Creamy Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Go-to comfort food dishes, anyone? Ive got a number of them to choose from on any given night, but Homemade Alfredo Sauce served over a bowl of pasta is always a front-runner in this family!
This creamy sauce may sound like quite a bit of work, but it actually only takes about 15 minutes to make, tops. After that, all you have to do is toss it with some pasta, and dinner is served!
To say this easy pasta dish is a crowd-pleaser would be a massive understatement just in case you were mulling over what to make for dinner tonight. )
Creamy Alfredo Sauce Recipe Tips
- Use a high-quality Parmesan or Parmesan grated straight off the block for best results.
- Never stop stirring! You don’t want the cream to curdle. Keep stirring when adding the cream, American cheese, and Parmesan.
- If your sauce isn’t thick enough, allow it to bubble for a few more minutes before serving.
- Heat your serving dish in the oven for a couple of minutes on now. The key to the perfect alfredo sauce is serving it piping hot!
Three Cheese Alfredo Sauce Recipe
What three cheeses will you add to this Olive Garden copycat Alfredo sauce? The typical cheeses are parmesan and cream cheese. Kick it up a notch with this recipe by adding mozzarella cheese! Its delicious, melts well, and fits in perfectly with any pasta dish. Add all of the cheeses to the butter and garlic cream mixture. Continue to heat it over medium to low heat until all the cheese is melted.
You can add any pasta to this Alfredo sauce! I like penne and fettuccini, but dont feel limited to just those pasta choices. Mix it up and have fun! Add chicken and broccoli to change up the recipe from time to time. This same base can be used for Carbonara as well. I cooked 3/4 of a traditional 1-pound box of penne pasta while making the Alfredo. Once the pasta is done, pour the drained pasta directly into the sauce. If you prefer less creamy pasta, consider adding the entire 1-pound box of cooked pasta.
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Cream Cream And More Cream : Homemade Alfredo Sauce Ingredients 101
Now that youre basically an expert in all things alfredo, youll know by simply skimming our alfredo sauce ingredients list that our alfredo recipe is more American-style than authentically Italian. And yet, it yields the hands-down best bowl of fettuccine alfredo you can find on either side of the Atlantic! Authentic or no, its exactly what we crave when were hankering for alfredo and we know youre going to love it, too. Pick your favorite pastafettuccine noodles are the classic choiceand get cooking! Heres everything youll need to make the best alfredo sauce recipe ever:
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Parmesan cheese
How Do You Heat Up Alfredo Sauce
Alfredo sauce is a creamy and delicious sauce that can be used on a variety of dishes. It is made with butter, garlic, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese. The sauce can be heated in a variety of ways, depending on the recipe.
If the sauce is being heated in a saucepan on the stove, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until golden. Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Add the Parmesan cheese and continue to simmer until the cheese is melted.
If the sauce is being heated in the microwave, melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the garlic and microwave for 30 seconds. Add the heavy cream and microwave for 1 minute. Add the Parmesan cheese and microwave for 30 seconds.
Whichever way you choose to heat the sauce, be sure to stir it well so that the ingredients are evenly distributed. Serve over your favorite pasta dish.
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Tips For The Best Alfredo Sauce
If youre having a bad day, this elegant sauce will definitely make it better. Its totally comfort food! Here are some tips on how to get the best results with your Alfredo sauce so you dont stress while making this easy sauce:
- To Double the Recipe: This sauce will make enough to throughly coat 8 oz of fettuccine. Double recipe if you are making 16 oz of pasta!
- Dont Overheat the Saucepan: Too much heat can burn the butter/garlic and make the cheese clump, so try to keep your heat low and steady as you make this sauce.
- Parmesan Cheese: You want to use freshly grated or fresh parmesan cheese, not the kind in the shaker can.
- Let the Cheese Come to Room Temp: It will melt faster if it comes to room temperature first, which will ensure that your sauce is relatively smooth.
- Use a Whisk: You dont want your sauce to separate, so use a whisk and stir often. This will keep your Alfredo Sauce from separating and stirring it often will keep it from burning.
- Taste It! Make sure you taste it before coating your pasta with the sauce. Make sure it has enough salt and pepper for your liking.
Expert Tips And Tricks For The Perfect Alfredo Sauce Every Time
- Dont use flour! This recipe doesnt call for flour in the first place but the biggest mistake I see with people making Alfredo sauce is that they use flour. You dont need it!
- Pick the freshest parmesan. Grating it right off the block really is the best. Its cheaper too so it does you better in the long run.
- Grate the cheese before getting started. This small step will help you get enough cheese into the sauce to thicken it up.
- The sauce will thicken on its own. If you let it stand for a few minutes and it still isnt as thick as youd like, add more parmesan.
