Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Copycat Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is Olive Garden Alfredo made from scratch? ›

Olive Garden's Alfredo sauce is made daily

The ingredients are simple: a blend of cream, milk, and butter all come together with flour to create the base, then garlic is added along with Parmesan and Romano cheeses to get that hearty Italian flavor that seems to keep customers coming back.

Here's the skinny on that. The restaurant makes its famous Alfredo from Parmesan cheese. Servers, when they carry your food out to your table, bring along a cheese grater stuffed to the brim with Romano cheese, just waiting to top your food.

Cornstarch

The easiest way to accomplish this is to mix about a spoonful of cornstarch to 2 spoonfuls of liquid – it could be water or chicken stock or even milk. You will add this mixture, also called a slurry to the sauce and as it starts to cook, the sauce will thicken.

Flavor Boosters

Nutmeg: A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg can elevate the flavors in your Alfredo sauce. However, use it sparingly; a little goes a long way. White Wine: A splash of a good-quality white wine can add depth and complexity. Make sure to cook off the alcohol by simmering the sauce for a few extra minutes.

Our soup and sauce masters create dishes by hand and from scratch, every day. With fresh, whole ingredients like kale, peppers and squash. Because they know cooking that way – the Italian way- everything tastes better.

Olive Garden dished out a few more facts about the beloved dish that any fan of Italian food would want to know. The recipe for alfredo sauce at Olive Garden has not changed since the restaurant was founded in 1982.

Fresh herbs will brighten and freshen the flavor of the sauce. Resnick suggests using parsley, thyme, oregano, or chervil, or mixing and matching depending on what you like. To use them, finely mince 2 tablespoons of your chosen herbs. Heartier herbs like thyme or oregano can be added in to simmer with the sauce.

The alfredo sauce, which now catered to American tastes rather than Italian, evolved to include ingredients like flour, cream, milk, and shrimp or chicken. To this day, di Lelio's original recipe only contains three ingredients: fettuccine, young Parmesan cheese, and butter.

4. Request extra sauce. Whether you're really into the garlic alfredo or just want some extra marinara to dip your breadsticks in, you can more often than not get extra sauce added to your plate—or even get it on the side—without an extra charge. This also works with the highly-coveted dressing on the OG salad.

Heartier herbs like thyme or oregano can be added in to simmer with the sauce. Add delicate herbs like parsley, basil, or chervil at the end to maintain their delicate, aromatic flavor. Quick tip: Swirl in a bit of leftover pesto to add another herbaceous twist to your Alfredo sauce.

Should I add pasta water to Alfredo sauce? ›

After 12 ounces of fettuccine pasta noodles are finished cooking, reserve 2 cups of the pasta water to include in your sauce. The starchy water is essential to creating a thick, creamy sauce consistency.

The Fix Is Simple—Add Water Back.

A generous splash of water is all it takes. Here's how fix a broken sauce: Add about ¼ cup of water to the pan and reheat the sauce to a vigorous simmer, whisking constantly. The bubbling action will help re-emulsify the butter and bring back that thick, glossy sauce.

The reason behind this is simple; cream sauces tend to lack flavor and feel a bit heavy due to the fat content. Nutmeg is a simple way to warm up the sauce with a subtle, spice flavor that won't overpower it. Like with béchamel, you only need a pinch of nutmeg in your alfredo to improve its flavor.

This recipe for homemade alfredo sauce uses $4.33 worth of ingredients and makes 9.5 ounces, which is also roughly 46 cents per ounce. This means homemade alfredo sauce costs about the same as high quality jarred sauces, but tastes even better.

If your sauce is think enough but still tastes floury, add some liquid and let it cook a bit longer. The answer is simple - you haven't cooked the flour enough. Flour should be fried until the unpleasant floury flavor is completely gone and there is a nutty smell.

It wouldn't be unreasonable to guess that Olive Garden, the massive Italian-American restaurant chain with over 900 locations, follows a similar process. But by most accounts, the majority of items on Olive Garden's menu are made in-house, from scratch, on a daily basis — including its signature soups.

Typically, the pasta at Olive Garden is cooked in boiling water until al dente, and the sauces are made from scratch using various ingredients, including herbs, spices, and fresh produce. Olive Garden's kitchen staff prepares the sauces in-house, often using traditional Italian recipes and techniques.

Creamy alfredo sauce made from scratch with ingredients like parmesan, cream, garlic and butter, served with fettuccine pasta and topped with sliced grilled chicken.

The alfredo sauce, which now catered to American tastes rather than Italian, evolved to include ingredients like flour, cream, milk, and shrimp or chicken. To this day, di Lelio's original recipe only contains three ingredients: fettuccine, young Parmesan cheese, and butter.