But okay, back to the recipe: Light Chicken and Mushroom Spaghetti Squash Alfredo. Alfredo sauce is typically packed with calories and cholesterol. Albeit tasty, it's not really the best thing to eat health-wise (I'm not judging, I splurge occasionally). Part of the reason for the high calorie and cholesterol count is the heavy cream used to make the sauce. So, use skim milk instead!

How, you may ask, do you make a thick and creamy alfredo sauce without heavy cream?! Great question. You use a roux to thicken the skim milk, giving it the same texture as a sauce with heavy cream but with 1/3 the calories and 1/4 the cholesterol (based on a typical alfredo sauce). Okay, great, but what is a roux?! Another great question. A roux (pronounced roo) is a basic thickening agent. It's made by making equal parts fat (butter) and flour.

Now, with all these substitutions, you would think this doesn't taste quite so rich and delicious. But believe me, it does. And if don't believe me, try it yourself and see what you think. I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised!

Light Chicken and Mushroom Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Yield: 4 servings (1 cup squash, 1/4 cup sauce, 4 oz. chicken) | Prep time: 5 minutes | Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
Directions:

1. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil (enough to coat the pan).
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook through, about 3 minutes on each side. Once chicken is cooked, remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm (while chicken is cooking, make the light alfredo sauce - directions below ).
3. Add wine and deglaze pan. Simmer wine until it is reduced by half. Add mushrooms and brown them, stirring occasionally, for about 4-5 minutes. 
4. Once mushrooms are brown, add garlic and saute for another minute.
5. Slice chicken into slices, then add chicken back to mushrooms and stir to combine.
6. For each serving, place 1/4 of the chicken/mushroom mixture atop 1 cup of warm spaghetti squash. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of the light alfredo sauce and top with shredded Parmesan cheese. 

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a pot over low heat. 
2. Once the butter is melty and foamy, whisk in the flour. Continue to stir the butter and flour until a thick paste forms. 
3. Add the warm milk and whisk to combine. Increase heat to medium-high and continue stirring until sauce begins to thicken.
4. Add garlic powder, salt, pepper and nutmeg, whisk to combine
5. Turn off heat and stir in Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional information per serving (1 cup squash, 1/4 cup sauce, 4 oz. chicken):

Calories: 430

Total fat: 18 grams

Carbohydrates: 17 grams

Fiber: 1 gram

Protein: 47 grams

Weight Watchers points: 11

Enjoy and thanks for reading!