My mother makes fettuccine alfredo like you wouldn’t believe. I mean the good kind too, with fresh cream and milk and fresh grated cheese, not the stuff from the jar. When I went to college, I tried the stuff from the jar, and thought to myself, “Self, you will NEVER, and I mean NEVER, be able to make fettuccine alfredo from a jar like mom’s recipe.”
Well, that was then. And this is now.
I have, for you, the cheat to perfect alfredo sauce. No fresh cream necessary.
I like a little meat in my pasta, so I cooked up some shrimp, although you could use chicken if you’d like. And that’s where I usually start. Saute your shrimp in healthy slabs of butter with chopped garlic until slightly toasty. Add some pepper but go easy on the salt, since it’ll be mixed with the sauce later.
After this you’re going to want to get your pasta going, giving it a chance to cook to perfection while you work on your sauce. You really can use any kind of pasta you like, but I like to stick to fettuccine noodles. My mom likes to use penne because she likes that the sauce has a place to go and can actually fill up the pasta. I personally like to slurp my noodles.
Now for the sauce. I like using Classico brand pasta sauce, because their consistency is always really creamy and a great base to build a beautiful homemade sauce. You’re also going to need garlic powder, chives, and fresh or dried basil, salt and pepper, and my personal favorite, a parmasean bread dipping seasoning.
Heat your sauce and spices together in a skillet with some of the butter from the shrimp. You can also add a little bit of milk if you’d like to thin out the sauce a little (which is what I do). Feel free to go a little crazy with the spices, and taste test your way to perfection. I don’t believe in measurements when it comes to this sauce, the best tester is going to be your own tastebuds.
Stir in the shrimp after you’ve let the sauce simmer for a bit, making sure the spices really have a chance to infuse into the sauce. Serve over your pasta, sprinkling with basil for garnish. This pasta goes great with steamed broccoli or even as is.
And voila! Sprinkle on some more chives or parmesan cheese, and you have an easy, delicious dinner. This is a house favorite with Chesh, and something I cook regularly just because it’s so simple and effortless.
Hannarchy 