Sun-Dried Tomato Fettuccine Alfredo
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Barilla. As always, I only partner with brands that I love and truly believe in, allowing me to create more quick and easy recipes to get us through the week without breaking the bank. All opinions expressed are my own.
The most AMAZING cream sauce that just melts in your mouth. Made LIGHTER, except you can’t even taste the difference!
So, I’m kind of in Italy. It’s for work, I promise.
But clearly, I’m here for pleasure because I’m about to attend the 6th edition of the Pasta World Championship in Milan and Parma on behalf of Barilla®!
Yes, there’s definitely a competition for pasta making. And with 20 young talent chefs from around the world, they will compete to win the title of Pasta World Champion.
Can you imagine having that coveted title?
I would have that displayed high and proud in my kitchen. On all my pans, my plates, my silverware…
As I serve myself this pasta on my Pasta World Champion engraved plate every single day for the rest of my life.
Just like the chefs competing this year, I love getting creative with pasta. It allows me to truly express myself. And you know you can never run out of creative pasta ideas.
Take my sun-dried tomato obsession here. With it, I just had to create the most epic cream sauce of ALL TIME. (Hey, guys, I’m also trying to be the pasta champion here too.) But really, I love how this pasta dish is so versatile.
It’s made lighter using 2% milk and reduced fat cream cheese, and you even have the option to use Barilla’s Whole Grain Linguine. You won’t be able to taste the difference.
I’m not that nice but it’s also good to share this with friends and family together around the table.
Pasta really does help me feel connected to my loved ones when we share meals because you know everyone will be begging for seconds and thirds, as I secretly hoard the rest for my lunch tomorrow.
We just won’t be telling that to anyone else.
Sun-Dried Tomato Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Barilla fettuccine pasta
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 ¾ cups 2% milk
- ½ cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 3 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, cubed
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the skillet and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Let cool before slicing; set aside.
- Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in the skillet. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour, tomato paste and basil until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in milk and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream cheese and Parmesan until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in pasta and chicken, and gently toss to combine.
- Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan and parsley, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Hi, could I use fresh tomatoes instead of sundried? Have made this before (loved the results) but I wasted a lot of sundried tomatoes as we didnt eat them in anything else so was hoping to switch it out if you think it could be done? Thank you in advance
So good. I try really hard to not alter recipes the first time I make them, but had to accommodate lactose intolerance for a guest. I used coconut milk instead, and left out the cream cheese and it was still AMAZING and creamy.
Instructions were pretty easy to follow. My pasta packages come in 500g bags, so I doubled the recipe, but the recipe directions (when you go to print), don’t adjust–just the ingredient list adjusts.
Like all the other folks who have a family member who says they don’t like tomatoes, my husband was a fan. My daughter, who normally enjoys trying new foods, didn’t take a bite. Best served right after making pasta. Leftovers eaten later in the day weren’t as yum.
This sauce is amazing! My son and I loved every bite!
This was so freaking amazing. I’m glad I’m just cooking for one, because I have some delicious leftovers to look forward to! That sauce was divine.
So delicious! Packed full of flavor i had 3 plates at least as did hubby.. I have picky eaters and toddlers in my family.. well they devoured this and asked for seconds!! I doubled the recipe and this reheated well the next day.
HOLY MOLY. I found this recipe and altered it slightly. I used half and half vs milk because I wanted it to be a tad creamier and I paired it with cheese ravioli instead of fettuccine. Do NOT sleep on this recipe! It has wonderful flavor, the tomato is not too overpowering and (bonus for me), this reheats beautifully! Normally a cream based sauce reheats terribly and separates; not this sexy recipe. If you’re looking for a jazzed up alfredo, look no further. You won’t regret it — unless you’re a noob.
This was so so good! Used chicken thighs instead of breasts, just personal preference, and added a bit of red pepper flakes for a kick. YUM! Thank you!
The kids and I loved the recipe. The only changes I made was that we like it spicy, so I added red chill flakes along with the garlic and I took out the chicken.
Hello..could I swap the chicken with mushrooms (to make it veggie friendly) and if so is there anything else I would need to alter in the recipe?
Thanks
Lovely! I added a tiny dash of liquid smoke and it works so well with the sun dried tomatoes.
Easy. Flavorful. Delish! Highly recommend. Quick meal.
If I wanted to add spinach to this recipe do you think I would need to up the amount of sauce? Want to hide some more veggies in there!
It really depends on how much spinach you plan to add – but yes, you can always up the amount of sauce! 🙂
This was delicious! I had Rana brand chicken and mozzarella tortellini, so I omitted the sautéed chicken.
Also, I used 1 cup 1 % milk and 3/4 cup chicken stock for the sauce. Very creamy and flavorful.
Everyone in my cheese-loving family wanted seconds!
Amazing!
Hi. While you are making the sauce, the pasta is just on side for now ? How do you make sure it doesn’t get sticky or dry ? How does it stay fresh ?
Yesenia, you can make the sauce as the pasta cooks so the pasta can stay warm and fresh. 🙂
Have you ever used fresh herbs instead of dried ?
Yes, I have! The ratio for dry to fresh herbs is typically 1:3. Hope that helps!
It would help if included a calorie count.
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, I recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps, Kevin!
I absolutely love your blog – I tried making this for the first time maybe four weeks ago and I’ve made it at least five times since then!
Hi! Curious, what kind of cooking pan/skillet do you recommend for cooking. A nonstick non-toxic Pan would be ideal. And I see you use the staub brand on some of your YouTube demos. Any suggestions?
I love All Clad as well.
Can’t wait to try this recipe, it looks so so soooo good! And you know, I love pasta, so it’s not hard for me to love a recipe like this!
Truly a winner. That sauce is pure goodness (I also like above commenters didn’t know what kind of sun dried tomatoes to use so I went with oil-packed) but I think it makes way more than is needed for 8 ounces of pasta. Next time def. doing the whole box (12 ounces minimum). But great “hack” on the sauce – it really was Damn Delicious.
Made this tonight for my family and it was so good!! Thank you!
I love all your recipes and have tried many of them with great delight! Right now I’m looking for a basic Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce that is easy and simple and can be used with chicken or shrimp with pasta. This recipe is close to what I’m looking for, but not quite. I’ve seen recipes that use half and half or even cream, but I’d rather not go with the cream. And the cheese is an issue, as the dear hubby isn’t a big cheese fan. The Creamy Tomato Basil sauce that is in the Bartolli frozen Shrimp with asparagus and Penne is what I’m looking for. I’ve had similar in restaurants, but have been unable to duplicate it. Can you make a suggestion? I’d really appreciate it, and so would dear hubby.
We have a Shrimp Pasta with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce recipe. You could lighten it up using light cream for instance. You can find the recipe here! I hope this helps.
Nice work!! Taking Alfredo to the next level 😉
I have not found sun dried tomatoes that I like. What brand do you use?
I actually don’t have a preferred brand!
Can I use heavy cream, instead of the milk?
Yes, of course.
First off, I LOVE your recipes…
This morning before opening my emails, I placed my dehydrated tomatoes into a jar, and I took out two chicken breasts from the freezer and told my husband that we would be eating something “chicken” for dinner tonight.
And lo and behold, I opened your SUN-DRIED TOMATO FETTUCCINE ALFREDO post. Serendipity !!!
Keep it coming, you’ve made my retirement dinners amazing
Congratulations on earning a spot in this amazing contest. Be sure to make us all proud here in Southern California by winning! This recipe looks delicious (as all your recipes are!) but can’t wait to see your ‘winning’ recipe posted here next week. Good luck and take home the gold!
Did you use sun dried tomatoes packed in oil?
You can use either variety – dry or packed in oil. It’s up to you!
Have fun in Italy!
I love all your recipes, you are sure to be a winner.
For the SUN-DRIED TOMATO FETTUCCINE ALFREDO, do you use them packed in oil, or simply dried?
Thanks,
sue
I have actually made it both ways and loved each version so it’s really up to you!
Did you re-hydrate the sun-dried tomatoes before using?
No, I did not.