Skip to content

Top Navigation

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Recipes
  • Cooking 101
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
SUBSCRIBE
Pin FB

Explore Cooking Light

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 31-Day Healthy Meal Plan

      Our 31-day calendar of meals and tips shows you how to cook more and love it with fun, family-friendly meals that come together quickly and deliciously. Read More
    • Dinner Tonight: Quick and Healthy Menus in 45 Minutes (or Less)

      Hundreds of delicious recipes, paired with simple sides, that can be on your table in 45 minutes or less. Read More
    • Our Favorite Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

      Who ever said that chicken wings, doughnuts, and pizza couldn't be healthy? Read More
  • Recipes

    Recipes

    See All Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Recipe Makeovers
    • Quick & Healthy
    • Diabetic
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Cooking Light Live
  • Cooking 101

    Cooking 101

    See All Cooking 101
    • Essential Ingredients
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Meet the Chef
    • Cooking Resources
    • Budget Friendly
    • Smart Choices
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living

    Healthy Living

    See All Healthy Living
    • Weight-Loss
    • Health
    • Fitness
    • Home
    • Travel
    • Nutrition 101
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Eating Smart
  3. Recipe Makeover: Healthier Chicken Tetrazzini

Recipe Makeover: Healthier Chicken Tetrazzini

By Sidney Fry MS, RD January 14, 2014
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lindsey Lower 
Up the veg, cut the cream, and drop 234 calories with our light version.
Start Slideshow

1 of 4

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Taking Back Tetrazzini

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lindsey Lower 
Tetrazzini is one of those dishes that practical cooks love: It makes delicious use of leftover chicken or turkey and is bound to please your crowd. The traditional dish is a cozy casserole for sure, but with a rich cast of characters—cream, butter, cheese, pasta—that packs 670 calories and a day's worth of sat fat into just one helping. The New Year calls for a new casserole. How about the same comfort-filled yum for just 435 calories?

Classic:
669 calories 
19.9 grams saturated fat
1,088 milligrams sodium

Makeover:
435 calories
4.9 grams saturated fat
573 milligrams sodium

 

 

1 of 4

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 4

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Tip #1: Evaporated Low-Fat Milk

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lindsey Lower 
This low-fat option replaces whipping cream and whole milk to save 145 calories and 9.2g sat fat per serving. Unsalted chicken stock and wine enrich the sauce with savory and acidic notes.

2 of 4

3 of 4

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Tip #2: Use Less Pasta, More Veggies

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lindsey Lower 
8 cups of fresh mushrooms, green peas, and onions sub in for 25% of the calorie-heavy pasta to add maximum flavor with minimum salt and fat, shaving another 82 calories per serving.

3 of 4

Advertisement

4 of 4

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Tip #3: Replace the Stick of Butter

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lindsey Lower 
Parmigiano-Reggiano and 1/3-less-fat cream cheese replace the traditional stick of butter and add a rich, creamy cheesiness to our light béchamel sauce—saving 68 calories and 6.2g sat fat per serving.

4 of 4

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Sidney Fry MS, RD

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 4 Taking Back Tetrazzini
    2 of 4 Tip #1: Evaporated Low-Fat Milk
    3 of 4 Tip #2: Use Less Pasta, More Veggies
    4 of 4 Tip #3: Replace the Stick of Butter

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Cooking Light

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise

    Connect

    MeredithCooking Light is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Cooking Light may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Cooking Light. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.cookinglight.com

    View image

    Recipe Makeover: Healthier Chicken Tetrazzini
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.