Calorie Wars

Round 1: Olive Garden vs. My Kitchen

I work out with the greatest group of mommies.  We were talking about our weekend dinners recently and someone brought up Fettuccine Alfredo.  I love a good Fettuccine Alfredo, but as many of us know it is horribly fattening.  It made me remember a recipe we used to use around here that's pretty similar and much better for you.  So I thought I'd do some research. 

Olive Garden's dinner portion of Fettuccine Alfredo (without chicken) totals out at a whopping 1220 calories.  What?!?! That's almost more than I eat in a whole day.  Next time you want Fettuccine give this recipe a try.  It's a modification of a couple of recipes, but the basis comes from a Better Homes and Garden cookbook.  One serving of this tasty pasta totals out at about 440 calories. So it's still not the healthiest thing I make, but it's certainly much better for you if you're craving Fettuccine Alfredo.

Creamy Herbed Pasta

Ingredients:
10 oz fettuccine noodles
1/4 cup snipped, fresh basil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tbs olive oil
4 oz reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup water or low fat milk
1/4 cup snipped, fresh parsley
2 tbs dry white wine
salt and pepper


Directions:
Cook pasta, drain and keep warm.

In a medium saucepan cook the garlic in the olive oil.  Reduce heat and add cream cheese, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese and basil.  Heat and stir until almost melted.  Add water or milk, parsley, and wine.  Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat and continue to cook about 2-3 more minutes until sauce thickens.  Add the cooked pasta, stir until coated and serve!