Skinny Scallop Alfredo
I love scallops, but since we have been trying to eat a little healthier around the McCarthy house lately, I’m sometimes a little adventurous when trying to cut calories and fat. My latest craze is substituting Greek yogurt for sour cream, dressings, or other fatty creams (my favorites). While I absolutely adore the massive amounts of butter, cream, and cheese that go into making alfredo the spectacular creation it is, the scale, my waistline, and myself are in disagreement over the matter. I’ve had five minions and am in my mid-thirties; metabolism isn’t the old friend it used to be. Skinny scallop alfredo is to the rescue.
Skinny Scallop Alfredo: Recipe Highlights
While you can certainly eat this warm, I prefer it chilled. To achieve that, I cook the pasta ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until I’m ready. Honestly cooking the pasta is that hardest part, and that is only because you have to wait for the water to boil. I’m sometimes an impatient wench.
Scallops
I use frozen bay scallops that I get from PeaPod …they’re tiny, bite-sized ones. When you’re ready to cook the scallops, the entire process takes less than 10 minutes. Heat up a small amount of oil in a skillet, toss in the scallops and seasoning, then cook for about five minutes. Once they turn a whitish color and are little firmer, they’re probably done. If you overcook them they can get rubbery, so be mindful and remove from the heat when done. Let’s be honest, I’ll still eat a rubbery scallop, which is better than no scallop at all.
Sauce
When mixing the sauce, I use a separate bowl and combine the yogurt, parmesan, basil, milk and the seasonings. Next, I add the pasta and broccoli. Lastly, I add the scallops so as not to tear them up trying to coat everything with the sauce. It’s pretty simple. I guess I could have called it the EASY Skinny Scallop Alfredo.
Skinny Scallop Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1 lb bay scallops
- 8 servings pasta
- 1 1/2 cup Greek yogurt plain
- 1 cup chopped broccoli
- 1 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp low-fat milk
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to packaging directions. Rinse in cold water when done.
- While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add that scallops, 1/2 tsp salt, paprika, and black pepper.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes or until white and no longer raw (it’s easy to overcook scallops). Remove from heat when done.
- Combine in a large bowl: Greek yogurt, garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, parmesan cheese, milk, and basil. Stir until combined.
- To the yogurt mixture, add broccoli and cooked pasta. Stir to coat.
- Add in the scallops. Toss gently and serve either chilled or warm.
