alfredo pasta sauce recipe? What's your favourite?

With yet more shortages of pasta and pasta sauces in the shops, I've come to you in quest of the most delicious Alfredo pasta sauce recipe.

What is YOUR favourite?

Depending on how indulgent I'm being, it's either just heavy cream, parmesan and salt and pepper, or a lighter parmesan white sauce, milk, cornstarch, parmesan, salt and pepper.

I have a friend who's discovered going crabbing in the fresh air and few people is a great way to spend an afternoon and help feed her family. If she doesn't catch enough to use it straight, she's used the recipe below, which I have also tried. I'm not sure where she got it from:

Creamy Garlic Alfredo Sauce (to go with crab)
We created this sauce with milk because most families have milk in the fridge. If you want to use heavy cream, then just eliminate the flour and replace the milk with heavy cream.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups of sauce.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time15 mins

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 159kcal
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup (113 g) butter (1/2 stick)
• 4 cloves (4 cloves) garlic , minced (or 2 teaspoons garlic powder)
• 1/4 cup (30 g) all-purpose flour (some used corn starch)
• 2 cups (480 ml) milk
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) dried herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, etc.)
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) dried mustard powder
• 1 cup (100 g) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt , or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) fresh cracked black pepper
• Optional – add fresh caught crab bits
Instructions
1. Heat a sauce pan on medium-high heat. Melt butter, then add garlic and cook translucent and fragrant (about 1 minute). Whisk in flour and continue whisking to remove large clumps.
2. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisking often to make sure flour lumps are smooth, bring sauce to a low boil. Then reduce heat to low.
3. Add dried herbs, mustard powder, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Continue whisking until sauce is smooth and begins to thicken.
4. Serve the sauce with your favorite pasta. If you’re saving the sauce for later, allow the sauce to completely cool.
5. Pour the sauce into mason jars or a container. Keep in fridge and use within 5 days.

It's been a long time since I made this (thanks to medical diets in our family), but I remember this being really simple and yummy. My husband and I made it when we were first married (something like 13 years ago). Sometimes simple is good, especially when you're new to cooking! Anyway, here's the recipe as I wrote it down 13 years ago

Chicken Alfriendo

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of Cheese Tortallini (you could use any pasta--this is just what I had written down)
• 1/3rd cup Whole Milk (or cream)
• 1/4th cup Butter
• 1/3rd cup Parmesan Cheese
• Dash of Salt and Pepper
• 5 (or more) Chicken Breasts

Procedure:

Bring water to a boil and insert chicken breasts into the water to cook. While chicken is cooking, melt the butter in a separate pan on low to medium heat. When the butter is melted, remove it from the heat and mix in the parmesan cheese and milk. Put the Alfredo mixture back on the heat, stirring frequently, and adding salt and pepper to taste.
Cut up your cooked chicken (cut open one first to ensure it’s cooked—it should not be pink). Now, cook your frozen tortellini. Once cooked, add it to your pasta and Alfredo sauce, and Wala! You have tasty (and semi-healthy) food!

---

Pretty sure there's yummier ways to cook the chicken than boiling it. But, 13 years ago, the extent of my culinary skills was taking frozen chicken breasts out of a bag of chicken breasts and boiling them in water. Boiling did get the job done, and the end result was still yummy!

My favourite and the original but I do add garlic to mine...

I got this from: https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/authentic-fettuccine-alfredo/

Fettuccine All’ Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo is a dish that Americans think of in their list of “classic Italian dishes” right along with Spaghetti and Meatballs and Ravioli. But, the dish that is known to Americans is not quite the authentic Italian version.

Fettuccine Alfredo started off as the desperate attempt of Roman restaurant owner, Alfredo di Lelio, to find something that his pregnant wife, who had lost most of her appetite due to pregnancy, would be able to eat. So, he added some Parmesan cheese to an everyday Italian dish, fettuccine al burro (Fedduccine with Butter), and she couldn’t stop eating it!
 Winter Comfort Food Around The World


(But, seriously. To put things into perspective, it’s like he made her buttered toast with a bit of cheese sprinkled on top…. And then the world went CRAZY over it!)

He introduced the dish onto his restaurant’s menu in 1914. In 1920, he served the dish to some famous American movie stars, who brought the idea back to Italian restaurants in the States.
Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo is SUPER Easy

Seriously, all you need is three ingredients.

