Easy, Low Calorie Chicken Tortellini Alfredo: Olive Garden Copycat
What could be better to make than the BEST, most decadent tasting casserole you’ll ever taste. Nobody will even believe it’s lower in fat and calories. It’s my skinny version of Olive Garden’s Chicken Tortellini Alfredo. Each serving has only 257 calories and 8 grams of fat.
Why You’ll Love My Olive Garden’s Baked Chicken Tortellini Alfredo, Skinnyfied!
Fans of Olive Garden's Baked Chicken Tortellini Alfredo would love a lower-calorie version for several reasons. First, it satisfies cravings for that creamy, cheesy, and comforting dish without the guilt. This healthier option uses lighter ingredients like reduced-fat cheese and swaps out some of the heavy cream for light Alfredo sauce, reducing the overall fat and calorie content.Secondly, it offers the same flavor profile and delicious experience. The key elements like chicken, cheese, and creamy sauce are still there, but in a lighter form. This allows you to enjoy the indulgence of a creamy pasta dish without derailing your healthy eating goals.Ingredients for Olive Garden’s Baked Chicken Tortellini Alfredo, Skinnyfied!
This recipe offers a lighter take on the classic Olive Garden dish, allowing you to enjoy the flavors you love with fewer calories. Here's a closer look at each ingredient:Base:- 1 (9 oz) package cheese tortellini: This is the base of the dish. The recipe suggests checking shopping tips for recommendations, which might be helpful for finding lower-fat or whole-wheat options.
- 1½ cups (~6 oz) cooked and diced chicken breast: Diced chicken breast adds a lean protein element to the dish, making it more filling and satisfying. You can use leftover chicken, poach some specifically for the recipe, or even use shredded rotisserie chicken for convenience.
- 1 cup spinach leaves, chopped fine: Chopped spinach adds a touch of green color, essential vitamins, and a slightly bitter note that complements the richness of the sauce.
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved: Halved grape or cherry tomatoes add a burst of sweetness and freshness to the dish.
- 1 (15 oz) jar light Alfredo sauce: Light Alfredo sauce is a key difference from the original recipe. It provides a creamy base with fewer calories and fat than traditional Alfredo sauce. The recipe suggests checking shopping tips for recommendations, which might be helpful for finding brands with the lowest fat content.
- ½ cup reduced-fat cottage cheese: Reduced-fat cottage cheese adds a creamy texture and protein boost to the sauce, while keeping the overall calorie count lower compared to using heavy cream.
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder: Garlic powder adds a warm, savory flavor that complements the other ingredients.
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated: Parmesan cheese adds a salty and umami element, providing a classic Alfredo flavor without needing a large amount.
- ½ cup light mozzarella cheese, shredded: Light mozzarella cheese offers a melty topping with a milder flavor compared to regular mozzarella. It adds a touch of creaminess without overwhelming the dish.
How to Make Olive Garden’s Baked Chicken Tortellini Alfredo, Skinnyfied!
Preparation:- Preheat the Oven: Get your oven started by preheating it to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. This ensures the dish cooks through and the cheese melts properly.
- Prep the Pan: Lightly coat a 9x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. This helps prevent sticking and makes cleanup easier.
- Cook Al Dente: Following the package instructions, cook the cheese tortellini in boiling water. However, aim for them to be cooked "al dente," which means slightly firm to the bite. Reduce the cooking time by about two minutes compared to the package directions. This is because they will continue to cook a bit in the oven later.
- Drain the Water: Once cooked, drain the tortellini thoroughly in a colander.
- Combine Ingredients in a Bowl: In a large bowl, add the cooked and drained tortellini. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the light Alfredo sauce, diced cooked chicken, chopped spinach, halved tomatoes, reduced-fat cottage cheese, and garlic powder. Mix everything well until well combined.
- Transfer to Baking Dish: Carefully pour the mixture from the bowl into the prepared baking dish. Spread it out evenly with the rubber spatula to ensure all the ingredients are well distributed throughout the dish.
- Cheese Topping: Sprinkle the shredded light mozzarella cheese evenly over the entire surface of the pasta mixture in the baking dish. This will create a cheesy and melty topping.
- Parmesan Finish: Finally, sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese over the top of the mozzarella cheese layer. This adds a finishing touch of salty and nutty flavor.
- Bake until Golden Brown: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it towards the end to ensure the cheese melts and becomes lightly golden brown on top.
- Cool and Serve: Once baked, take the dish out of the oven and let it cool slightly before cutting it into 6 servings. This allows the cheese to set a bit and makes it easier to serve without everything falling apart.
Helpful Tips About this Recipe
Shopping Tips
Most supermarkets sell refrigerated packages of cheese tortellini including Trader Joe’s. They usually come in a 9-ounce package, I like Buitoni Three Cheese Tortellini, Trader Joe’s, or Rana mini cheese tortellini (½ of 20 oz pkg). You can find reduced-fat Alfredo sauce in most supermarkets in the pasta sauce aisle. Classico, Bertolli, and Prego all make one. I used Classico to calculate the skinny facts.
