Eating Out at Home...

     One of my favorite dishes and the only thing I've ever ordered  at Carrabba's is the Pasta Carrabba.  It is made up of a huge serving of their wonderful house-made fettucini with alfredo sauce, English peas and sauteed mushrooms along with a woodfire-grilled chicken breast.  Even though I give my husband half of the pasta, get the sauce on the side and use just a few spoonfuls, and ask for the chicken "dry", it still tastes great.  So great that I tried replicating it at home and eventually was happy with my end result...happy many, many times.  
     But I felt that it needed a nutritional bump up so I decided to substitute steamed broccoli for the peas and mushrooms - and the result is my new favorite.  Sauteed asparagus and red peppers are also wonderful and preceded the broccoli phase.  I serve the alfredo sauce and vegetables over store-bought fresh pasta along with a grilled chicken breast or piece of beef and I must admit that I like it better than my inspiration...except for the pasta.   
     Be forewarned that this is a small recipe for 3 servings and that they do not look like generous servings - but the few tablespoons I eat pack more flavor and satisfaction than the huge bowl of sauce that accompanied my Pasta Carrabba.  I hope you'll think so, too.

Alfredo sauce over steamed broccoli and pasta with grilled chicken breast.

Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

• A medium shallot, minced very finely
• A teaspoon of olive oil
•  A teaspoon of butter
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2-3 cloves whole garlic, peeled and slightly smashed (you'll need to be able to pick them out)
• 4 teaspoons flour
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/8 cup half and half
• 3/4 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (I use parmigiano reggiano)

Waiting until ready for the cheese.

  Putting it together:

     Heat the oil/butter and add shallot; sprinkle on salt and crushed red, toss in garlic cloves and saute over medium-low heat until softened.  Sprinkle flour over mixture, stirring for a minute or two to cook out the raw taste of the flour.  Slowly pour in combined milk/half and half, stirring constantly.  Mixture will thicken slightly but take care not to overheat.  At this point I often just turn off the heat to go grill my chicken, finish chopping veg, etc.  

I love these bags!

When I am ready for the sauce I turn the heat back to medium-low, remove the garlic cloves, stir and add a tablespoon or 2 or 3 of pasta water (or hot tap water) 

and stir in the 3/4 ounce grated cheese; taste and add salt if needed.  Use a rubber spatula to scrape every yummy bit over vegetables and/or pasta.

      Recipe Builder estimates 10 points for this sauce recipe (about 1 cup total), 3 Points for each of 3 servings.  

     My 5 oz. grilled chicken breast (4 Points), the cup of fresh pasta (5 Points), my steamed broccoli (0 Points) and my serving of alfredo  (3 Points) totaled 12 Points.  This 12 Point meal was carb heavy and I may cut down or cut out the pasta next time but I enjoyed it - almost as much as I enjoyed feeling no guilt!

 

A Switch-Up Update...

Grilled chicken breast over sauteed asparagus and red peppers with pasta and alfredo sauce.

     My husband has been pestering me for asparagus and red pepper with the skinny alfredo sauce for months so I took pity on him.  It had been months since we'd last had this combination and it was a very nice change.  I simply sauteed the veggies inside but grilled (my husband's idea - next time...) veggies would be good, too.  What combinations sound good to you?