What’s your go-to comfort food? Bread? Sugary treats? Pasta? Ah, pasta! Don’t you just sometimes crave a rich, garlic-laced sauce over buttery noodles? Eating a plant-based menu doesn’t limit your options for the good stuff. It only expands them. Take, for instance, this vegan sweet potato Alfredo—comfort food you can serve and enjoy with no guilt. If you’re in a hurry, as I’ve been this week, you can pick up the noodles already spiralized. (I found mine at Whole Foods.) This recipe is easy to expand to fit the number of guests but do make more than you think you need because you will not have leftovers. (The recipe below served four hungry writers.)
Can You Buy Healthy Alfredo Sauce?
Most alfredo sauces are high in fat and sodium, so it is crucial to check out the nutrition label before picking an alfredo sauce at the store if you are following a healthy diet. If you are craving a pasta dish with alfredo sauce, the essential tip is to have it on occasion and in smaller portions. When looking at the different alfredo sauces, try to find out that they ideally have less than two grams of saturated fat per serving, at least less than 400 milligrams of sodium (ideally 200 if one is available), and use aged cheeses instead of processed cheeses. Some of the best options you can find at the store include Primal Kitchen No Dairy Alfredo Sauce, Classico Light Creamy Alfredo Spaghetti Pasta Sauce, Dr. Fuhrman Mushroom Alfredo, Simple Truth Plant-Based Alfredo Vegan Pasta Sauce, and Wegmans Amore Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta Sauce.
What Makes Alfredo Sauce Taste Better?
If the Alfredo sauce you made or bought tastes bland and is not very tasty, there are various methods you can try to make it taste better. Sauté some fresh garlic with olive oil for three minutes, and then add it to the sauce or mix in a teaspoon of garlic powder. Sauté some chopped vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions, or Brussels sprouts, and add them to the sauce. Seasonings also make an easy way to add some extra flavor, like Italian seasoning, seasoned salt, onion powder, or dried basil/oregano. Only add a little bit at a time – start with ½ teaspoon and add more if you desire. If you enjoy spicy food, you could even add a hot twist to the alfredo sauce by incorporating ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, up to a tablespoon of hot sauce, up to two teaspoons of red pepper flakes, or some extra black pepper.
How Do You Make Alfredo Sauce Not Gritty?
When making your alfredo sauce, some steps you can take to make sure the sauce does not become grainy include cooking the sauce over low heat, using high-quality ingredients, allowing the cheese to melt a little bit at a time gradually, and using freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Cooking the alfredo sauce on high heat can make the cheese into little balls, making the sauce grainy. Using better-quality ingredients like fresh cheese will keep the sauce smooth and creamy. Adding the cheese in small amounts and stirring it during this process will allow the cheese to melt evenly and the sauce to stay smooth. Lastly, freshly grated Parmesan cheese will most likely make a smooth and creamy sauce, as pre-grated Parmesan cheese contains ingredients like anti-caking agents that can alter the sauce’s texture for the worse.
How Do You Keep Alfredo Sauce Creamy?
Some of the best ways to keep your alfredo sauce creamy are adding extra cheese, mixing some flour with the noodles, or using cornstarch. Alfredo sauce is primarily made up of cheese, so to make an Alfredo sauce creamier, more cheese than the recipe originally called for can be added. With a homemade alfredo sauce, tossing the uncooked pasta noodles in flour before boiling can help keep a thick sauce consistency. The pasta water will be reasonably starchy, so when the sauce gets poured over the pasta, some of the starch will still be on the pasta to help give the sauce a creamier texture. Lastly, mixing cornstarch with water to create a slurry can lead to a consistency like that of heavy cream, which will help make the sauce creamier. Equal parts of cornstarch and water should be whisked together (start with two tablespoons each). If more is needed, add 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time. Add only two teaspoons of the slurry until you reach the sauce consistency you desire.
Is It Cheaper To Make Your Own Alfredo Sauce?
It depends on the ingredients that are used. If you want a great-tasting, high-quality alfredo sauce, it will likely cost as much, if not more, than the alfredo sauce found at the grocery store. Making the sauce from scratch will likely result in a smoother, creamier sauce than you could find at the grocery store.
Looking for more amazing vegan meal ideas? Here are some plant-based dishes to try:
- Sweet and Spicy Orange Cauliflower Bowl
- Vegan Grilled Tofu Satay on Zucchini Slaw Salad
- Gluten-Free Vegan Cauliflower Pizza
- Grilled Southwest Zucchini Noodles with Cilantro Pesto
- Avocado Kale Spinach Pesto Farfalle Salad
If you enjoyed making this recipe, please feel free to try some of our other recipes on our website!
Resources
Benshoshan, A. (2023, December 12). 10 best & worst alfredo sauces on grocery shelves, according to dietitians. Eat This, Not That!
N.d. (2022, December 27). Better than storebought alfredo sauce. Moro Cooks.
N.d. (N.d.). How do I keep alfredo sauce from becoming grainy? Quora.
Porta, M. (2021, December 31). How to make jarred alfredo sauce better. Pip and Ebby.
Vaughan, K., & Spencer, V. (2023, September 12). 4 ways to thicken alfredo sauce, according to a chef. Martha Stewart.
