Eat This Instead of That: Dinner

Almost one hundred years ago, a man named Alfredo di Lelio added a special dish to the menu at his Rome restaurant, because his wife enjoyed the pasta so much that he decided to serve it to the public. Fast-forward to the 21st century and it is probably hard to find an Italian restaurant that does not serve his dish.

Capellini Alfredo
A flavor-packed pasta dish. | Photo by Estefania Souza.

Fettuccine Alfredo is known and served worldwide. Nowadays the variations to the original recipe–which basically just doubled the amount of butter in pasta al burro (with butter)–are endless, just like the amount of calories in one plate. Options are abundant in Boston. There is Bertucci’s Fettuccine Alfredo With Asparagus & Chicken ($13.49, 1200 calories) or CPK’s Garlic Fettuccine ($10, 1386 calories). Local restaurants also offer options, but it’s the Cheesecake Factory’s $15.95 Fettuccine with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes that tops the charts, with a whopping 1830 calories per dish. That’s like eating 6 McDonald’s cheeseburgers! Is it really worth it?

What if there was a way to eat delicious fettuccine Alfredo for about 400 calories at a cost of less than $3 per serving? Well, there is. This recipe for Red Pepper Shrimp Capellini Alfredo takes the original and tweaks it into a healthier pasta without sacrificing flavor–and it comes out to only 411 calories per serving.

Red Pepper Shrimp Capellini Alfredo (adapted from Cook This, Not That)

Makes 4 servings.

  • 10 oz. dried capellini
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup fat free milk
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 3/4 cup chopped bottled roasted red peppers
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 8 oz. peeled raw shrimp
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Bring a large pot of water to boil; add salt. Cook capellini until al dente, about 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for a minute or until fully incorporated. Slowly add the milk and half-and-half, whisking to avoid lumps. Add chopped peppers and stir. Turn heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  3. Transfer sauce to blender and purée until smooth. Return to pan over low heat and stir in Parmesan. Add shrimp and stir; season with salt and pepper. Cook sauce for about one minute. Add cooked pasta and toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately.

    Shrimp and roasted red peppers make this a healthy variation. | Photo by Estefania Souza.


Wishing you ate something healthy for breakfast? Look no more, here is a great alternative.

About Estefania Souza

Estefania is passionate foodie and magazine lover. She could spend all day every day flipping through food magazines and dreaming of a kitchen equipped with everything from a pair SubZero refrigerators, to a professional KitchenAid electric mixer to a brick oven. Follow her on twitter @estefaniasouza

View all posts by Estefania Souza →

One Comment on “Eat This Instead of That: Dinner”

  1. HISTORY OF ALFREDO DI LELIO CREATOR OF “FETTUCCINE ALL’ALFREDO”
    With reference of your article we have the pleasure to tell you the history of our grandfather Alfredo Di Lelio, creator of “fettuccine all’Alfredo” (recipe in the world known).
    Alfredo di Lelio opened the restaurant “Alfredo” in 1914 in a street in central Rome, after leaving his first restaurant run by his mother Angelina in Piazza Rosa (Piazza disappeared in 1910 following the construction of the Galleria Colonna / Sordi). In this local spread the fame, first to Rome and then in the world, of “fettuccine all’Alfredo”.
    In 1943, during the war, Di Lelio gave the local to his collaborators.
    In 1950 Alfredo Di Lelio decided to reopen with his son Armando his restaurant “Il Vero Alfredo” in Rome, Piazza Augusto Imperatore n.30, which is now managed by his nephews Alfredo (same name of grandfather) and Ines (the same name of his grandmother, wife of Alfredo Di Lelio, who were dedicated to the noodles).
    See also the site of “Il Vero Alfredo” http://www.alfredo-roma.it/).
    We must clarify that other restaurants “Alfredo” in Rome do not belong to the family tradition of “Il Vero Alfredo” in Rome.
    We inform that the restaurant “Il Vero Alfredo” is in the registry of “Historic Shops of Excellence” of the City of Rome Capitale.

    Best regards Alfredo e Ines Di Lelio

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *