Alfredo without the cream: a sauce built on fat-free sour cream, a little cheese, garlic and lemon, tossed with penne, chicken and asparagus. One plate is 47.5g of protein for 418 calories.

The lemon is what keeps a sour-cream alfredo from tasting flat — it brightens the whole sauce.

Ingredients

  • For the pasta
  • Whole-grain penne — 85 g [P 12 C 62 F 3]
  • Asparagus — 14 medium spears, chopped [P 3 C 6 F 0]
  • Salt — for the pasta water
  • For the chicken
  • Chicken breast — 2, ~180 g each raw [P 74 C 0 F 8]
  • Olive oil — 1 tsp (or spray)
  • Salt, pepper, oregano, onion powder — to taste
  • For the alfredo sauce
  • Fat-free sour cream — ⅓ cup [P 3 C 7 F 0]
  • Low-fat cheese — ¼ cup (mozzarella) [P 9 C 2 F 6]
  • Minced garlic — 1 tbsp
  • Lemon — ½, juiced
  • Pasta water — ¼ cup (reserved)

Method

  1. Cook the pasta and asparagus. Boil together in salted water 7 minutes; reserve ¼ cup water, then drain.
  2. Cook the chicken. Cube, season, and pan-cook 6 minutes.
  3. Make the sauce. Add the garlic, sour cream, cheese, lemon and pasta water to the pan; bring to a boil.
  4. Combine. Add the penne and asparagus; toss on low 3 minutes until the sauce thickens.

What to eat it with

  • Red pepper flakes — for heat.
  • A side salad.
  • Extra lemon.

Variations

  • Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.
  • Broccoli instead of asparagus.
  • Lower carb: a chickpea or lentil pasta.

Honest notes

  • Fibre: about 5g a serving, from the pasta and asparagus.
  • Chicken weight: written for ~180g raw breasts — see [Baked Chicken Breast].
  • Macros: reconcile with the per-serving 418 cal / 47.5g protein listed; no correction needed.