Description
This Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce recipe delivers a rich and creamy Italian classic in just 15 minutes. Made with cream cheese, butter, heavy cream, garlic, and freshly grated parmesan, it creates a luxurious sauce perfect for tossing with fettuccine or drizzling over chicken, fish, or vegetables. It’s a simple, comforting dish ideal for busy weeknights or last-minute dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Pasta
- 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
For the Alfredo Sauce
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the fettuccine until al dente following package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Soften Cream Cheese: Microwave the softened cream cheese in 20-30 second intervals until it becomes very soft and easily stirrable.
- Start Sauce Base: In a skillet over medium heat, add the butter, softened cream cheese, heavy cream, and minced garlic. Stir continuously, using a spoon or whisk, to melt the cream cheese and combine all ingredients smoothly.
- Simmer Sauce: Allow the sauce to gently bubble for 3-4 minutes until it slightly reduces and thickens, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add Parmesan: Stir in the freshly grated parmesan cheese and cook for about 30 seconds until fully melted and incorporated. Remove the sauce from heat.
- Adjust Consistency and Season: If the sauce thickens too much, add a splash of the hot reserved pasta water to loosen it. Toss the sauce with the drained fettuccine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- This recipe yields about 1.5 cups of sauce, enough to serve 4 people with 8 ounces of pasta. It can serve 6+ as a sauce over other dishes like chicken, fish, or vegetables.
- Double the recipe if you want to prepare a larger batch to store and use over multiple meals.
- Be careful not to overheat or cook the sauce for too long, as it may cause the sauce to separate.
- For a thinner sauce consistency, add reserved hot pasta water gradually until desired texture is reached.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe with pasta (~1 cup sauce with 2 oz cooked pasta)
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 360mg
- Fat: 36g
- Saturated Fat: 22g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 110mg
