Author: Susanne at Dish With Me
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I see sooooo many jarred alfredo sauces at different markets. My question is, WHY??? Alfredo sauce is SO EASY to make. Seriously easy. Okay, I will admit that, no, it’s not quite as simple as opening a jar and heating it in the microwave, but it’s really not that much harder, AND, it tastes so much better. You aren’t going to believe how simple this Freaking Nailed It Alfredo Sauce is to make.
A good Alfredo sauce should be filled with the flavors of garlic and parmesan cheese, and should, also, be rich, creamy and indulgent.
You can even make it on a day off and store it in the refrigerator for an even easier weeknight meal.
If you need a little something extra atop your alfredo sauce some shrimp sautéed shrimp with butter and garlic; diced chicken with butter and garlic; or sautéed mushrooms would be a perfect pairing.
HELPFUL HINTS FOR FREAKING NAILED IT ALFREDO SAUCE
This alfredo sauce can be used in a variety of ways, like; fettucini alfredo, alfredo pizza (LOVE), chicken alfredo, gnocchi, alfredo lasagna with spinach, or even over broccoli or cauliflower.
ALWAYS use REAL butter!
When cooking with fresh garlic, never let it brown. Once it gets toasty, the garlic and whatever you have in the pan with it is ruined and you might as well throw it away and start over. It’s different when you add it to something like a soup or a sauce, after the fact, but when sautéeing it, like in this dish, cook it for a minute or two and keep a constant eye on it.
You can use pre-grated (I call it the powdery stuff) parmesan cheese and it will be just fine, but freshly grated parmesan cheese is even better.
Yes, I know this recipe calls for, both, fresh garlic and garlic powder. They just hit different. This isn’t the last time you will see this in one of my recipes.
Ingredients
- 1 stick real butter 1/2 cup
- 2 Tablespoons EVOO
- 1 small shallot finely diced
- 1 teaspoon herbs de provence dried
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Cavender's seasoning blend
- 3 medium cloves garlic grated with microplane, approx. 1 Tablespoon
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste
- 20 grinds freshly ground pepper
- 8 ounce cream cheese room temp
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups parmesan Romano blend or Italian blend parmesan
Instructions
- In a large pan on medium-high heat, melt butter. Add EVOO.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add shallot, herbs de Provence, onion powder, garlic powder, Cavender's, Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the freshly grated garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
- Next, add the cream cheese, using a spatula or wooden spoon to move the cream cheese around until melted.
- Add the heavy whipping cream
- Use a whisk to incorporate ingredients.
- Turn heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring OFTEN.
- Remove from heat and add parmesan Romano cheese blend (the powdery kind), stir until well blended.
- If the alfredo sauce is too thick for you, simply thin it by adding heavy whipping cream a little at a time until desired consistency is reached.