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The Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Alfredo is a very simple cream pasta sauce made with simple ingredients in a medium saucepan: butter, cream, and grated Parmesan cheese. This is the BEST Alfredo Sauce! It is filling and packed with garlic parmesan flavor. You can add chicken, rotisserie chicken, meatballs, shrimp, or any protein desired. My kids like to eat it plain with noodles or ravioli. This dinner is easy to make and perfect with your favorite pasta or any pasta you have on hand.
Our recipe has three kinds of cheese, yes thats right, a THREE cheese Alfredo. Its just perfect in my book. The recipe starts by melting one stick of butter. Youll whisk in garlic and gently let the butter and garlic cook. This makes your entire kitchen smell delicious inevitably drawing anybody home to the kitchen to ask what youre making.
Now that your home smells amazing and everyones stomach is starting to growl, youll add heavy cream to the garlic butter mixture. The cream thickens up the base of the sauce and prevents you from needing to add additional flour. Stir over medium-low heat until it begins to gently bubble. Keep a close eye on the simmer because butter, milk, and cheese can burn easily!
Can I Heat Alfredo Sauce In The Jar
When your Alfredo sauce is ready, it will have a thick, creamy consistency and a slightly bitter aftertaste. It should also be slightly pink in color.
If your sauce doesnt meet these conditions, you can adjust it by adding more milk or white wine.Alfredo sauce is a classic Italian sauce that can be made with a variety of meats or vegetables.
To keep Alfredo sauce creamy, you will need to use a few key ingredients and techniques.
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How To Make This Chicken Alfredo Recipe
This chicken Alfredo recipe could not be easier and its super quick to put it all together. Heres the simple method:
For the full, printable recipe, reference the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Boil pasta. Start a pot of salted boiling water and cook the pasta until al dente and according to package instructions. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
Cook chicken. While your pasta water is boiling and the pasta is cooking, you can season and cook the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and seasonings and cook, stirring occasionally until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the corn and bell pepper and cook for a couple of minutes more. Set aside on a plate.
Make the sauce: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the milk and cornstarch until smooth. Pour the milk mixture into the pan and stir continuously through the bottom of the pan until the sauce has thickened. Add the crushed tomatoes and half of the cheddar cheese and stir well to combine. Allow the sauce to bubble for a few minutes taste and season to your taste with salt and pepper. If needed, add more of the seasonings to reach your desired taste.
Finish the dish: Return the chicken and veggies into the pan with the sauce, together with the cooked pasta. Stir to combine, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
Alfredo Sauce That Perfectly Reheats
The real magic of this easy Alfredo sauce is that it reheats so well. So many cheese sauces are prone to separating into gritty cheese and puddles of greasy liquid when reheated, but not this sauce. The flour in the roux makes this a very stable, very reliable, and a very forgiving sauce.
The Alfredo sauce will harden into a thick paste once it cools in the fridge, but give it a few minutes of gentle heat on the stovetop or in the microwave, and it will once again become silky and creamy. If you see a few little beads of fat starting to form, just whisk vigorously to blend them back in.
You can also freeze this Alfredo sauce for up to one month. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave.
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Creamy Cheesy And Comforting: This Easy Alfredo Sauce Is Everything You Want In A Pasta Sauce
Growing up, pasta was my familys go-to option for easy weeknight dinners, but we never really made anything from scratch. I know an easy Alfredo sauce only takes a few minutes to pull together, but we were more of a box of pasta, jar of sauce and a vegetable side dish kind of family.
Then, when I went to culinary school, I learned that a classic Alfredo sauce is nothing more than butter, cream, garlic and Parmesan cheese.
You dont even need the jar of sauce! This Alfredo sauce recipe is simple and creates a creamy, cheesy and super flavorful sauce that comes together in a flash. It almost takes longer to cook the pasta than the sauce. Dont believe me? Read on to learn how to make Alfredo sauce thats restaurant-worthy.
How To Store Alfredo Sauce:
To make the perfect blend of Alfredo Sauce you will want to watch your cooking temperature and stirring well. This will make the perfect alfredo sauce and reheating just a breeze.
Alfredo Sauce is a favorite in our home and I know that it does not last long, even if I double it! Enjoy your sauce again and again when storing it properly.
- Storing in the Refrigerator: I like to pour my Alfredo Sauce in a jar and sealed in the refrigerator. For best results and continued flavoring it will last in the fridge for about 5 days.
- Freezing: Unfortunately this Alfredo Sauce does not freeze well. Because of the freshness of it, it will separate when freezing.
- Reheating: Slowly, is the key! Slow, low temperatures and stirring often. If it starts to separate, slowly stir it back together over low heat on the stove top. It is best not to microwave this sauce. It becomes more oily and separates just as easily, if not more. Once reheated, do not reheat again.
