Easy Creamy Alfredo with Bacon and Peas - Recipe Diaries (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to thick Alfredo sauce? ›

Add Cheese

The key ingredient in Alfredo sauce is cheese—generally Parmigiano Reggiano—and lots of it. To thicken Alfredo sauce, simply add more cheese than the amount called for in a recipe until you achieve the consistency you want.

Flavor Boosters

Nutmeg: A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg can elevate the flavors in your Alfredo sauce. However, use it sparingly; a little goes a long way. White Wine: A splash of a good-quality white wine can add depth and complexity. Make sure to cook off the alcohol by simmering the sauce for a few extra minutes.

Heat the cream and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter is melted and the cream is hot but not boiling. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the Parmesan cheese until well combined. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

- Add chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, or thyme to the Alfredo sauce for a burst of freshness and color. Simply stir the herbs into the sauce just before serving. Easy!

One of the key components to making a thick and creamy Alfredo sauce is the cream. That being said, I think you could get away with using half and half or if in a real pinch, whole milk. Keep in mind that the less fat content in the dairy the thinner and less appealing the Alfredo Sauce will be.

Cream Cheese

Keep in mind, it is best to use the full fat version of cream cheese as this melts the best and incorporates into the sauce. You can cut the brick of cream cheese into smaller cubes and then add it to your sauce and it will melt and create a thick cheesy and tangy alfredo.

Add basil, parsley, oregano, or rosemary to add life to the sauce. The first three herbs are classic for many Italian dishes, and rosemary is a common addition to creamy potato dishes, so adding them to a jarred Alfredo sauce makes sense.

Real alfredo sauce is made with 3 simple ingredients: butter, Parmesan cheese and fresh fettuccine pasta. There is absolutely no cream in this dish (cream is common in most American-style alfredo sauce recipes). Make this dish with my fresh homemade pasta, fresh sourdough pasta or store-bought fresh pasta.

The alfredo sauce, which now catered to American tastes rather than Italian, evolved to include ingredients like flour, cream, milk, and shrimp or chicken. To this day, di Lelio's original recipe only contains three ingredients: fettuccine, young Parmesan cheese, and butter.

Why do people put flour in Alfredo? ›

All-purpose flour: To help form a roux and thicken the sauce. If you are making gluten-free Alfredo sauce, however, you are welcome to omit the flour and have a slightly thinner sauce. Or you can use a cornstarch slurry to thicken it (see details below).

Reduce the heavy cream before adding cheese

Most basic Alfredo sauce recipes today will call for heavy cream or whipping cream to recreate the thick consistency of the original dish. One trick to help create a thick Alfredo sauce is to reduce the cream before adding freshly grated cheese (via Better Homes & Gardens).

Stir in big handfuls of spinach, Kale mushrooms, zucchini, onions, broccoli, spinach, squash, or grape tomatoes after the pasta is cooked. You can also substitute zucchini (zoodles) for the pasta.

I always put spinach in my alfredo pasta. The size of the leaves will decrease, which will make the dish look like it has a small amount of veggies but actually it has a reasonable portion. Some others you can try putting in are broccoli, kale, bok choy, peas, zucchini, carrots, mushroom, or asparagus.

One of my favorite things is broccoli. I like it added into my Alfredo. Considering the amount of carbs, that the pasta has, green vegetables, asparagus, vericot green beans, or green salads or Caesar salad, are good choices. Fresh is always better especially when it's not over cooked.

The most readily available sauce-thickener is flour. For a too-thin sauce, try adding a slurry (equal parts flour and water, whisked together) or beurre manie (equal parts softened butter and flour, kneaded together to form a paste)—both are ideal thickeners for rich and creamy sauces, such as steak sauce recipes.

Cornstarch: Make a slurry of half water, half cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Cornstarch is a powerful thickener, so start by whisking in no more than 1 tablespoon of the mixture per 2 cups of simmering sauce; stir and simmer for 2 minutes, check the thickness, and repeat with more slurry as needed.

After 12 ounces of fettuccine pasta noodles are finished cooking, reserve 2 cups of the pasta water to include in your sauce. The starchy water is essential to creating a thick, creamy sauce consistency.

Alfredo should never have anything but pasta water, butter, and cheese in it. Make sure the cooking water has salt in it but remember part is salty.