Low Calorie Creamy Linguini

Warm weather is finally fast approaching! Yay!

Even though I can’t wait for warmer weather, it’s time to get my rear into gear and get serious about slimming down for summer. I literally need to do this every year and while it’s never fun, it’s important to feel confident in your body…especially when you live at the beach 60% of the time haha. However, even though I want to shed a few pounds, food deprivation has never been my thing. Therefore, it’s really nice to have a low calorie version of a high calorie recipe that satisfies me on those “cheat days”. If you know anything about me, you probably know I always cheat with carbs. What’s a good carby dinner recipe? Pasta. So yeah, I made a low calorie creamy linguini last night and it was a massive success!

I know what you’re thinking; “Stephen, it’s impossible to make a low calorie creamy pasta sauce!”, but please give it a chance. I know it seems like an oximoron, but I promise that with a little creativity you can come up with anything. In this healthier version of a typical alfredo sauce, the tons of butter, cheese, and cream are replaced with velvety Greek yogurt and skim milk. I also decreased the amount of Parmesan cheese and slipped sun-dried tomatoes into the sauce to balance everything out. A few peas and onions give you some tasty veggies and yeah… You’ll be surprised how similar this sauce tastes to the full fat version. You might never go back. :)

**Use whole wheat pasta instead of white for extra nutrition and fewer calories.”

8 oz whole wheat linguini

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 onion (sliced)

4-5 sun-dried tomatoes (sliced)

3 garlic cloves (minced)

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup milk (fat free)

6 oz plain Greek yogurt

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)

1 cup frozen peas (thawed)

Salt/pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in a pinch of salt and the pasta. Cook for 7 minutes, or until desired doneness. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Sautee garlic, onions, red pepper flakes, and oregano in the butter for 5 minutes. Stir in milk.

When milk is warm, stir in the Greek yogurt until smooth. Then stir in Parmesan cheese.

Add sun-dried tomatoes and peas with a large pinch of salt/pepper.

Add pasta and toss until coated. Pour in a little pasta water if you’d like a thinner sauce.

Serve with chicken or eat plain. Enjoy!