Lighter Avocado Alfredo Pasta with Spicy Chicken

by Erin

If you thought alfredo sauce was creamy, wait until you try this lighter avocado alfredo pasta. Best served with fresh greens and spicy chicken on top!

Lighter Avocado Alfredo Pasta served with Spicy Chicken and arugula on top.
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I have a confession to make. I am a candle hoarder.

You see, I love finding candles in amazing scents and thinking how great they will make my apartment smell. Yet somehow they end up being stashing away for some “special occasion” because I don’t want to waste such an awesome smell on just a regular ol’ day. And what if I cannot find that scent again? The horror! Apparently my own existence in my apartment did not seem like a good enough reason to burn them. And that makes absolutely no sense.

So, I have since changed this strange habit of mine because candles are meant to be BURNED. Plus I refuse to box up several large candles whenever I graduate and move this summer.

Lighter Avocado Alfredo Pasta with Spicy Chicken garnished with Parmesan cheese.

While I am offering up my habits, I present to you yet another variation of a lighter alfredo. I cannot get enough of it – it’s just so easy to make! And with the absence of heavy cream there’s really no excuse not to make it.

This version is made with avocados and results in an amazingly green and creamy sauce. But just so you are ware, it is thicker than traditional sauce due to the avocados, so you may need to add more reserved pasta water to thin it out. It is also especially delicious when paired with the spicy chicken.

If you want a smaller serving option that’s even healthier, try my Spaghetti Avocado.

What pasta goes well with Avocado Alfredo sauce?

While fettucine is the most common and would work perfectly well with this dish, I opted for the newest cascatelli pasta shape. It was great for holding on to pockets of the sauce which I found to be very delightful.

Lighter Avocado Alfredo Pasta with Spicy Chicken on a plate.

Lighter Avocado Alfredo Pasta served with Spicy Chicken and arugula on top.

LIGHTER AVOCADO ALFREDO PASTA WITH SPICY CHICKEN

Print
Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CHICKEN

  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken tenders
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Pinch cayenne, to taste
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

SAUCE

  • 2 large avocados
  • 1-1/2 cups 2% milk
  • 2 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
  • 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt

TO SERVE

Directions

  1. In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook pasta until almost cooked through (just before al dente). Reserve a cup of the cooking water.
  2. While the pasta cooks, in a shallow bowl, combine the black pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder salt and cayenne. Add chicken and toss until well coated.
  3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken, flipping once, until cooked through.
  4. While the chicken cooks, in a food processor add the flesh of the avocados, milk, cream cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan, flour and process until smooth. Transfer to a large pot over medium high heat. Simmer until warmed, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper, plus additional to taste.
  5. Add the pasta into the sauce, simmering until noodles have finished cooking, about 3 additional minutes (add reserved cooking water if sauce becomes overly dry and thick).
  6. Plate pasta, top with arugula and then chicken. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Did You Make This Recipe?
I want to see! Tag me on Instagram at @TheSpiffyCookie and hashtag it #TheSpiffyCookie.

Source: Adapted from Domestic Fits and my Lighter Fettucine Alfredo.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE
Guiltless Avocado Alfredo Pasta

Post updated 5/8/2023, photo above is the original.

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16 comments

Lighter Chicken Bellagio May 8, 2023 - 9:11 am

[…] Either way, after experiencing it I decided I needed to make a homemade version that is slightly healthier. The chicken is oven-fried and served over whole wheat pasta tossed in a light pesto-asiago cream sauce with prosciutto. Top it off with some fresh arugula and it’s a sight for sore eyes! (And reminds me a lot of my avocado alfredo.) […]

Reply
Lighter Cajun Chicken Alfredo January 7, 2021 - 2:59 pm

[…] went into the regular rotation for dinner. I have since made other versions using goat cheese, avocado, and hemp seed instead of […]

Reply
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction March 14, 2013 - 2:58 pm

Love everything about this dish! The sauce looks perfectly thick and creamy!

Reply
Valerie | Pursuit of Sweetness March 14, 2013 - 11:13 am

I love this idea! It looks so in-cred-i-bly creamy :) I don’t use cream cheese…but my guess is I could easily exchange it for some other really melty cheese or sour cream/yogurt? I’ll be testing it out!

Reply
spiffycookie March 14, 2013 - 11:31 am

If you use sour cream/yogurt it will be less thick and obviously a bit more tang to it. But since this sauce is thick from the cream cheese and avocado together, it might be a good trade off.

Reply
Jessica - The Novice Chef March 13, 2013 - 8:05 pm

I can’t wait to try this!! I love that it’s ass friendly. :)

Reply
spiffycookie March 14, 2013 - 12:00 pm

Totally ass friendly ;-)

Reply
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers March 13, 2013 - 7:29 pm

I love it! Love the idea of using avocado! What a beautiful dish!

Reply
sally @ sallys baking addiction March 13, 2013 - 2:31 pm

I feel silly for NEVER thinking to add avocado to make a creamy pasta sauce. And it’s much better for you than traditional sauce. Erin, I love this!

Reply
Elaine @ Cooking to Perfection March 13, 2013 - 12:12 pm

Awesome idea! I love avocado anything, so I’m dying to try this pasta sauce. Can’t beat that it’s healthier than traditional alfredo too!

Reply
Vicki @ WITK March 13, 2013 - 11:30 am

You’ll find that when you box everything up after grad school, you’ll throw a lot of weird stuff away! That’s what I did and it was awesome. So burn those candles and enjoy a nice smelling apartment while you write your thesis (it’s very important to set the mood for thesis writing).

Reply
spiffycookie March 13, 2013 - 11:35 am

I was digging though my front closet last night and found random stuff of my ex’s from when he lived with me. I can only imagine what I will find when I pack everything and move!

Reply
Tracey March 13, 2013 - 9:50 am

That look so so good!! I’ve wanted to try avocado pasta sauce for a while but I always chicken out at the last minute.

Oh and ps – I’m a candle hoarder too, but I think we talked about that already :)

Reply
spiffycookie March 13, 2013 - 9:54 am

We did. Kita admitted to me this morning that she is too!

Reply
Kelly Senyei | Just a Taste March 13, 2013 - 8:41 am

Genius! I will absolutely be bookmarking this recipe for spring entertaining. Looks fantastic!

Reply
Anne @The Cooking Campaign March 13, 2013 - 7:23 am

You had me at Avocado! I can’t get enough of ’em.

Reply

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