Frugal Alfredo

This post was almost titled Pasta AlFAILdo. . .

Since there are many adventures on the horizon this summer, I'm trying to cut back any way that I can. One of the biggest drains on my bank account is eating out.  But hey... you would too if you lived in South Louisiana. So I decided to go to the grocery store yesterday and purchase enough food to last - gasp - at least a week, a feat I have long since accomplished. Some of you might be gently face palming at that remark, but I have never been able to keep a fridge stocked with ingredients. Usually it looks like a container store with an assortment of styrofoam, cardboard, and tin foil covered rectangles.  

My first venture into the inexpensive yet satisfying meal is homemade alfredo sauce over pasta. Maybe there is another domestically challenged girl out there reading this: this is too easy not to make from scratch! I am accustomed to buying the jar stuff, but never will again. Now I realize how metallic and artificial it tastes. A container of heavy whipping cream, grated parmesan cheese, garlic, and butter are the four essential ingredients. All on top of some rigatoni pasta made for a delicious meal! 

I already had the bells and whistles: parsley, a box of butter, and a jar of minced garlic. I didn't have to purchase very much at the store. Plus, I am saving the remainder of the pasta for at least two more meals this week. 

As I already said, this was almost an epic fail! But I learned the best thing about this recipe is that if you eye-ball it, you'll can fix your miscalculations in a jiffy. In my case, I went heavy on the parmesan because I like ... no love ... cheese. The problem is that adding too much parmesan makes the sauce almost cakey. Just a splash of milk, and the mixture regained it's silky texture. Yum! 

Recipe and directions below: 

2 Tablespoons of butter

1/2 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream

1 Tablespoon of minced garlic 

3/4 Cup of parmesan cheese  

Parsley, salt, and pepper to taste

Melt butter over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cream. Slowly whisk parmesan cheese. Whisk well, and bring to a simmer. Make sure the mixture is heated through. Serve over pasta of your choice. 

PS: Props to the guy that put the butter measurements on the wrapping!