Zucchini noodles are tossed in a skinny Alfredo sauce for an easy meal that can be made ahead of time for your weekly meal prep.
I often make a skinny Alfredo when making a fettuccine alfredo recipe because I find the traditional version to be a little too cheesy and heavy.
Skinny Alfredo Sauce
This sauce is still creamy and cheesy but it’s also lighter and with fewer calories. It doesn’t use butter or heavy cream. Recently, I decided to lighten it up even more by using zucchini noodles. No more post-lunch food coma.
I made these for lunch meal prep, which usually is a lighter meal for me. If you want something more filling, you can turn this into chicken alfredo by adding cooked chicken. You can also garnish with more freshly grated cheese right before serving.
Ingredients
- Cooked zucchini noodles drained and patted dry
- Olive oil
- Minced garlic cloves
- All-purpose flour
- Chicken broth
- Fat-free milk or low-fat milk
- Shredded Parmesan cheese
- Ground black pepper
How to Make Skinny Alfredo Sauce
Warm olive oil and minced garlic in saucepan over medium heat. Once the garlic is lightly golden, add the flour and stir until a paste forms.
Stir in the chicken broth and then the milk. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook it until it thickens.
Stir in the cheese and, once it’s melted, cook the sauce until it’s to your desired thickness. Add the black pepper for garnish.
Serve the sauce over the cooked zucchini noodles. Or store the skinny Alfredo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days.
Variations
- Add chicken, shrimp, or steak bites to make it more filling.
- Sometimes I mix the cooked zucchini noodles with pasta to make it more filling, but it’s still lighter than serving it only with pasta.
- Add garnishes like fresh parsley, basil, or more grated Parmesan cheese.
- Serve it with cooked veggies like asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, or green beans.
- Add some flourless breadsticks on the side.
I love the flavor of this skinny Alfredo – it’s lightened up but still tastes as comforting as the original. It’s a great option if you’re trying to eat lighter but still craving pasta.
More Lightened-Up Recipes
- Skinny Bang Bang Sauce with Zucchini Noodles
- Skinny Chicken Caesar Lettuce Wraps
- Skinny Bang Bang Cauliflower
- Cauliflower Stir Fry Meal Prep
Skinny Zucchini Noodle Alfredo Meal Prep
Ingredients
- 5 small zucchini spiralized
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 3/4 cup fat free or low fat milk
- 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a large skillet and bring skillet to medium high heat. Add in zucchini noodles and cook until zucchini releases water and is just barely cooked. Zucchini should be tender but still crisp. Add zucchini noodles to a colander and shake several times over sink to drain out water released by zucchini. Set colander aside, allowing zucchini to cool and more water to drain out.
- In a saucepan, add remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and garlic and bring to medium heat. Cook until garlic is lightly browned. Add in flour, stirring constantly until a smooth paste forms. Add in chicken broth and stir until flour is completely dissolved into broth. Stir in milk. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook a few minutes until sauce thickens and is reduced by 1/3.
- Stir in cheese until completely melted and continue to cook until sauce has thickened to your desired consistency. Keep in mind that sauce will thicken even more as it cools. Add black pepper to taste.
- Pat zucchini noodles dry with paper towel. Add zucchini noodles to meal prep containers. If you own the meal prep containers with 2 or more compartments, I recommend using them for this recipe or store the sauce separately. Add your sauce to a separate compartment in the meal prep container. Store in fridge or freezer.
- When reheating, heat zucchini noodles and sauce in microwave. Pat dry zucchini noodles. Stir sauce until smooth. Add sauce to zucchini noodles and toss until evenly coated. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired. You can also reheat on the stove. If you use the stove method, I recommend heating the zucchini noodles separately from the sauce because the zucchini noodles will release water each time they are reheated.
Notes
- I use this spiralizer* and these meal prep containers*.
- Skinny Alfredo sauce recipe adapted from Gimme Some Oven
- *Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).
- Nutrition estimate includes fat-free milk.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
