Evaporated Skim Milk

• Instead of dousing the dish with cream, add cold low-fat milk and evaporated skim milk. Do not confuse evaporated skim milk with sweetened condensed milk, a syrupy, sugary product usually used in baked goods and candies. Evaporated skim milk is is 0.5 percent milk -- or skimmed milk -- that's had between 50 and 60 percent of the water removed. To create the Alfredo sauce, saute minced garlic in olive oil and stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Combine with the oil to create a mixture similar to roux and then slowly add a combination of the milks in a stream, stirring continuously. When the milk thickens to the desired consistency, add cheese and season with salt.

Just Low-Fat Milk

• If you don't have evaporated skim milk on hand, use milk only for the recipe. Create the garlicky roux, and stir in a stream of 1 percent or 2 percent milk. Use about 1 tablespoon of flour for every 1 1/3 cups of milk. Don't forget to add plenty of Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Lighten Alfredo With Ricotta

• In spring and summer, you may crave the flavors of Alfredo sauce -- but the heavy ingredients weigh you down. Use ricotta cheese instead of cream to create a lighter dish. Stir ricotta cheese together in a pot with a little pasta cooking water to thin it out. Add about 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese for every 1 cup of whole-milk ricotta. Mix the sauce into cooked pasta and top it with slivers of fresh basil and season it with salt and black pepper.

Non Dairy

• If milk is out of the question for ethical or health reasons, you can still recreate the deliciousness of Alfredo sauce. Make a "cheese" from soaked raw cashews that you flavor with garlic and nutritional yeast. Thin the cheese with unsweetened almond milk and nondairy butter. A little lemon juice and tahini adds tang reminiscent of the sharp bite of an Italian hard cheese.