Three-Ingredient Alfredo Sauce with Parmesan and Cream

Steps

1. Step 1

   Grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano on the fine side of a box grater or in a food processor until it is powdery and fluffy. Fine is important: coarse shreds clump instead of melting. Let it sit at room temperature while you start the sauce.

   8 min

   • 6 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 3 cups finely grated)
2. Step 2

   Melt the butter in a wide saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat. Add the cream, the cracked black pepper and the nutmeg, and stir to combine.

   2 min

   • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
   • 2 cups heavy cream
   • 1/2 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper
   • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
3. Step 3

   Bring to a bare simmer — small bubbles only around the edge, never a boil — and let it bubble gently, stirring now and then, until it has thickened just enough to coat a spoon, 5 to 7 minutes.

   6 min

4. Step 4

   Turn the heat to its lowest setting, or slide the pan off the burner. Add the grated cheese in three or four handfuls, whisking constantly and letting each one melt before adding the next. The sauce should turn glossy and smooth. If it ever looks grainy or oily, the heat is too high — pull it off the burner and keep whisking.

   4 min

   • 6 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 3 cups finely grated)
5. Step 5

   Taste and add salt — Parmigiano is salty, so you may need very little. If the sauce is thicker than you want, whisk in hot pasta water a tablespoon at a time until it pours in a smooth ribbon. Use right away over hot pasta, sliced chicken or baked gnocchi.

   2 min

   • salt
   • 1/4–1/2 cup hot pasta water
6. Step 6

   To store: cool and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat, whisking in a splash of hot pasta water or milk until it comes back together. Do not boil it.

Where it’s from

Written by AI from an idea

Version 1, saved Oct 5, 2026