It’s nice to be able to make your own sauces, especially when they’re almost as simple to make as opening a jar. Make a batch of this easier than you think alfredo sauce and it will be available all week to top a variety of foods.
Fettucine alfredo is a staple in many restaurants. What’s not to love? A creamy sauce tossed with some noodles and maybe some veggies or chopped meat. Did you know we’ve been “doing it wrong?” The original fettuccine alfredo was an even simpler dish with butter and parmesan stirred into hot pasta until the butter and cheese melts and coats the noodles. This has been a midnight snack in my house for ages! I had no idea!
Likewise I’d always thought alfredo sauce was just a cheesy white sauce, but that’s not the case, either. While some recipes use flour as a thickener, others omit it completely. Some use mozzarella, others are parmesan purists.
The good news is it’s easy to make a batch of alfredo sauce as small as a cup so you can experiment to see which preparation best suits your family. Use the recipe below as a guide.
It’s recommended to purchase good quality ingredients when you make your sauce. It makes a big difference in the end product. If possible, grate your own parmesan. One last thing, if you don’t care for the sharpness of fresh garlic, there’s no reason you can’t substitute roasted garlic in the recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter or olive oil I like a combination of 2 tablespoons each
- generous pinch red pepper flakes optional, but nice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (substitute roasted garlic, or garlic powder to change the flavor)
- 2 cups heavy cream at room temperature
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese more or less (use more if your cheese is very fine or powdery)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan or skillet, heat the butter and red pepper flakes over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly for a minute or two. Be careful not to let the garlic burn.
- Whisk in the cream and the parmesan cheese and reduce the heat to low.
- Continue to cook to allow the cream to reduce and the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.
- Taste the sauce and add salt, pepper and additional cheese as desired.
- If not using right away transfer the sauce to a jar and keep refrigerated for about a week.
Don’t limit your alfredo sauce to pasta. Try it over vegetables, or meats. Use it on pizza instead of, or in addition to, tomato sauce. It makes a nice base for creamy casseroles. Stir it into potatoes when mashing instead of the usual milk and butter. How do you use your alfredo sauce?
Try your homemade Alfredo sauce in this Quick Cabbage Alfredo Skillet!
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