein when cooking. If you are vegetarian or prefer a meatless meal, then don’t hesitate to add in peas, carrots, broccoli florets, or even a faux chicken meat substitute.
Can Alfredo Sauce be Frozen?
Since this is not a cream-based sauce, it is very easy to prepare and freeze for future use. It may separate some in heating, but as long as you mix well and allow it to come to temperature slowly, it will result in just as delicious and creamy a sauce when reheated.
Tip: I prefer freezing sauces in molds or ice cube trays then pop them out and store in a freezer bag. This allows me to reheat smaller amounts of sauce for individual servings or dipping. It leads to less waste and more versatility.
More Pasta Recipes
Pasta is definitely a favorite go-to meal option in most households, so making it clean and healthy is a must. You will love this brown rice pasta recipe with sausage for a simple and flavorful meal. Another hearty option is this Clean Zucchini Noodle Lasagna recipe. It has tons of flavor, is satisfying, and makes an ideal all-in-one meal.
This was originally published on September 29, 2013, and updated August 8, 2019.
PrintHealthy Alfredo Sauce with Fettuccine Noodles
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Healthy Alfredo Sauce can be just as delicious and creamy as the original. This cauliflower and chicken stock based sauce is an amazing substitute.
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower, medium size, chopped
- 2 cup organic, low sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp (pinch) nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp (pinch) black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 cup cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 TBSP olive oil
Instructions
- Boil chicken broth. Add chopped cauliflower and spices. Cook 20 minutes until cauliflower is soft.
- Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool approximately 5 minutes.
- Blend mixture in blender. (Be CAREFUL! Hot liquid expands). Add cottage cheese, water and olive oil and blend again.
- Return to pot to simmer on low for approximately 5 minutes.
- Top your favorite brown rice, black bean, or edamame pasta (try Explore Asian!). You can add seafood or chicken or simply use as a dipping sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Whitney Carlson says
COMMENTS FROM PREVIOUS WEBSITE (ADMIN):
I just had this for breakfast!! Lol. Great sauce to use with other dishes as well!! Thanks!
I made this today and I love it! I will use it in different ways atop chicken and over wanna be noodles. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Can’t wait to try this! My kids and husband are going to be thrilled!
★★★★★