Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce - Recipe Diaries (2024)

FAQs

How do you make Alfredo sauce thinner? ›

Luckily, there's a simple fix that will have your creamy sauce back to its perfect, delicious self in no time. The key is to add a little bit of liquid. The most common thinner for any creamy sauce is milk, however, you can also use other liquids like water, broth, or cream.

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.

Add Cheese

This first method is not only the easiest, but also arguably the most delicious. 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.

We make our alfredo sauce with heavy cream, parmesan and butter. After it thickens up, we spoon out a portion, and reheat it in a saute pan, whisking frequently to keep it from burning. It is then a little thin, and we add a little more parm, and a little flour, and continue to heat to cook out any flour taste.

You could just add garlic powder, sure, but quickly sautéeing fresh garlic while your pasta cooks is a great way to layer flavor. Resnick likes to add spinach as a way to cut the richness of the sauce. Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil and a few cloves of minced garlic in a sautée pan over medium heat.

Once melted, pour in your jar of sauce. Pour the milk into the jar and give a good shake. Start with 1/4 cup of milk and if more is desired, add another 1/4 cup. Pour the jar into the pan, add in the spices and let simmer on low.

You can also mix it with water to create a slurry, similar to how you would add cornstarch. Or you can cook it with butter to create a roux. If you are using fresh pasta, you can even coat the pasta with flour before cooking it. That will thicken the sauce when you combine it with the noodles.

Cube softened cream cheese and whisk into the Alfredo Sauce into a pot over heat until the cheese is smooth. It can take a little while for the cream cheese to melt and become smooth so be patient. Start with just a little cream cheese at a time unless you're ok with a stronger cream cheese flavor.

Third, I use cornstarch which does not require cooking out the raw flavor like flour. You simply mix it with the base liquid and add it to the pan. It will thicken out perfectly in minutes. It also makes the sauce gluten-free.

Should I add pasta water to Alfredo sauce? ›

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.

However, if the sauce stays on the heat too long and too much water evaporates, it will break, since there's no longer enough water to hold the fat in suspension. If this happens, the sauce will look curdled and greasy.

Remember, though, that béchamel is so easy and forgiving, even if you get the ratio wrong, it's incredibly easy to fix: If yours comes out too thick, just whisk in more milk until the desired consistency is reached; if it's too thin, either simmer it down, allowing evaporation to thicken the sauce up, or cook a little ...

If you find that your sauce is too thick, this is where you can add some of the reserved pasta water, little dribbles at a time. If you over-water and the sauce becomes too thin, just let some of the liquid cook off and you'll see the sauce thicken up again. It's pretty resilient to fumbles at this stage.

If the sauce seems too thick, whisk in a splash of milk, broth, or water until the sauce is as thinned as you like.