Simple Ways to Make Your Jarred Alfredo Better

Sometimes all you have the energy for is spaghetti with a canned sauce, such as Alfredo. There’s no shame in admitting that certain days are just not suited to complex handmade sauces and fancy recipes.

There’s something tragic about jarred Alfredo, however. It’s creamy and cozy, but it’s also a touch dull.

There’s no reason to throw out your cupboard staples or settle for monotonous meals when you don’t have time to prepare anything more complicated. With a few easy adjustments, you can improve canned Alfredo, typically using things you already have in your cupboard.

Here are a few ideas for spicing up your supper the next time you grab for canned Alfredo sauce.

Choose Better Alfredo Sauce

Before you begin cooking, you may set yourself up for success by purchasing higher-quality canned sauces at the grocery. That way, you won’t have to do much effort to improve the sauce’s flavor.

Not all jarred sauces at the grocery are made equal. The ingredients list is one of the finest methods to distinguish the top products from the others.

Obviously, you are aware that canned sauce will not be the freshest, but it should still include genuine milk, butter, and cheese. The ones that mention parmesan or romano cheese rather than a generic hard cheese are the finest.

Feel free to experiment with different flavor combinations until you discover the sauce that your family enjoys the most. Try some with various types of cheese, such as ricotta or asiago, or with more garlic.

Season the Sauce

One of the most common complaints about premade Alfredo sauce is that it tastes flat. Frequently, all you taste is cream and nothing else.

The most common initial step is to season with salt and pepper. You may keep it simple or experiment by using freshly cracked pepper or peppercorns instead of regular black pepper from a container. Alter the kind of pepper you use by substituting white pepper for black pepper.

Beyond salt and pepper, there is a whole universe of flavors that may render your canned sauce unrecognizable. Try nutmeg, which is often used to enhance the taste of creamy sauces.

For an additional flavorful kick, add some oregano or basil. Do you truly want to boost the taste and heat of a canned sauce? To cut through the heavy cream, add some cayenne pepper.

You may also add a squeeze of lemon juice for acidity, which can cut through the false richness and offer a depth of flavor that most jarred sauces lack.

Add Some Alliums

Alliums are bulbed herbs that are often used in cuisine. Simply said, they are onions and garlic, the foundation of every good cuisine.

Rather of just heating your sauce, chop up some onions and garlic. Then, in a pan with some butter, sauté them.

After the garlic and onions have been sautéed, add your jarred Alfredo sauce. The chopped alliums will give the sauce a fresh and savory flavor.

Deglaze the pan with white wine before adding the sauce for added flavor (deglazing is when you add liquid to a hot skillet to unstick any burnt-on pieces of food and give more flavor to the meal).

Add More Cheese

Parmesan cheese is a key component in Alfredo sauce. However, this does not exclude you from adding more!

While the canned Alfredo is heating, add some freshly grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese. The cheese will melt into the sauce effortlessly.

Although the sauce already contains cheese, the packing and storing procedure removes most of its natural tanginess and taste. Adding freshly grated cheese enhances the taste.

Cheese may also help your sauce’s texture. If your canned Alfredo is a touch runny, add freshly grated cheese to thicken and tie the sauce together.

Add More Fat

Because Alfredo sauce is already high in dairy and fat, you may want to omit this step if you’re attempting to eat healthy. However, adding fat to a meal is a frequent approach to increase taste. Most restaurants utilize this tactic, which is why most meals include exorbitant quantities of butter when you dine out.

As you cook the sauce, try adding a splash of cream or a couple tablespoons of butter. This will enhance the texture, which may be weird after sitting in a jar for an unlimited period of time, and add a little more taste.

Change How You Cook the Sauce

Your pleasure of the finished meal may be influenced by how you heat your Alfredo sauce.

If you’ve been heating the Alfredo sauce separately and then pouring it over the pasta, the canned sauce may taste worse. It unevenly distributes the sauce, leaving some pasta dry, and emphasizes the occasionally cloying flavor of canned sauce.

Instead, toss the noodles into the sauce. Cook until the noodles are nearly al dente, then continue cooking them in the sauce.

The spaghetti absorbs the sauce better this way than if you just poured it over the bowl after everything is done. It also makes the meal more cohesive.

Add Something Other Than Pasta

You don’t have to depend just on premade Alfredo sauce to add flavor to your meal. To boost the flavor of your pasta and cover the artificial taste of canned sauce, add some additional ingredients.

Try adding shrimp or chicken to your Alfredo pasta recipes for added protein. This not only makes the dish healthier and more substantial, but it also thickens the sauce and adds powerful tastes.

Add some vegetables, such as steamed broccoli, to make the meal healthier. Although jarred Alfredo sauce is excellent, it is often heavy and oily, so veggies may help cut through the thick sensation.

Change How You Use Jarred Sauce

Jarred Alfredo sauce may enhance the taste of many meals, not only pasta. Here are a few serving ideas to make supper a little more lively.

Pizza with Alfredo Sauce: Don’t have tomato sauce but still want pizza? For a white pie, cover the crust with alfredo sauce, cheese, and additional toppings of your choosing, such as chicken. This is ideal for finicky eaters who refuse to eat tomatoes.

Add it to Casseroles: Canned soups, such as cream of mushroom, are often used in casseroles. You may substitute Alfredo sauce for a cheesy, creamy meal.

When Cooking Proteins: Instead of pasta, use premade Alfredo to make a creamy sauce for your protein of choice. One popular meal that may be improved with Alfredo sauce is chicken tetrazzini.

Instead of covering short pasta with Alfredo sauce, use it in lieu of bechamel in a lasagna. This allows you to enjoy this family favorite even on weekdays.

How to Make Your Own Alfredo Sauce

If you’re sick of canned pasta sauces, you can create your own Alfredo sauce in the time it takes to prepare your pasta. This gives you greater control over the components, and the final flavor will be more in line with your tastes.

To begin making Alfredo sauce, sauté garlic in melted butter in a skillet. Then, whisk in the heavy cream to thicken the sauce.

Finally, season with grated parmesan cheese to taste. Instead of purchasing pre-shredded cheese, grate your own for the best results.

These recommendations will assist you in quickly creating your own sauce. Check here for a more detailed recipe.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes premade Alfredo sauce is the quickest and most convenient way to feed yourself and your family. But it doesn’t mean you have to eat boring pasta.

There are various fantastic jarred sauces on the market, and you may choose the finest one for your family by examining the ingredients. Most high-quality sauces will boldly proclaim that they employ genuine butter, cream, and cheese rather than synthetic replacements.

While the sauce is cooking, add more ingredients to boost the taste. Stick to classic seasonings like salt and pepper, raise the spice with cayenne pepper, or try something different like a white wine deglaze or a splash of lemon juice.

Alfredo sauce, whether homemade or purchased, may be quite flexible. Make the most of its flavorings by adding other items to your pasta dish or even experimenting with it on other meals outside pasta.

Finally, if you’re feeling ambitious, try creating your own Alfredo sauce. All you need are butter, garlic, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese to produce a creamy, soothing sauce that may be flavored any you choose.