Note-If you can’t find light Alfredo, regular Classico Alfredo sauce is similar. It has just 15 more calories per ¼ cup and 1g more fat. So you can easily use it! Plus, Regular Classico Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce has the same calories and fat as their light version.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 7-Blue
WW SmartPoints 8-Green
Most supermarkets sell refrigerated packages of cheese tortellini including Trader Joe’s. They usually come in a 9-ounce package, I like Buitoni Three Cheese Tortellini, Trader Joe’s, or Rana mini cheese tortellini (½ of 20 oz pkg). You can find reduced-fat Alfredo sauce in most supermarkets in the pasta sauce aisle. Classico, Bertolli, and Prego all make one. I used Classico to calculate the skinny facts.
Note-If you can’t find light Alfredo, regular Classico Alfredo sauce is similar. It has just 15 more calories per ¼ cup and 1g more fat. So you can easily use it! Plus, Regular Classico Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce has the same calories and fat as their light version.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 7-Blue
WW SmartPoints 8-Green
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 serving 257 calories, 8g fat, 5g sat fat, 67mg chol, 19g prot, 26g carbs, 1g fiber, 660mg sod, 3g sugar |
| FACTS: for Freestyle SmartPoints 216 calories, 4g sat fat, 12g protein, 3g sugar |
Easy, Low Calorie Chicken Tortellini Alfredo: Olive Garden Copycat
Ingredients
- 1 (9 oz) package cheese tortellini, see shopping tips
- 1 (15 oz) jar light Alfredo sauce, see shopping tips
- 1½ (~6 oz) cups chicken breast cooked and diced
- 1 cup spinach leaves, chopped fine
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup reduced-fat cottage cheese, I like Knudsen’s
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup light mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9 X 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Cook the tortellini al dente (two minutes less than the time given on the package). Drain.
- Place tortellini in a large bowl. Using a rubber spatula, carefully stir in Alfredo sauce, diced chicken, spinach, tomatoes, cottage cheese, and garlic powder until combined.
- Place mixture in baking dish. Spread out to evenly distribute. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over pasta to cover. Then sprinkle Parmesan cheese all over top.
- Bake 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and light golden brown on top.
- Cool slightly before cutting into 6 servings. This casserole freezes great.
Nutrition
Calories: 257kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 19gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 660mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gBlue Smart Points: 7Green Smart Points: 8Plus Points: 7
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
This is very good – I’ve made it when you posted it before – but I have not been able to find any reduced fat Alfredo sauce in stores for a long time. In fact, checking Prego, Bertoli and Clasico websites, those products are either showing as discontinued or not showing at all. You may want to look for an alternative to share with your followers. I’ve found Great Value Classic Alfredo has 50 calories and 3.5 g of fat per 1/4 cup serving which seems reasaonble and almost the same as the Prego Light. Thanks for all your good recipes, Nancy!
First, I’m so happy you are enjoying my recipe, Dava. Thank you!
And thanks for letting me know about the Alfredo sauce. It sounds like you found a good substitution. I did a little research. Some of the companies have discontinued their light version. But no worries, I just added this tip to the Shopping Tips.
Note-If you can’t find light Alfredo, regular Classico Alfredo sauce is similar. It has just 15 more calories per ¼ cup and 1g more fat. So you can easily use it! Plus, Regular Classico Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce has the same calories and fat as their light version.
Wishing you all the best,
Nancy
Can this recipe be made without the cottage cheese? If not, can you suggest a substitution? My husband nor I don’t like cottage cheese so buying a container just for this recipe will be a waste.
Thank you
Kathy. You could add an extra 1/2 cup of the light cheese and mix it in. Light ricotta cheese would work if you have other uses for it.
I hope this helps!
my best,
Nancy
Love this. Make it probably almost weekly and to take as dish to functions or to someone having a difficult time. Great dish and definitely does not taste low calorie.
Love your feedback, Ruth! Thanks so much! So glad you love this dish.
Wishing you all the best,
Nancy
I would like to know if there is an alternative to using spinach?
Although the spinach adds some health benefits, you could easily leave it out. I do like the color it adds to this dish.
Enjoy!
My best,
Nancyh
This sounds so yummy! This may be an ignorant question (I track macros vs using Weight Watchers), but why are the skinny nutrition facts different than the freestyle smart point nutrition facts? I don’t understand how calories and macronutrients vary without it being a different serving size. Thanks for any clarity!!
Before WW changed their plan this year, their former program had Freestyle SmartPoints. In that plan, you could subtract out certain foods that were considered zero points. That’s why the nutrition facts are different than the skinny facts for many recipes. I included both so people on WW would have those facts.
I hope this helps, Kaci!
My best,
Nancy
Five stars for the recipe. One star for the calories listed. The tortellini alone is 200 calories a serving. The recipe was great, the calorie count wildly inaccurate
Kathy, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this casserole. Thank you! And the nutritional info is correct for this recipe. You are right with the calories for tortellini but this recipe serves 6, not 4 servings. So for 1 serving, it’s not 200 calories for just the tortellini. I hope this helps.
All the best,
Nancy
Fantastic recipe.
I’m thrilled you love this recipe. Thank you!
My best,
Nancy
Loved that this was so easy to pull together quickly. I had a rotisserie chicken, no cottage cheese so substituted a little light sour cream. Due to time I didn’t even bake it. Sprinkled with some Parmesan and stuck under the broiler. Thank you so much for sharing. Love your recipes!
Love all the things you did with this recipe, Reenie. Thank you for letting me know! And so glad you are enjoying my recipes.
All the best,
Nancy
I used the great value & Kroger branded Alfredo. The great value one has 45 cal per 1/4 cup serving.
Sounds good. Thanks for sharing, Sara!
My best,
Nancy