An Italian Grandma’s Alfredo Sauce Recipe: This Creamy Alfredo Sauce Recipe Is So Easy Anyone Can Make It by Ann Marie Gardinier Halstead

My mom, whom the grandkids affectionately call Mimi, is a fantastic cook, one in a long line of Italian women in my family who love to cook and are naturally skilled at it. Unfortunately, I inherited neither her passion nor talent for cooking.
However, occasionally I’ll try one of the family recipes and find that it’s simple enough that even I can’t mess it up! My mom’s alfredo sauce recipe is a great example. It is quick and easy enough to serve for dinner on a school or worknight. I hope you find it handy and delicious, too. Buon appetito!
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 container (6 ounces) gorgonzola cheese crumbles
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups milk (approximately)
- 1 pound pasta, cooked according to package directions (I prefer linguine while Mimi prefers tri-color cheese tortellini)
- cooked shrimp or chicken (optional)
Here's how to make it:
- Melt butter in saucepan on low heat. Add flour to make a roux. Stir quickly.
- Add 1 1/2 cups milk. Raise heat to low-medium.
- Slowly add grated cheese. Stir. Add gorgonzola cheese. Stir well. Add pepper. Stir until all ingredients are well combined and smooth. If sauce is thick (which it likely will be), add the other 1/2 cup of milk (or more). Sauce should be thicker than marinara sauce but you don't want it to be too thick.
- Taste. If sauce happens to taste bitter (which can happen with cheese sauces), add a teaspoon of sugar.
- Pour over cooked pasta. Add shrimp or chicken, if using. Mix until well combined.
Note: If you add a protein, it will soak up some of the sauce.
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As the previous commenter mentioned, the real Alfredo is merely butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, and pasta water. Very finicky and technique-sensitive recipe too, but absolutely delicious. I find you need very good pasta for it too (bronze cut) or else it doesn't come out as good.
Bon Appetit has a video by Carla where it's done the right way: