Easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe with Penne Pasta

Do you need a creamy pasta fix? If so, this easy homemade Alfredo sauce with Penne pasta is it!

Whether you just arrived home from work and need dinner on the table fast or you’re looking for some weekend comfort food, this pasta recipe checks all the boxes.

When I started experimenting with vegetarian recipes for my family, this Alfredo sauce was at the top of the list. Why?

Well, it’s so incredibly easy. I usually had most of the ingredients on hand. Plus, this is a simple dish to add meat to for the meat-eaters.

How Do You Make Homemade Alfredo Sauce?

All you need is six ingredients, plus some salt, pepper, and fresh parsley for garnish. It all starts with olive oil, butter, and fresh minced garlic. When a dish starts with those three things, you know it’s going to be good.

Next, you whisk in heavy cream and lemon zest and let it thicken just a bit. Then stir in Parmesan cheese and season with salt & pepper. The last step is to stir in your cooked Penne pasta and garnish with chopped, fresh parsley.

This quickly became a family favorite and I swear it gets better and better every time I make it.

How to Thicken Alfredo Sauce

If you’re finding that the Alfredo Sauce is really runny, it usually means you’re not letting it simmer long enough. I stir the sauce until it starts to stick to the sides of the pan and I can see the bottom of the pan as I’m stirring. This lets me know it’s getting to the right consistency.

I generally cook as many meals as I can gluten-free, so I don’t add flour to this recipe, but I’ve never had a problem with it needing any flour for thickening.

Also, as soon as you add in the pasta and let it sit for a minute, it’ll start to thicken up and you’ll have a perfect plate of Alfredo sauce and pasta.

As I mentioned, if you’re making this recipe for meat-eaters too, it’s easy to grill up some chicken or shrimp on the side. They can add it to their pasta dish and be as happy as a clam. 🙂

Enjoy!

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Easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe with Penne Pasta

Yield: 5 people

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Do you need a creamy pasta fix? If so, this easy homemade Alfredo sauce with Penne pasta is it! Whether you just arrived home from work and need dinner on the table fast or you're looking for some weekend comfort food, this pasta recipe checks all the boxes.

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• Parsley, chopped
• 8 ounces Cooked Penne Pasta

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, dice the 3 cloves of garlic and the fresh parsely, set aside.
3. In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil and butter. Add the garlic and cook just until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Whisk in the heavy cream and lemon zest and heat for about 2 minutes, until it starts to thicken a bit.
5. Stir in the Parmesan and cook until thickened, another 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Salt and pepper the sauce to taste.
7. Stir in the cooked Penne Pasta and garnish with chopped parsley.