For years now, our family has enjoyed what we call Coral Pasta. So dubbed because the color of the sauce is a pretty sort of coral. Nothing hard to make, just marinara mixed with Alfredo sauce. Now, we made this happen by a jar of spaghetti sauce and a jar of Alfredo… because we didn’t know any better. Don’t judge me!
But when we moved to the Pacific Northwest there was a local Mediterranean restaurant that had the best Alfredo that I’ve ever put in my mouth. It was so good, in fact, I really couldn’t bring myself to stomach the stuff in a jar anymore. And then, sadly, we moved away from the area and no longer could I have the sauce of my dreams. (I’m just saying, it was that good.) So, in an act of desperation, I started scouring the internet for how to make homemade Alfredo.
It’s so easy, it’s embarrassing.
No more gloop from a jar. No more gasps of shock at the price of pre-made sauce. I just make it for myself and revel in all its creamy glory.
Now before you get salty with me, yes it does require an extra pan. Not just a jar you can toss or recycle. It is one extra dish. Absolutely 100% worth it. That it happens to be economical is just extra grated parm on the pasta plate.
Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Course: SaucesCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings2
minutes16
minutesIngredients
4 Tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy cream
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Melt butter in 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic to butter and saute until just turning golden, approximately 1 minute. (Watch this stuff, it likes to burn when you look away to check your text messages.)
- Add cream to skillet and whisk to combine.
- Simmer on low until sauce thickens to your preferred consistency. It can take at little as 5 minutes or as many as 15 minutes, depending on your likes, the size of your skillet, and the strength of your heating element.
- Stir regularly to ensure nothing is trying to stick or scorch.
- When sauce has thickened, add Parmesan, stirring well to melt the cheese into the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Eat up!
Notes
- Don’t have fresh garlic? Feel free to sub in garlic powder.
- Think I’m being stingy with the garlic amount? Measure with your heart! I actually use loads more myself because uh yum.
- You want to cook your Alfredo in a skillet so there’s a maximum surface area for it to simmer. This helps it thicken faster. If you don’t have a skillet, you can make it in a saucepan without issue, but it will require a longer simmer time to get thick.
- Eaten as itself, this sauce does not reheat well in the microwave. Not at all. The butter separates from the cream and makes a pool of oil. However, if mixed with marinara? Does just fine.
- Don’t let the garlic cook too long. It burns easily and the bitter will ruin the taste of the sauce. It’ll still be edible, but it won’t be enjoyable.
- If you happen to have roasted or poached garlic that needs using, you can add that in place of the minced.
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese will melt into the sauce better than the stuff in the plastic shaker can. This is because of the anti-caking additives in the pre-grated cheese. Not saying you can’t use it if it’s all you can afford, just be aware you might not get a fully melted cheese incorporated into the sauce.
- Can you substitute margarine for butter? Well. I guess. But if you do, be aware that margarine and butter do not play the same when cooking. Your results and the final taste will not be the same. You may not like it. My advice? Just don’t.
