Homemade Alfredo Sauce

Every now and then a craving hits you for a good plate of...something fattening. :) Sometimes that fattening food has to be Italian. For those days, you need a recipe for Alfredo sauce. I always imagined Alfredo sauce to be difficult to make. So much that when my hubby offered to cook dinner and we happened to have some 30-35% cream on hand, I would ask him to make pasta with Alfredo sauce. Then, one day we wanted to make some and he had something come up that kept him out of the kitchen when it came time to start dinner prep. So, I got a crash course in whipping up some Alfredo sauce and found it to be super easy to make. I am going to include two recipes in case you are wanting a quick way to make Alfredo (which we make all the time) or if you are trying to make a thicker sauce more like your favorite restaurant back "home", wherever that may be.

Quick Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:
Heavy cream (ideally 30% and higher)
Approx. 3/4 cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste
garlic powder to taste (optional)

Directions:
Combine 1 pint of heavy cream with Parmesan cheese and stirrring constantly, heat slowly over medium heat until the cheese is melted. Add salt to taste.  **The main point to remember is to NOT allow the sauce to come to a boil.**

Note: I am estimating on the amount of grated parmesan cheese to add so you may want to play around a bit with this recipe to achieve the desired texture you are wanting for the sauce. Not thick enough, add more parmesan next time until you find what works best.


Thicker Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:
1 pint of heavy cream
1 stick of butter
2 tbsp. cream cheese
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:
Simmer cream, butter, and cream cheese until all is melted, stirring constantly. Add cheese and garlic powder. Simmer for 15-20 minutes on low or until cheese begins to brown slightly. Season with salt and pepper if desired.


Serve either one of these recipes over the pasta of your choice with garlic bread on the side and enjoy...but not very often if you are concerned with your weight. ;)