Easy, Light Alfredo Sauce

My mom used to make her own version of Alfredo by tossing pasta with heavy whipping cream, butter, garlic, and Parmesan cheese (the powdery kind from a can, like you put on pizza or spaghetti). She didn't make it into an actual sauce first--she'd just toss it all into a pot together and give it a quick stir. It wasn't true Alfredo, but it was still delicious.

I've made Alfredo sauce from scratch before, and while it isn't particularly difficult, it's sometimes just more work than I want to put in and/or more calories than I want to eat. On those days, I make this sauce, an amalgamation of my mom's Alfredo and from-scratch Alfredo. Instead of making a roux of butter and flour, adding milk or cream, letting it cook until thickened, and then adding cheese, this recipe mixes the butter and cheese (with just a bit of flour) to make a roux. Then all you have to do is add the milk and seasonings. It's super easy. Justin and I like to pour this over baked potatoes with broccoli (and sometimes chicken, too), as well as on pasta.


Ingredients

1/2 c light margarine
1/2 c reduced fat, grated Parmesan cheese (the powdery kind from a can)
1 tbsp flour
1 c skim milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper


Directions

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese and flour, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in garlic powder and pepper, and remove from heat. Serve immediately.


Servings: 2