Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

I found this recipe from one of my favorite go to sites for healthy tips and it was delicious! I have made quite a few dinner recipes and this one ranks in the top 5 for sure. Since this recipe has pasta in it (which contains a lot of calories) a great way to cut back is to pack on more toppings and have less noodles. You do not have to use shrimp for this recipe. You can use chicken or nothing at all. I added LOTS of broccoli to the recipe, which is again optional.

 Takes 30-40 minutes to make
 Servings: 8 (I scaled back the ingredients and made 4 servings because I was cooking for two)

Optional Ingredients:
Frozen Shrimp (I used almost half of the bag - the shrimp are small and have almost no calories or fat)
Frozen Broccoli (I used the kind where you steam it in the bag and used half of bag)

Ingredients:

1 lb uncooked fettuccine (one box)
2 cups 2% milk (do not use skim milk)
1 tbsp All-purpose Flour
1/4 tsp salt
A dash of ground pepper to taste
2 tbsp margarine
2 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese (Neufchatel) Note: DO NOT USE FAT FREE CREAM CHEESE
2/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I did not have fresh parsley but I did have dry parsley, which I used to garnish)

Directions:

Note: If you are using frozen fish/chicken defrost before you start cooking. I cooked the shrimp in a skillet while the sauce was cooking. It only takes a few minutes. I microwaved the broccoli right before everything was ready to be served.

Cook fettuccine as directed on package.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir: milk, flour, salt, and pepper with a whisk until smooth.

In a 2 qt sauce pan, melt margarine/butter over medium-low heat.

With a wire whisk, stir milk mixture into melted margarine. Cook and stir over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until mixture thickens and boils.

Stir in cream cheese until melted.

Stir in Parmesan cheese until melted.

Plate cooked/drained fettuccine. If using shrimp and broccoli,distribute evenly among servings. Pour sauce over pasta and toss to coat. Sprinkle with parsley. ENJOY!