No, not a jar of “Alfredo” sauce.

You need fresh, grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, butter, and fettuccine.

THAT’S IT!

There’s not a drop of cream in Alfredo’s original recipe. Just cheese, mixed with pasta, pasta water and butter, to create a creamy sauce without the cream!!
Three ingredients are all you need for authentic Fettuccine Alfredo. It's a dish that just goes to show you can't beat simplicity! | www.CuriousCuisiniere.comHow Did We Get American Fettuccine Alfredo?

While you could chock it up to the fact that making things unnecessarily rich and bad for you is just what the American food market does, there might be a legitimate reason that we Americans added cream in this case.

You see, at the time that Fettuccine Alfredo was introduces in the States, the butter and Parmesan cheese that they had access to was nowhere near the quality of the cheese and butter in Italy. So, it is possible that cream was introduced to the dish in order to make up for the lack of richness in the other ingredients.

But, whatever the reason, now YOU know the REAL story.

And, now you can make authentic Fettuccine Alfredo to impress your family and friends!
Our Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe

The really authentic Fettuccine Alfredo recipe from Alfredo di Lelio calls for 1/2 lb of butter and 1/2 lb of grated Parmesan cheese per 1 lb of fettuccine.

That may sound like a lot of butter and cheese, but when we got ready to make the recipe we realized just how MUCH butter and cheese it really is for that amount of pasta.

For our recipe below, we have reduced the amount of butter and cheese. Even though we cut them back from what is called for in the original recipe, and we still found our Fettuccine Alfred to be PLENTY rich and flavorful.

But, if you really want to go for it, feel free to use the full 1/2 lb of butter and 1/2 lb cheese with your pound of pasta.

You only live once, you know. And, the dairy industry will thank you.
Three ingredients is all you need for authentic Fettuccine Alfredo. It's a dish that just goes to show you can't beat simplicity! | www.CuriousCuisiniere.com

Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo
You haven't tasted Fettuccine Alfredo until you've tried the authentic version!
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4 people
Author: Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere
Ingredients

   1 lb fettuccine noodles, dry
   12 Tbsp unsalted butter
   6 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated *
   1/2 - 1 tsp salt (to taste)

Instructions

   Fill a large pot with water and heat it over high heat until boiling. Once the water boils, add a good dash of salt and the noodles. Cook only until al dente, 9-10 minutes.
   While the pasta heats, gently melt the butter over medium heat in a large, non-stick skillet with high sides.
   Drain the pasta (reserving the water) and transfer the pasta to the skillet with the melted butter.
   Add a 1/2 tsp salt and toss the pasta with a tongs to combine (nonstick, silicone tongs work best).
   Reduce the heat to medium low. Add a handful of grated cheese and a ladle of hot pasta water, tossing the pasta continuously with your tongs to incorporate the cheese.
   Add more cheese, a little at a time, tossing between each addition, until all the cheese has been used.
   Add more hot pasta water as needed to melt the cheese so that it coats the noodles. (But, be careful not to add too much. You don’t want a watery sauce.)
   Taste the pasta and adjust the salt as necessary.
   Serve immediately.

Notes
*Since there are so few ingredients in this dish it is IMPERATIVE that you get good quality Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. So, go ahead and find your grocery store's specialty food section and buy a wedge that you can grate yourself. Expect to pay around $8-10 per pound for the cheese. (You only need 6 oz!) Your pasta will thank you!

John wilds wrote:My favourite and the original but I do add garlic to mine...

I got this from: https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/authentic-fettuccine-alfredo/

Fettuccine All’ Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo is a dish that Americans think of in their list of “classic Italian dishes” right along with Spaghetti and Meatballs and Ravioli. But, the dish that is known to Americans is not quite the authentic Italian version.

Fettuccine Alfredo started off as the desperate attempt of Roman restaurant owner, Alfredo di Lelio, to find something that his pregnant wife, who had lost most of her appetite due to pregnancy, would be able to eat. So, he added some Parmesan cheese to an everyday Italian dish, fettuccine al burro (Fedduccine with Butter), and she couldn’t stop eating it!
 Winter Comfort Food Around The World


(But, seriously. To put things into perspective, it’s like he made her buttered toast with a bit of cheese sprinkled on top…. And then the world went CRAZY over it!)

