Last night I made a creamy, dreamy pasta dish. The sauce was rich, flavorful, and very filling but I did NOT use cream! That’s right! I found this recipe in Cooking Light Magazine and at first I was skeptical of a recipe that promises a “creamy sauce” without the use of heavy cream but I tried it anyway. The secret to getting a nice thick sauce is the combination of light cream cheese and the pasta water.
Here’s what I love about this dinner:
- The ingredients required are probably already items you have in your pantry/refrigerator.
- It takes less than 30 minutes to make!
- One serving is only 383 calories!
- Fresh herbs (in this case, basil) add so much flavor to a dish without adding calories.
- It only costs $7.47 to make the entire dish.
- You could easily add meat of your choice to make this dish a little more hearty.
| Fettuccine with Tomato-Cream Sauce |
|
Recipe type: Main
Author:
Prep time: 25 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 8 oz. uncooked fettuccine
- 4 qt. boiling water
- 1/2 t. salt, divided
- 1 T. olive oil
- 3 T. coarsely chopped garlic
- 1 (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed
- 3 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese
- 1/4 c. oil-cured olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
- 1/4 t. crushed red pepper
- 1/4 c. small fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved
Instructions
- Cook pasta in 4 qts. boiling water with 1/4 teaspoon salt for 8 minutes or until noodles are almost al dente. Drain pasta through a sieve over a bowl; reserve 1 1/3 c. pasta cooking water.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes or until very fragrant and tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 1/4 t. salt and tomatoes; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in reserved 1 1/3 c. pasta water; bring to a boil. Add cream cheese; stir until smooth. Add pasta, olives, and red pepper; cook 3 minutes or until pasta is al dente, tossing to coat. Divide pasta mixture into 4 servings; top each with 1 T. basil. Divide Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese evenly.
Serving size: 1 1/4 c. Calories: 383 Fat: 14.2 Fiber: 3.6 Protein: 12.9
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I reallllly need to make this! Never thought to use cream cheese and pasta water for the sauce! Adding to the meal plan THIS week.
Just made it and devoured it. Ben said “two thumbs WAY up!”
(Oops, I meant to add that I used a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes instead of crushing them myself…and naughty me used the full fat cream cheese.)
This looks like a KEEPER! I will be making it this week!
Thanks again, SweetTea!