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Serve The Alfredo Pasta
And just like that, the sauce is done! Toss the pasta in the sauce then serve the dish, ideally topped with 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley and, if you like some spice, a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.
The pasta will be great hot or cold the next day, too, and Musgrave adds that “the sauce will keep for two to three days. Refrigerate it in an airtight container. To reheat it, heat the sauce in a pan on low heat until warmed.”
Best Overall: Little Italy In The Bronx Alfredo Sauce
It should come as no surprise that a standout Alfredo sauce comes straight from the heart of the Italian capital of the United StatesNew York City. As you might expect, the pasta sauce is produced with traditional and simple ingredients, like cream, butter, fresh garlic, and a zesty Parmigiano-Reggiano to yield a silky and super-fresh product that beautifully coats any type of noodle, from fettuccine to penne.
You can feel good about this purchase for so much more than the taste, though. The sauce is named after The Bronxs Arthur Avenue and doesnt contain any preservatives or added sugar. Whats more, a portion of the proceeds helps preserve the traditions of Little Italy in the Bronx by promoting business development, cultural programming, and streetscape improvements.
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Take Pasta Night To The Next Level With Our Easy Recipe For Rich Homemade Alfredo Sauce
BHG/Madhumita Sathishkumar
A luscious, homemade Alfredo sauce recipe makes for a culinary dream come true. As soon as you master how to make Alfredo sauce, you can combine a handful of affordable ingredients, boil some pasta, toss it all together, and you’ll feel like you’ve been instantly transported to an Italian trattoria. The original Alfredo sauce recipe was developed by restaurateur Alfredo di Lelio in 1920s Rome. His hallmark dish, fettuccine Alfredo, combined hot fettuccine with a rich sauce made of butter, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese, and generous grindings of pepper. While a fettuccine Alfredo recipe is still a classic, much-loved dish, Alfredo sauce has become a delicious addition to many other family favorites, including casseroles, veggies, and pizza recipes. With this guide to making Alfredo sauce from scratch, you can be well-stocked for this versatile, silky sauce so you’re never more than minutes away from all of these dishes and more.
Tips On Selecting Ingredients
Alfredo sauce only contains a handful of ingredients. Everything counts, but the cheese is really the most important factor to making this sauce shine. Its really important to opt for the highest-quality cheese you can afford.
In addition to Parmesan cheese, we added Romano cheese to our recipe. It has a sharp, slightly tangy flavor that adds a level of depth to the sauce. If you just want to use one cheese for simplicity, go ahead and use Parmigiano Reggiano. Its made in Italy and has a deep, rich, nutty flavor. The cheese labeled Parmesan isnt authentic. It might have a similar flavor, but its saltier and more acidic than the real deal.
No matter what you cheese choose, try to avoid the pre-grated stuff. It doesnt melt as well, and it may contain anti-clumping agents like plant cellulose.
When it comes to cream, stick with heavy cream. We knowits not super healthybut using it is the only way to get Alfredo sauce to thicken naturally. If you swap in half-and-half or milk, youll need to add flour or cornstarch to get it thick enough to coat the noodles.
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Making Pasta With Alfredo Sauce From A Jar
Using store-bought alfredo sauce allows you to create a tasty dish for your family in half the time. Youll be able to create restaurant-quality food quickly and easily. If youre sick of cooking every night or are looking for a new dish that the kids will love, making a meal from a jar is easy.
If youre trying alfredo jar sauce for the first time, here are some tips and tricks that will help you create the perfect dish.
Special thanks to Sonoma Gourmet for sending over the tasty alfredo sauce used for this recipe guide. I tried both the regular creamy spinach alfredo sauce and the bacon alfredo sauce they are both quite delicious! Check out to see their full line of pasta sauces.
What Happens When You Overcook Alfredo Sauce
Alfredo sauce is a classic dish that can be easily solved with a few simple steps. However, if you go too far and over cook the sauce, it can become dry and unpalatable. Here are five tips to follow to avoid overcooking your Alfredo sauce:
1. Make sure the water in the pot is heated before adding the pasta. This will help prepare the pasta for baking and thicken the sauce.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions until tenderthis will ensure that it doesnt get tough while cooking.
3. Avoid using butter or olive oil in your recipe as they will both make the sauce Too Thickened.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste before serving your Alfredo sauce so that it tastes like home-cooked food instead of something processed in a kitchen stovetop oven.
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Storage Information & Meal Prep Instructions
This keto alfredo sauce recipe can be made up several days ahead of time making it the perfect sauce for meal prep.
If you have extras, you can store it in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.To reheat the sauce, add it to a small pot over low-medium heat and warm, whisking continuously until warmed through. Add an extra splash of heavy cream if the sauce needs to be slightly thinned.
Its not recommended to freeze alfredo sauce as it may become grainy when thawed.
