Recipe: Reduced-fat fettuccine alfredo

My husband Richard gave me his April edition of Runner's World which included a recipe for "Rocco's Fettuccine Alfredo." Rocco Dispirito is a reality TV veteran who was a guest chef on "The Biggest Loser." A good healthy carb load for dinner may get me through a run tomorrow morning.  There are few things I relish as much as fresh egg fettuccine tossed with a rich and creamy Alfredo sauce loaded with butter and top-drawer Parmesan. I also, however, relish the prospect of being able to zip up last year's summer clothes. Don't be turned off by the tablespoon of real butter. A typical Alfredo to serve four could easily have a quarter to half a pound of butter in the recipe. I made a few changes based on ingredient on hand. DeSpirito's recipe calls for 5 percent lowfat yogurt; I used 2 percent. I used the best Reggiano cheese I could find - it is the most important ingredient in the recipe. I also added frozen peas at the last minute for flavor, color and added nutrition. DeSpirito said the recipe serves four, but Richard and I consumed the entire recipe below, no problem.

Yield: 2-4 servings

Time: 20 minutes
Cost: Approx. $8

Recipe adapted from Rocco DiSpirito's latest cookbook "Now Eat This!"

Ingredients

• 8 ounces whole-wheat fettuccine
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• Pinch of nutmeg, freshly ground preferred
• 3/4 cup chicken stock 
• 3/4 cup Parmigianno Reggiano
• 3/4 cup 2 percent Greek (strained) yogurt

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook fettuccine according to package instructions. Place peas in colander and drain pasta over peas to cook.
2. While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook two minutes.
3. Combine cornstarch and nutmeg in a small bowl and whisk in chicken stock until smooth. Pour into saute pan, raise the heat, and bring sauce to a simmer, whisking occasionally.
4. Whisk in 1/2 cup of cheese until melted. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in yogurt until smooth.
5. Toss fettuccine with Alfredo sauce. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Top pasta with remaining cheese and serve.

This recipe was adapted by Peggy Lampman and originally posted on AnnArbor.com on March 30, 2010.