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This Healthy Alfredo Sauce is everything you want in comfort food, it is cheesy, creamy, and spicy—all the taste of regular Alfredo, with fewer calories!
Featured with this recipe
We have been having the most grey, dreary days in Utah and this recipe was EXACTLY what I needed to warm me up.
It has a creamy base with a kick thanks to roasted red peppers and red pepper flakes. This is a recipe I made all the time for family meals and everyone loves it!
Control The Spice
This healthy Alfredo sauce can be made as spicy or mild as you like. When I make this for kids, I generally keep it pretty mild, but for adults, I pile on the spice!
You can make this dish as spicy or not spicy as you want by adding the right amount of red pepper flakes. The fresh red peppers add a tiny kick, but the spice really comes from the flakes, so adjust accordingly.
Ingredients
- Red peppers
- Olive oil
- White onion
- Garlic cloves – minced
- Butter
- Chicken broth or vegetable broth
- Milk
- Half and half
- Low fat cream cheese
- Parmesan cheese – freshly grated
- Basil – minced
- Salt
- Red pepper flakes
- Pasta
Roasted Red Peppers
One of the best parts of this healthy Alfredo sauce is the flavor you get from the roasted red peppers. They are a very mild pepper, so it’s perfectly fine for kids to eat.
You can use canned roasted red peppers, but it is SUPER easy to make your own, and I think it tastes so much better!
You’ll want to peel the blackened skin off these peppers after you roast them. You don’t have to get all of the skin, just try to get most of it off, especially the blackened parts.
What to Serve with Healthy Alfredo Sauce
To make this dish even healthier, I used whole wheat pasta, but you can make this with any kind of pasta you like.
I think I might try it with some cheese ravioli the next time I make it. You can also add chicken or shrimp to this recipe to give it some protein.
I also think this healthy Alfredo sauce would even work over rice or as a sandwich spread. You can even try it as a dip for breadsticks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Parmesan is the most classic cheese used in Alfredo. But if you don’t have it, can’t find it, or don’t want to use it, there may be a few options to try. Pecorino is very similar to Parmesan, but it is made with sheep’s milk and it has a sharper flavor, you can try Gruyère as well, it has creamy and rich flavor, and a final cheese to try would be mozzarella, more mild.
Spiralized zucchini noodles are a great option if you are really trying to cut back on carbs. Many grocery stores have these already made for you in the produce department, or you can buy a spiralizer and create them yourself. Another option would be to bake up a spaghetti squash and use the ‘noodles’ in the squash for your Alfredo.
Read More: 35+ Quick and Easy To Follow Dinner Ideas Your Family Will Surely Love
More Sauce Recipes to Try
- Homemade Tartar Sauce
- Fry Sauce
- Homemade Canned Tomato Sauce
- Easy Cheese Sauce
- Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Sauce
How to Make Healthy Alfredo Sauce
Healthy Red Pepper Alfredo
Ingredients
- 6 red peppers halved, with all the seeds and membrane removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 white onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 1/4 cup low fat cream cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon basil minced
- Salt and red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 pound pasta cooked
- Fresh basil and parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Turn oven on to broil.
- Cover a baking sheet with foil and place the red pepper halves on the sheet, inside facing down.
- Broil for 10-15 minutes, until outside skin is blackened.
- Remove peppers from baking sheet and place in a gallon-sized ziplock bag for 10 minutes, seal.
- While peppers are steaming, in a large skillet cook the onion in the olive oil until onions are soft.
- Remove peppers from bag, peel off the skin (it should come off easily with your fingers), and chop the peppers.
- Add the peppers and garlic to the onion.
- Place mixture into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Melt the butter in the same skillet and then add the blended mixture.
- Add broth, milk, half and half, and cream cheese. Whisk until smooth and combined.
- Let simmer until the mixture thickens (about 3-4 minutes).
- Add parmesan cheese, basil, salt and red pepper flakes. Whisk until combined.
- Serve sauce over cooked pasta and garnish with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.
Wow this homemade alfredo sauce is amazing!! It tastes so much better than the store-bought alfredo sauces and I love that it’s healthy too!
It was a huge hit at my house! Everyone loved it!
This is pure pasta perfection! The creamy parmesan sauce was perfect combined with the spicy touch. Yum!