He introduced the dish onto his restaurant’s menu in 1914. In 1920, he served the dish to some famous American movie stars, who brought the idea back to Italian restaurants in the States.
Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo is SUPER Easy

Seriously, all you need is three ingredients.

...

   1 lb fettuccine noodles, dry
   12 Tbsp unsalted butter
   6 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated *
   1/2 - 1 tsp salt (to taste)

I'm totally going to try this! We can't have cream, so I thought my days of alfredo were done. But we can have hard cheeses and butter. So I'm totally going to make this soon! Thank you!

I just make a white sauce with butter, flour and heavy cream, and then stir in parmesan cheese. Pretty standard, I guess.

I've  never  made a  white sauce.   it always seems so adventurous.

Alfredo sauce puzzled me for years, maybe it was just bad recipes? It would turn out grainy or even gloppy sometimes. But then I found this recipe. I think it's from the Pioneer Woman? Pretty easy once you get the hang of the roux. I did burn it once at that stage and had to start over. Sometimes I add a bit of pesto towards the end.

4 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
2 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Heavy Cream, Plus More, As Needed
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and sprinkle over the flour. Whisk and cook until the roux turns golden brown. Pour in the milk and cream, whisking constantly, and cook for a few minutes, until thickened. Add the garlic, the 1 cup Parmesan, salt and pepper, stir until combined.

Definitely going to try the version with just butter and cheese!

.... oh yum; been Years since I've made any - did my own version of above recipes but included shrimp and a hefty chunk of cream cheese....  therefore I have no illusions of being let into heaven......      :b

Slightly off topic, but does anyone know of a good method to can alfredo sauce? My partner and I love it, but our favorite recipe takes a while to cook (about 20-30 minutes depending on the stove, which is not that long in reality but feels like forever when you're really hungry) and we love the convenience of opening a can and dumping it on some pasta. Store-bought canned alfredo tastes terrible, not to mention the who-knows-what is in it, but everything I've read on the internet says not to can dairy-based sauces at all. Obviously big companies can do it since they sell alfredo in cans/jars at the store, but is there a way to do it at home?

Our favorite alfredo sauce recipe:

- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups cream, milk, or half-and-half
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Reduce heat to low. Add cream cheese and whisk until melted. Whisk in cream and garlic powder. Simmer, whisking frequently, until thickened. Stir in Parmesan and let melt. Serve immediately.

I think it helps to conceptualize the parm, butter, and cream as a coating for freshly cooked pasta, rather than a sauce to be assembled separately.  Add butter to hot, drained, pasta, toss to coat.  Add cream.  Sprinkle on grated cheese, toss to coat.  Garnish with additional cheese as desired.

We often had noodles with butter or oil and parmesan as a side dish growing up, though we did not call it alfredo.

This recipe is insanely good but your heat might not be able to handle it.

Death By Alfredo

In a medium saucepan combine over low heat.

1- stick of butter
1- 16 ounce carton of sour cream
1- 8 ounce package of cream cheese
1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Stir constantly until everything melts and combines.
Place over your favorite pasta and garnish with chopped parsley leaves.
I know what I'm making for Valentine's day. 😋

A couple of nights ago, I tried an experiment which I thought turned out awesome - but is particularly appropriate for those who would like a creamy sauce which used *no* milk or cream.

I chopped up a Celeriac root fairly finely and cooked it until tender in a couple of cups of well-gelatinized duck broth I'd made. I also added some home-made onion powder and some freshly grated mild garlic. I whizzed it with my stick blender until smooth.

When the pasta and some broccoli was almost cooked, I added about 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese and about 3/4 cup of Parmesan and stirred to melt. I dumped the drained pasta and steamed broccoli into the pot of sauce, stirred and served.

The time-consuming part of this was chopping the celeriac, but if I'd thought of doing this in advance, I'd have pre-prepared the celeriac so it wouldn't slow things down at dinner.

