Description
Make the rich, creamy, garlic-Parmesan flavor of Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce right in your kitchen. This easy homemade recipe is ready in about 20 minutes and tastes just like the restaurant classic.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic to the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown.
- Pour in the heavy cream and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low.
- Whisk in the grated Parmesan cheese slowly until the sauce is smooth and fully incorporated. Continue stirring until the cheese melts completely.
- Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and the optional nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Keep the sauce on very low heat while you prepare your pasta. If the sauce thickens too much, add a splash of reserved pasta water or a little more cream to reach your desired consistency.
- Toss immediately with hot, cooked fettuccine or use as a dipping sauce for breadsticks.
Notes
- For the creamiest sauce, use freshly grated Parmesan cheese; pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that can make the sauce grainy.
- If you plan to serve this over pasta, reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water before draining the noodles. You can thin the sauce with this water if it becomes too thick.
- This sauce is excellent for dipping warm breadsticks or as a base for chicken or shrimp Alfredo dishes.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 350
- Fat: 42
- Saturated Fat: 25
- Unsaturated Fat: 17
- Trans Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 4
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 14
- Cholesterol: 140