Fettuccine Alfredo: an Italian classic no longer sends the fat gauge into the danger zone

TAKE AWAY the cream, eggs and cheese, and what would remain of classic fettuccine Alfredo? Some plain pasta and not much else--which is why we hesitated to rework this recipe. But the universal fondess for the dish encouraged us to give it a try.

As usual, the first priority was to lower the added fat and cholesterol. Gone are the butter, the cream and the egg yolks. Next, we substituted nonfat and part-skim ricotta, plus some yogurt, for the cream. Parmesan is essential to the dish's character, so we only reduced it slightly. For a little added flavor and color, we topped the pasta with chopped fresh chives, but you can use other fresh herbs like basil and thyme.

The results surprised even us. Not only were the original recipe's 28 grams of fat per serving slashed to 9 grams, but the dish still retains the creamy richness that makes Alfredo so tempting.

Fettuccine Alfredo

4 SERVINGS

30 MINUTES

1 lb. dried fettuccine
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup nonfat ricotta
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  (about 1 oz.)
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground white pepper,
  or to taste
Chopped chives for garnish

1. In large pot, bring 4 quarts salted
water to a boil.

2. In blender or food processor, combine
remaining ingredients and process until
smooth. Transfer mixture to top of
double boiler or metal bowl set over
saucepan of simmering water. Heat
sauce, stirring constantly, until mixture is
heated through but not boiling. Remove
top of double-boiler or bowl from heat.

3. Add pasta to boiling water, stirring to
prevent sticking. Cook until just tender,
about 10 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta
cooking water and drain pasta in colander.
Return pasta to pot and add sauce
and reserved cooking water, tossing
gently until well combined. Garnish with
chopped chives and serve hot.

PER SERVING: 320 CAL; 20G PROT; 9G TOTAL FAT
(5G SAT. FAT); 39G CARB; 29MG CHOL; 531MG SOD;
2G FIBER

VT recipe        320 calories    9 grams fat
Typical recipe   464 calories   28 grams fat

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