Creamy comfort food at its finest – without the guilt! This lightened up Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo dish has all of the flavor you love without the extra calories! So good, no one will guess it’s actually healthy!
I have been in an ever loving pasta mooood lately! I just can’t get enough carby goodness these days. Namely, fettuccine alfredo. But it’s also warming up around here. I’ve busted out the flip-flops and short sleeves and I cannot wait for swimsuit season to be here. Basically I just wear my swimsuit under my jeans and light jackets every day. I call it: wishful wearing.
But the thing about pasta? It tends to be on the heavier side. Meaning lots of flavor, which is great, but also lots of calories. That does not help my swimsuit figure. Just saying. So in a desperate attempt to satisfy my creamy comfort food pasta cravings and still be swimsuit ready for the upcoming boating season, I turned an old classic alfredo dish into something a little on the lighter side without sacrificing any of that flavor I need.
I’ve also been in a shrimp mood lately. Big time. So instead of chicken, I went for shrimp in this dish. You can sub chicken if you’ve got it on hand. This Lighter Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo hits  the spot when you’re wanting noodles tossed in perfect alfredo sauce! But without the guilt! Which means it’s about 9 hundred and 11 times better, right??
Lighter Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fettuccine noodles
- 12 ounces shrimp - peeled, de-veined, and tails removed
- 2 teaspoons olive oil - (may sub other oil)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic - divided
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 ½ cups fat free half & half - or other milk
- ½ teaspoon salt - or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper - or to taste
- 4 ounces cream cheese - fat free or reduced fat
- â…“ cup parmesan cheese - (shavings or shredded)
- optional: fresh parsley, additional parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a large pan preheat 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add shrimp, 1 teaspoon garlic, and italian seasoning and stir over medium heat until shrimp are cooked through (3-4 minutes). Transfer shrimp to a bowl.
- In the pan where you cooked the shrimp, melt the butter over medium heat. Add remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and stir until fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring continually until mixture comes together in a sort of clump. Slowly whisk in cream and milk until mixture is smooth.
- Add salt and pepper, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese and stir until cheeses are melted. Stir in shrimp. Serve over prepared noodles. Top with fresh parsley and additional parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from Cooking Classy.
Tried it and loved it!!!
I’m so glad you liked this recipe Britta!! 🙂
I wish there were more comments from people who actually MADE the recipe than people who LIKE it.
really good! i added more garlic than it called for, but the directions were written very well. i would make this again. i used earth balance butter, the lighter kind, and it worked really well with the recipe. i didn’t have cream cheese so i used light sour cream and it was really good. 10/10 would make again.
Great job, Elise! Thanks for your sharing your feedback!! Happy to hear that you enjoyed this dish 🙂
Can you sub the shrimp for chicken?
Sure!
Do you have NUTRITIONAL values
Hi Diane! I recommend using MyFitnessPal. They have a great online tool where you can input any recipe URL into and it will generate all the nutritional information for that recipe! It’s free 🙂