Skinny Alfredo Macaroni and Cheese

This is a fabulously rich, mac and cheese. Using a store bought container of light Alfredo sauce not only makes this come together really quickly, it transforms ordinary mac and cheese into extraordinary! To keep it skinny and still taste cheesy, I’ve added a combination of fat-free ricotta cheese and a small amount of flavorful Parmesan cheese. The ricotta melts into this dreamy dish. Each serving has 263 calories, 7 grams of fat and 8 Weight Watchers SmartPoints. Serve with a salad and you’re set. Try my Super Low Calorie Caesar Salad on a Stick.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time:15 minutes

Ingredients

2⅓ cups (dry, uncooked) Whole Grain Elbows pasta or penne, see shopping tips

! tablespoon reduced-fat butter or Smart Balance Light

1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced

1 (15 oz) jar Classico Light Alfredo Sauce, see shopping tips

1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese

½ cup fat-free milk

A little black pepper, to taste

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Scallions or fresh chives, minced for garish, optional

Instructions

1. Cook pasta al dente (for about 6-7 minutes so it will not be overcooked). No need to add salt to water. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again.

2. In a large pan, melt the butter. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Over medium heat, add in the Alfredo sauce, ricotta cheese and milk. Mix until well blended. Stir in cooked pasta. Add a little pepper, if desired. Heat for a few minutes until hot. Stir in Parmesan cheese and mix well.

3. Spoon 1 cup serving into each bowl. Top with a little scallions or chives, if desired.

4. Leftovers freeze great.

Makes 6 servings  (1 cup each)

Healthy Benefit
I love the fiber-rich whole grain pasta available in the supermarket today. Barilla Whole Grain Elbows contains 6 grams of fiber for a 2 ounce serving!

Shopping Tips
I used Classico Light Alfredo Sauce for this recipe. It’s shelf stable and found in the pasta sauce aisle. There are other brands available, if you can’t find this one.

There are several brands of whole grain or whole wheat small pasta that will work for this recipe. I used Barilla Whole Grain Elbows pasta. It looks like a macaroni shell. You could also use a whole grain or whole wheat penne or rigatoni pasta, if desired.

Weight Watchers SmartPoints 8
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 7