A Drizzle Of Infused Oil Is The Key To Upgrading Store-Bought Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo sauce uses such simple ingredients, and yet they all come together to make a deliciously rich sauce. A blend of cream, butter, and parmesan, store-bought Alfredo has a mild flavor and ease of use that allows you to upgrade it simply. For instance, a simple splash of infused oil can easily amp up your sauce.

When cooking pasta, you may throw in a few extra herbs and seasonings to spice up your jarred Alfredo sauce. Sprigs of thyme, rosemary, or tarragon easily enhance Alfredo sauce, but there's nothing more effortless than adding a drizzle of infused olive oil. Plus, you don't have to worry about biting into herbs or aromatics that are floating around in your sauce.

You can infuse olive oil with parsley, oregano, or basil to balance the rich Alfredo with a fresh, grassy flavor. Using aromatics like garlic or dried onion flakes can also bring a pungency to pasta that isn't present in store-bought Alfredo sauce. If making your own infused olive oil, you can also use that moment to add things to the Alfredo sauce that you want more of. Infuse your olive oil with cheese rinds to give the sauce a savory touch or drizzle some peppercorn-infused olive oil in the sauce to make it a little earthier.

To add infused olive oil to Alfredo sauce, simply pour the sauce into a pan and slowly heat it up, stirring gently so the fat doesn't separate from the sauce. A few minutes before taking it off the stove, drizzle in the olive oil and stir. You want to keep it on low heat since the flavor of infused olive oil tends to change at higher temperatures.

If you're including the Alfredo sauce and olive oil in a recipe that needs to be baked, reduce the heat of the oven and be mindful that you may need to cook it for a little longer. The olive oil provides flavor to the recipe, so when you're seasoning food, avoid doubling up. For example, if you're spreading a mix of Alfredo sauce and garlic-infused olive to an artichoke tomato pesto flatbread, there's no need to add roasted garlic to the dish (unless you're just really in love with garlic).

The same goes for making things like lasagna that have layers of intermingling flavors already. With a buffalo chicken lasagna, chili-infused olive oil would be a bit overkill when it comes to spice. Instead, opt for something that will enhance the overall taste, like basil or oregano.