Low Fat Alfredo Sauce

I made this when I had some left over garlic shrimp and wanted to do a shrimp alfredo over whole wheat pasta. Lacking the ingredients for a proper Alfredo ( and concerned about the fat load in regular Alfredo) I scrounged around my cupboards and refrigerator and used what I had. The result was wonderful! The roux adds the thickening missing by not using heavy cream and the buttermilk adds a delicious and fat-free tang. Unless you slop it on your pasta with a shovel, this comes out to about 95 calories per serving versus 400-500 for traditional Alfredo - what a difference!

• Ready In: 15 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2  teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 cup  fat-free half-and-half
• 1⁄2 cup buttermilk
• 1  garlic clove, lightly crushed
• 1  pinch nutmeg
• 3⁄4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1⁄4 cup pecorino romano cheese
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Melt butter until foaming. Stir in flour and continue stirring for 1-2 minutes until golden in color.
2. Whisk in liqiuids, garlic, nutmeg,salt and pepper and continue whisking at a simmer until slightly thickened.
3. Disgard garlic. stir in Parmesan and Romano. Stir until cheeses are incorporated.
4. At this point you may remove from heat while you cook the pasta or continue with the recipe.
5. Whisk the sauce until smooth and of desired consistancy. Adjust seasonings and add any other elements ( shrimp,chicken, scallions, broccoli etc) that you desire.
6. NOTE: If adding heavily seasoned elements such as garlic shrimp be sure to make the sauce without the garlic, salt and pepper until you have finished the sauce. Then adjust the flavors at that point.