Cook chicken, diced garlic , diced onion  in a little oil or fat.
Also cook noodles home made or store bought in boiling water in saucepan till done. This only takes a few minutes if the water is at a rolling boil.
 When the noodles are done lift them out into the pan on top of the. Chicken mix. In a small cup mix an egg with half a shell of water till it looks like one thing
 Add a cup of cream or milk and a couple of Tablespoons of oil or butter to the noodles, and chicken mix. Stir gently over a low heat till noodles are coated with the cream. Now add the egg, stir over a medium heat. It will thicken quickly.  
Turn heat to low add herbs such as parsley, oregano, basil and shredded cheese such as parmesan, romano, mozzarella, provolone. Or your favorite. About half to one cup. Stir and serve.
  Or serve with the available cheeses on a plate with a grater an let folks grate their choice on top of their serving. Also serve with pepper.
  It's very good with any veggies you want to add. I use grated carrot or rhutabaga, thin sliced cabbage or cauliflower or broccoli, mushrooms or a bit of tomatoes. These veggies may be sauteed with the chicken or popped in the pot of boiling water with the noodles except tomatoes which I would add raw.
 Made this way alfredo can be made in 15 to 20 minutes. I've done it with one burner by cooking the noodles, and veggies first then taking them off the burner and putting a large frying pan on to cook the meat,garlic,and onions and combine everything.  
 Also it's a good way to piggyback meals if you have meat, veggies and noodles cooked ahead so all you need is milk, oil or butter and egg with cheese to create Alfredo.

The way that I make Alfredo sauce makes it taste rather indulgent. It whips up quickly and makes an easy weeknight meal in my household.

Ingredients

1 stick of butter

2 cups of grated Parmesan

2 cups of heavy cream

1 clove of garlic minced

1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning mix

Salt/Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Start a pan over low heat, add butter and cream whisking until combined.

2. Add in garlic and seasonings until combined.

3. Simmer for 3-4 minutes being careful not to scorch the sauce. You are looking to just start thickening so keep whisking.

4. Start adding in cheese, whisking to combine.

5. Take off heat once combined/thickened to your liking.

If I am going to add a meat like separately cooked chicken, I will do that after step 4. I then add cooked fettuccini after step 5. I tend to toss it together in the pan before plating.

Jay Girardot wrote:Slightly off topic, but does anyone know of a good method to can alfredo sauce?

Although I’ve not tried it, I expect that this sauce could be safely water bathed, however the sauce may separate after it’s been water bathed unless you are using a roux based method to make it.

It might be worth experimenting with water bathing a single jar to test how it works out.

I know of several people who have successfully water bathed dairy products like cream cheese so the sauce ought to be fine.

Has anyone water bathed their Alfredo sauce and can chime in here?

Megan Palmer wrote: Although I’ve not tried it, I expect that this sauce could be safely water bathed, however the sauce may separate after it’s been water bathed unless you are using a roux based method to make it.

Roux usually means wheat. I've read in the past that the only starch safe in a water bath is corn starch, however, I also haven't tried to confirm that claim, and I know that many people do things that the "official safety" rules are against, and have never had any problem with it. It just might be something to look into if you're going to aim for long term shelf stable storage.  

I have to admit that if I'm doing anything with storage that seems iffy, I make sure the acid level is up a little. I'm not sure Alfredo sauce calls for vinegar, but wine vinegar might be ok if you aren't a purist!

Megan Palmer wrote:

Although I’ve not tried it, I expect that this sauce could be safely water bathed

I don't think it can be, at least not in a home kitchen.  Dairy isn't recommended for home canning at all, and neither is flour or other thickeners* (besides certain modified food starches).  It's not just Americans being too fussy about stuff--improperly canned food can kill.  Waterbath canning doesn't get up to a high enough temp to destroy C. botulinum spores, and I suspect the pH wouldn't be low enough to keep any surviving bacteria in check.

Obviously, people can do what they want, but to me it's just not worth it.  

*The reason dairy and thickeners are unsafe: convection currents inside the jar of food distribute the heat inside.  When a liquid is too thick, the heat doesn't move evenly through its mass; the starch (& fat, in the case of dairy) particles can act as an insulator for food bits that are less dense, creating uneven heat penetration, which is a risk.

Out of curiosity is water bath the same as double boiler method?

Anne Miller wrote:Out of curiosity is water bath the same as double boiler method?

I am unfamiliar with the double boiler method.

Water bathing is placing the jars of preserves in a pan of water up to the shoulders and/or totally immersing the jars and boiling for the prescribed time according to the type of preserve.

I usually place a tea towel on the bottom of the pan so the jars are not directly touching the base of the pan.

The timing depends on whether the fruit/vegetables are blanched/raw packed and I use the HMSO Home preservation of fruit and vegetables for timing guidelines.

So the water bath is for canning not cooking ... How did I miss this?

My thoughts were on making the sauce in a double boiler ...