Tony ZentgrafThis recipe for Easy Parmesan Cream Sauce is a great alternative to Alfredo Sauce. There are similarities but this one has more flavor!
Have It Ready in the Fridge!
Make this Parmesan Cream Sauce ahead and keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It is a great sauce to have on hand. Use it for a quick weeknight meal tossed with pasta, tortellini or even on a naan as a oven made pizza with your favorite toppings.
Shred some leftover chicken or a roasted one you picked up on the way home. Add your favorite veggies and pasta you will be glad you had this sauce ready.
Great for a White Sauce Lasagna!
Have you ever thought of making a white sauce lasagna? This sauce works great in lasagna with some roasted vegetables layered in between the ricotta and lasagna sheets. Layer the sauce just as you would a red sauce.
You will want to double or triple up the recipe to make sure you have enough sauce in the lasagna. What’s left over, just put it in a container and store in the refrigerator.
Similar to an Alfredo with More Flavor!
Traditional Alfredo Sauce has minimal ingredients, butter, cream, parmesan and some nutmeg and possibly black pepper. As with many recipes, you will find numerous variations on Alfredo Sauce.
Some variations out there are as basic as cream and parmesan with a splash of pasta water to loosen up the sauce. Others become more elaborate with the addition of other thickeners or even variations on the dairy used.
This sauce uses cream and half & half, giving a lighter texture and mouthfeel to the sauce. Not to mention a few less calories, if you are watching fat content. Adding garlic, onions, red chili flakes and white wine give a boost in flavor too!
Although this is not an Alfredo, this white sauce is versatile and delicious. Great additions to the sauce would be some pesto or sun dried tomato pesto to give a twist on a traditional white sauce.
Try the Easy Parmesan Cream Sauce in these Recipes!
- Spicy Sausage, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Artichokes & Spinach Pasta with Linguine
- Mediterranean Roasted Chicken with Tortellini & Parmesan Cream Sauce
- Or substitute this sauce in this recipe –
- Smoked Chicken & Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Cream Sauce with Fettuccine
Enjoy!
Easy Parmesan Cream Sauce
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Parmesan Cream Sauce
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 8 ea Garlic Cloves - minced
- 1 ea Small Yellow Onion
- ½ tsp Red Chili Flakes or Black Pepper - Your Choice
- ½ cup White Wine
- 1 ½ cup Half & Half
- 1 ½ cup Heavy Cream
- 2 cups Parmesan Cheese - Fresh Grated is Best!
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch Slurry - Optional see notes.
Instructions
Assembling the Sauce
- Mince the garlic & dice the onion into ¼".
- In a sauce pot, heat the olive oil.Add the onions and sauce until translucent. Try not to brown the onions.
- Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
- Add the red chili flakes (or black pepper if desired) Saute for a 15 seconds to release the oil in the pepper.
- Turn up the heat to high and add the white wine and reduce by half.
- Once the wine is reduced, remove the sauce pot from the heat and let cook for a couple of minutes. This will help to keep the cream and half & half from breaking when you add them to the pot.
- Pour in the cream and half & half, mix to combine. Return the pot to the burner.
- Over a medium heat, bring the sauce up in temperature. Avoid boiling the sauce. On a rolling simmer, let the sauce reduce for 5 minutes to allow the cream and half & half to incorporate into the sauce.
- Taste the sauce at this point. You are looking for a balanced flavor. It should not taste too much like cream. If it does let the sauce simmer for a few more minutes to allow the flavors to come together.
- Whisk in the grated parmesan cheese about a ½ cup at a time. Allow the cheese to melt before adding each addition.
- Once all the cheese is incorporated into the sauce, taste to see if more cheese needs to be added. The parmesan cheese adds flavor but also acts as a thickener. At this point, you can add additional cheese to adjust flavor OR to thicken further.
- Adjust seasoning with additional black pepper or salt if needed. Parmesan cheese will add saltiness to the sauce, you may not need salt.
- If desired, you can use cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce to the desired thickness. This is recommended if using as a sauce for a pasta bake such as lasagna. It will help to keep the sauce together during the baking process.
- Use the sauce immediately or cool and reserve in the refrigerator to have for later use.
Reheating the Sauce
- Reheat the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Slowly bring the sauce up to temperature to avoid breaking the sauce.Too high of heat too fast will cause the sauce to potentially break.
- Add chicken & veggies and serve with your favorite pasta!ENJOY!
