Rich, creamy, and better than anything you will ever pour out of a jar.
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I love pasta, I think everyone loves pasta, but I really love pasta, whether it be macaroni and cheese, spaghetti marinara, angel hair with pesto sauce, or my favorite fettuccine Alfredo. There is something magnetic about pasta, and that magnetism is only heightened by the perfect sauce. Like I said fettuccine Alfredo is one of my favorite pasta dishes, the way Alfredo sauce sticks to your pasta is different from other pasta sauces, rich, thick, creamy, you really cannot find a better sauce. I spent years buying jars of Alfredo sauce from the grocery store, I didn’t think I had another option, then I found this recipe for homemade Alfredo sauce and my life was forever changed, no more wasting money on Alfredo sauce when I can make it myself.
Rome – Where The Story Begins
Unlike so many dishes, the history of Alfredo sauce has a very specific origin – chef Alfredo di Lelio. This Italian cook invented the dish in Rome around 1907, especially for his wife who was recovering from the birth of their first child. To help her build up her strength, Alfredo made a richer and heartier variation of a traditional al burro sauce, using more Parmesan cheese and butter to make it the sauce we all know and love today. In the 1920s, silent film stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were on holiday in Rome and tried Alfredo’s sauce for the first time, they loved it and brought it back to Hollywood with them – soon making it an American favorite.
You know a good Alfredo sauce as soon as it touches your tongue, creamy, buttery, and with just a hint of spice, it’s rich and absolutely delicious. There is no grittiness to this Alfredo sauce, making it just as high quality as you will find in any restaurant.
Is Alfredo Sauce Healthy?
As much as I love Alfredo sauce, I’m not naive to the fact that butter, cream, and cheese do not generally make for a healthy meal. When I began paying more attention to my diet and trying to be healthier, I was worried I would have to take Alfredo sauce out of my meal rotation. I was heartbroken by the idea, but then I thought of my number one rule, everything in moderation.
While the use of heavy cream, cheese, and butter are not necessarily a recipe for success, if you do not make it a daily dish you should be fine. Of course, you need to take your personal dietary needs into account. This recipe has no meat in it so it works well for a vegetarian diet, and you can make it vegan with some simple substitutions, change out your butter for a plant-based alternative butter, replace your heavy cream with full-fat coconut milk, and your Parmesan cheese for a plant-based alternative. The Alfredo sauce is also entirely gluten-free making it work for people with a gluten intolerance or celiac disease.
Why do you use parmesan cheese?
While Alfredo sauce features Parmesan cheese I don’t want you to think it’s a cheese sauce, the main ingredients in Alfredo sauce are butter and cream. The point of the Parmesan cheese is for flavor, texture, and silkiness. Parmesan cheese adds a sweet, nutty, and salty taste to your sauce, the texture of the Parmesan cheese when heated helps provide the silky texture of your sauce, and finally, the cheese when heated continues to thicken the sauce and contributes to its ability to coat your pasta.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
Melt
Melt butter in saucepan.
Simmer
Add cream and nutmeg; bring to simmer.
Combine
Whisk in Parmesan, salt, and pepper until creamy.
Serve
Pour over pasta and enjoy.
Devour!
FAQs & Tips
To store your Alfredo sauce portion it into airtight sealed containers such as mason jars and store in the refrigerator for up to seven days or freeze for up to six months, reheat on the stovetop.
The beauty of Alfredo sauce is that it is delicious on top of pasta but also poured over all sorts of other dishes too, proteins like chicken or bacon, and vegetables like broccoli or mushrooms all complement this sauce really well.
I recommend using a European-style butter due to their higher fat content.
Serving Suggestions
As I’ve already said your Alfredo sauce is great poured over your favorite pasta, protein, or vegetables. You can also use your Alfredo sauce for seafood like shrimp or scallops. Made from scratch, this sauce will be superior to anything you can buy in the store, so pour it over whatever you’d like.
Of course, pasta dishes always go well with a side of salad, so try this Easy Mediterranean Low Carb Broccoli Salad for instance. And when the time comes around for dessert, you’ll find this Chocolate Lava Cake makes for the perfect way to round off your meal.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the heavy cream and a pinch of nutmeg, and bring the mixture to a low simmer.
- Stir in the salt and pepper, then gradually whisk in the Parmesan cheese until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Serve the sauce hot over your favorite cooked pasta.
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
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