Fettuccine Carbonara Goes on a Diet

My husband loves Fettuccine Alfredo. I call it "heart attack food". This recipe was the perfect compromise. He loved the creamy, flavorful sauce and I was grateful for a lower fat version that enabled me to adhere to my "resolution". The traditional version is prepared with whipping cream and egg yolks. This version blends low fat cream cheese, Light Caesar salad dressing, milk and a little flour to create the perfect sauce with all of the pleasure and none of the guilt.

Introducing the Cast of Characters: Fettuccine noodles, ham, Light Caesar dressing,low fat cream cheese spread, fat free milk, peas, and fresh parsley. Not pictured: grated Parmesan cheese.


Begin making the sauce by putting 1/4 cup of the cream cheese spread into a saucepan.


Add in 1/4 cup of light Caesar Dressing and 1 tablespoon of flour.


Whisk until smooth.


Gradually stir in one cup of milk until the mixture is blended and add 6 oz. of deli ham, cut up. Cook on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.


The recipe instructs to add the peas to the boiling fettuccine water for the last 3 minutes of cooking. I prepared mine in the microwave and added them directly to the sauce.


Drain the fettuccine and return it to the pot.


Pour on the sauce and add 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan.


Chop 1/4 cup of fresh parsley and toss that in there too.


There you have it, a yummy, lighter version of Fettuccine Carbonara in about 20 minutes. I served mine with salad a garlic bread. It was dee-licious!


Updated Fettuccine Carbonara from Kraft Foods

Prep Time:10 min
Total Time:20 min
Makes:4 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. fettuccine, uncooked
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese
1/4 cup KRAFT Light Classic Caesar Dressing
1 Tbsp. flour 1 cup fat-free milk
1 pkg. (6 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Smoked Ham, cut into short strips
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 3 Tbsp.
KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding peas to the boiling water for the last 3 min.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, dressing and flour in medium saucepan with whisk until blended. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until mixture is well blended. Add ham; cook on medium-low heat 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta mixture; return to pan. Add sauce mixture; mix lightly. Cook 2 to 3 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Top with parsley and Parmesan.

Nutrition Information: Calories 390, Total fat 9 g, Saturated fat 4 g, Cholesterol 40 mg, Sodium 950 mg, Carbohydrate 55 g, Dietary fiber 4 g, Sugars 8 g, Protein 23 g

If any of you are counting WW points, that's 8 points for a fulfilling 1 1/4 cup of creamy goodness. I skipped the garlic bread and put a fat free dressing on the salad. Enjoy!