Eat Better America: "Healthified" Fettuccine Alfredo

My first dish in my new challenge and let me just say, this dish didn't disappoint. I decided to make our first 'healthy' dish, our meatless meal for the week. I'm not very creative at coming up with vegetarian meals, but I got a lot of great ideas from the site.

DISCLAIMER: I realize I'm not the best photographer, and food is even more of a challenge for me. Bear with me. I'm working on it.

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 lb uncooked fettuccine  
• 2 cups whole milk  
• 1 tablespoon Gold Medal® all-purpose flour  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt  
• Dash freshly ground black pepper  
• Dash ground red pepper (cayenne)  
• 2 tablespoons butter  
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic  
• 2 oz 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel)  
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

I also added:

• 1 can of sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup of frozen broccoli

This is what you'll do:

1. Cook fettuccine as directed on package, omitting salt. Drain; return to saucepan. Cover to keep warm; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir milk, flour, salt, black pepper and red pepper with wire whisk until smooth. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly (do not burn). With wire whisk, stir milk mixture into butter mixture in saucepan. (This is where I added my broccoli and mushrooms.) Cook and stir over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture thickens and boils.

3. Stir in cream cheese until melted. Stir in Parmesan cheese until melted. Pour over fettuccine; toss to coat. Sprinkle with parsley.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Cook and stir over medium heat 7 to 9 minutes.

Nutritional Information:
1 Serving: Calories 330 (Calories from Fat 110); Total Fat 12g (Saturated Fat 6g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 70mg; Sodium 310mg; Total Carbohydrate 42g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 4g); Protein 13g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 8%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 20%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 3 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 3
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
 

 Pasta with only 330 calories a serving?! You can't beat that!

Here's our family's review:

Me: I loved it. It was filling and easy to put together after work (always a plus in my book). I think it would also be great with grilled chicken or shrimp added in. Definitely keeping this one on my list!

Chad: Liked it. Wouldn't say he loved it, but didn't complain (again, always a plus).

Nate: Not a fan. I think it was the broccoli and mushrooms. He ate it, but didn't like the 'looks' of it.

Abby: To say Abby was a fan is an understatement! She had two helpings and while these pictures aren't the best due to lighting, I think they speak for themselves.