YES! Lowfat Fettuccine Alfredo (It's possible!)

Remember the good old days when our metabolism worked at warped speeds?  I remember being able to order Fettuccine Alfredo without blinking and eating it without feeling guilty about when I was going to burn the calories that I just consumed off.  Sigh, I digress.  After gaining the happy post-wedding weight, here I am with Bharat trying to "shred" it off, but damnit, I still love the pasta - it's seriously my biggest weakness (next to chips & salsa), so on our mission to find healthy alternatives to old-time faves, we came across this recipe by Rocco DiSpirito for Fettuccine Alfredo

Bharat and I tried Rocco's recipe to the "T" and found that the Greek yogurt made the sauce extremely tart, so on the second go around, I substituted sour cream and just decreased the amount of broth.  I also added mushrooms and peas and used Asiago Cheese (more flavor) because it's all I had in the fridge. Let me know if you have a variation!

Ingredients:
1 pound of cooked pasta (to be healthy I used organic whole wheat spaghetti)
1 tbsp unsalted butter (better choice if you control the salt)
3 garlic cloves minced
1 cup thinly sliced portobella mushrooms
1/2 frozen green peas
2 tsp cornstarch
pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 low sodium vegetable broth
3/4 cup grated asiago or parmesan cheese
3/4 low fat or fat free sour cream
3 tbsp slivered basil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Melt butter over medium heat, add garlic and cook for two mins (be careful not to burn the garlic!), add mushrooms and peas, cook for additional 4-5 minutes.  

In the meantime, combine cornstarch & nutmeg, slowly whisk in the broth until smooth.  Pour into saute pan and bring the mix to a slight simmer - mix as needed.  Add 1/2 cup of cheese, until melted and smooth.  

Remove pan from heat and add sour cream in until sauce is smooth and creamy.  At this point, add the salt and pepper to your liking.  Finally, add cooked pasta to pan, mix together until sauce coats evenly.  Add 1/4 cup of remaining cheese to the top.  I also added some basil for flavor. 

While this recipe is not quite the same as the full-fat version of F.A. I think it does a decent job of curbing my pasta cravings without having to wear stretchy pants! Enjoy!