Low Cal Fettucine Alfredo

This dish is easy, healthier than most alfredo sauces, and tastes really good! There is no heavy cream in the recipe - just 2 T cream cheese, 2% milk, and parmesan cheese. I had to tell Luke I added the green flecks (of fresh parsley) for decoration since green is his favorite color. That was what Andy and I came up with and it worked! Usually he won't eat things with green cooked into them that he can see. He'll eat green veggies, he just doesn't want them hiding in his sauces and stuff. Wilson and I enjoyed this the most. It's not one of Andy's favorite meals but for an every now and then he thought it was okay. There is a bit of a lemon flavor in the dish due to the lemon zest which was nice. That also means I got to use my microplane which is always fun! You could always add grilled chicken to this dish too. Enjoy!

Low-Cal Fettucine Alfredo
1 T unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t grated lemon zest
2 t flour
1 cup 2% milk
kosher salt
2 T low fat cream cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan, plus more for topping
3 T chopped fresh parsley
12 ounces fettucine
freshly ground pepper

1. Boil water for fettucine. Cook according to package directions until al dente.
2. While the pasta is cooking make the sauce. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook until the garlic is slightly soft, about 1 minute. Add in the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and 3/4 teaspoon salt and cook, whisking constantly until just thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the cheeses; whisk until melted, about 1 minute. Stir in the parsley.
3. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta and return to the pot.
4. Add the sauce and 1/2 cup pasta water to the pasta and gently toss to combine, adding more cooking water as needed to loosen. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parmesan.