Greek Yogurt Shrimp Alfredo

Alfredo sauce is one of those foods. The kind I love, but avoid like the plague thanks to the high calorie count.  This meal started out like most.  Scoping out the kitchen, looking for something to cook.  I spotted the shrimp, which was a great choice for the start of a meal.  I've grown really fond of shrimp over the past year or so - it's a lean protein that cooks super fast (2-3 minutes per side!) and fits in many different dishes. I then the saw pasta and the Parmesan cheese, and before I knew it the wheels were turning...Alfredo sauce was in the future. I've made alfredo sauce from scratch before, using the traditional ingredients of butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese, but this time I decided to attempt a healthier version by swapping out some of the cream for Greek yogurt. I also recalled that I had picked up some truffle butter not long ago at a farmer's market - since sauteing the shrimp first was my plan, I decided to cook them in some of this glorious mushroom-infused butter to take this shrimp alfredo to the next level.

I was pretty stoked when I got the truffle butter, as I've been told by my mother for years about these amazing truffle mashed potatoes she gets from a local restaurant, The Everglades Room.  Truffles are mushrooms, and I've seen truffle oil before but never butter.  I tried a sample on some bread before I bought it, and my goodness...the flavor was so good.  It wasn't overwhelming to the butter taste, and didn't taste like the mushrooms I'm used to, but rather had a savory, garlic-like taste. This variety had small bits of truffles in it, as opposed to a recipe I read about that had a combination of truffle oil and butter.

I added some of the butter to my skillet and some minced garlic.  I then added in my shrimp.  This time around I pulled the tails off first, even though I prefer leaving them on in sauces to infuse more flavor into the meal.  I sautéed the little dudes for about 2 minutes, then flipped them over and cooked the other side until they were pink and white in color.

The rest is just like any Alfredo sauce.  I added in the cream and heated it until it simmered.  I also sprinkled in some salt, black pepper, moscato wine, and crushed red pepper.  I mixed in the Greek yogurt and stirred in the Parmesan until the mixture was consistent throughout, then sprinkled some fresh oregano in there.

It looked perfect on a bed of thin spaghetti noodles.  Don't mind my awful lighting.

The truffle butter did just as expected and gave the sauce a really rich, earthy flavor. Even 2 tablespoons went a long way but was just the right amount of taste.  The shrimp went so well with the sauce--I feel like the lightness of the shrimp correlates well with the thick alfredo.  And as far as the greek yogurt....I could not even tell!  With a whole half a cup I really expected to taste it, but that just tells me that greek yogurt is a fantastic choice for this cheesy sauce.  SOLD!

Greek Yogurt Shrimp Alfredo Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked shrimp
2 tablespoons truffle butter
3 tablespoons moscato wine
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Pasta, as desired

Instructions:

Begin boiling pasta in a large pot with water; cook as directed.  Melt butter in a large skillet, then add garlic and shrimp.  Saute for 2-3 minutes, then flip and continue cooking.  Add moscato wine, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.  Stir in heavy cream and heat to a simmer.  Add in the parmesan cheese and greek yogurt and stir until a thick but consistent mixture is reached.  Stir in fresh oregano.  Serve over fresh pasta.