This is from Cooking Light. Several years ago my boss brought in a ravioli dish with this sauce for a work party. It was pretty good.

Cooking Light Alfredo

1 T margarine
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 T flour
1-1/3 c skim milk
2 T light cream cheese
1-1/4 c grated parmesan
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp chopped basil

Melt margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Stir in flour. Gradually add milk, stirring with a wire whisk until smooth. Cook, stirring constantly, 8 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in cream cheese, cook 2 minutes. Add parmesan, parsley and basil, stir until cheese is melted.

Linda

Barb, I feel your pain. My husband is on a low sodium diet and so must restrict his Parmesan cheese intake. And it's the Parmesan that gives the lovely flavor to Alfredo. Plus any processed product like a Stouffers meal will include extra salt. That said, I do make bechamel sauce for pasta & vegetables that taste OK. But you'd never confuse it with a real Alfredo.

To cut calories, you could use milk rather than cream or half & half. Make the sauce with cornstarch rather than a roux -- although I think butter adds a lot of good flavor. Start the sauce with some sauteed finely chopped onion and/or garlic. Throw in some fresh or dried herbs you like for extra flavor. Perhaps use some no-salt-added chicken broth for some of the liquid. Be sure to add some freshly ground pepper.

Other possibilities include adding some sour cream or cream cheese for richness and a bit of tang. Both of those are low in sodium. You could probably use the low fat versions, but I'd avoid the fat free stuff.

Depending on how low salt you want to go, you could save the shredded Parmesan for sprinkling on top. I often add about 2 tbsp. to the sauce and then sprinkle a bit on top. A great way to add low sodium flavor is to make a crumb topping. I combine breadcrumbs with garlic and fresh or dried herbs (sometimes I'll add red pepper flakes for some kick) in a small skillet. Brown them in butter and take off heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of shredded Parmesan, and I've got a tasty pasta topping that's much lower in sodium than straight cheese.

The bottom line for me is to make something that's tasty but without a lot of sodium. I know that I cannot duplicate standard recipes. But I can fiddle and come up with something that tastes good and satisfies my husband. For example, if he sees a KFC commercial & gets a craving for fried chicken, that's what I'll make. But I use no-salt-added fresh chicken and don't add salt to the dredging flour. It's not the same but it's pretty darn good.

I just melt some cheese into 4% fat creme fraiche. The low fat cream offsets the cheese hahaha

I just started making this sauce and it is now a family favorite. So easy to make and you can use what type of milk you want (I always use skim) also you can use cream cheese with the fat level you want.

Here is a link that might be useful: mel's cafe creamy alfredo