{Moderately} Healthy Broccoli Alfredo

I have this thing for pasta.  And since I'm really not a fan of marinara sauce, my default favorite is Alfredo sauce.  However, I'm not a huge fan of store-bought Alfredo sauce.  Let's face it, it's nasty compared to home-made.  I have a delightful recipe for Alfredo sauce that I love (and I'll probably share sometime), but it calls for a lot of butter, cream, cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese.  Clog my arteries now.  Hence, it's more of a special occasion sauce than a bi-monthly sauce.  Sad story.

But then the clouds cleared and the Pinterest sun came out... Skinny Alfredo!  Also, I should apologize for the crappy quality of the above picture.  I used my ipod.  Enough said.  I've made a few modifications to this recipe.

Firstly, it called for roasted broccoli.  Whaaaaat?  Broccoli can be roasted?  However, she didn't share how to roast broccoli.  Thus, Rachael Ray came to the rescue.  Bless her heart.  Roasting it is so worth it.  A billion times better than steaming.

Secondly, the recipe called for Greek yogurt.  That stuff is super healthy and super not in my budget.  Too fancy for me.  I'd rather spend my splurge money on the Kroger knockoff of Nutella.  Thus, I found a slightly less healthy, but more affordable substitute:  sour cream.

Thirdly, the recipe calls for roughly half a can of chicken broth.  What the crap do I do with the other half of the can?  Drink it?  Sheesh.  So I doubled the sauce recipe.  More is better, right?  Put it in a Tupperware and take it to work!

Fourthly, to make up for the decrease in healthiness thanks to the sour cream, I decreased the Parmesan cheese.  I didn't really notice a difference in taste.

Fifthly, I'm just not coordinated enough to throw chicken into the mix.  I'm roasting some broccoli, stirring a sauce, trying to keep the noodles from boiling over, and you want me to grill some chicken too?  Not in my 81 degree house.

Lastly, I used garlic powder instead of minced garlic.  It's more cheap that way.  Not to mention easier.  Are you noting a pattern here?

Now, this sauce isn't as delightful as my fancy, fatty Alfredo sauce--not nearly as creamy--but it's still pretty dang good.  And much more healthy.  So without further ado, here is the recipe:

{Moderately} Healthy Broccoli Alfredo

Roasted Broccoli: (Serves 8)
4 cups broccoli florets, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped)
6 Tbs (or 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs) olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a bowl combine all the ingredients and stir to evenly coat broccoli.  Spread out on a cookie sheet (or whatever you prefer) and bake for 15-20 minutes until it's crispy and the ends are slightly brown.

Sauce: (Serves 8)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup flour
1 (14 oz.) can fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp pepper
1 dash ground nutmeg
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil and garlic powder on medium-low heat in a medium saucepan.  Whisk in flour until smooth, then gradually whisk in broth, sour cream, milk, pepper, and nutmeg.  Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens (approximately 3 minutes).  Stir in Parmesan cheese until melted.


Combine the sauce with the broccoli, and serve with an appropriate amount of the noodle of your choice.  Maybe 16 ounces of Fettuccine?  Choose your own adventure.  Also, if you're ambitious enough to add chicken, please feel free.  If you desire, garnish with a little extra Parmesan cheese.  Voila!  A quick, easy, and {moderately} healthy meal!