11 Ingredients To Improve Store-Bought Alfredo Sauce

As an experienced home cook who has spent a lot of time traveling in Italy over the years, I love making pasta sauces like Alfredo sauce at home, but sometimes there are simply not enough minutes in the day.  We all turn to store-bought sauces from time to time to help us out when we are under pressure, and a jar of Alfredo sauce can be lifesaver when you want a comforting pasta dish with little effort. 

Store-bought versions of pasta sauces save time and effort, but they can sometimes be a little lackluster and suffer from the lack of fresh ingredients. As a recipe developer, one of my favorite things is taking a classic staple and working out how to elevate it into something special. By thinking creatively, it's easy to upgrade a jar of Alfredo sauce from an acceptable midweek meal to an authentic Italian dish that the whole family will enjoy.

The Italians are masters at taking simple ingredients and turning them into delicious meals, so my suggestions in this article are all ingredients you will either already have in your kitchen or can easily get from the grocery store. From adding fresh garlic to sprinkling in some chopped nuts, these simple alterations will take your jar of Alfredo sauce much closer to homemade. Let's explore 11 ingredients to improve store-bought Alfredo sauce.

Just because a sauce is silky and creamy doesn't mean it needs to feel heavy, but one of the issues with store-bought Alfredo sauce can be a lack of brightness. Adding lemon zest to the sauce can make a huge difference and bring it much closer to the flavor of a homemade version.

Whenever you are working with a creamy element, lemon zest is a great option to get deliciously sour lemon notes without affecting the texture of the sauce, since lemon juice can make it too runny. When making homemade Alfredo sauce, I always add a sprinkling of lemon zest, and adding it to the store-bought version can work wonders in lifting it.

Use a fine-toothed grater or the lemon zester you may have been using wrong to remove strands of zest from an unwaxed lemon, and add the zest to the sauce as you are heating it to allow the lemon flavor to infuse a little. You can reserve some of the zest as a garnish, which will give a hit of lemon flavor in the first few mouthfuls, leaving a subtler tang throughout the rest of the dish. The result will be a beautifully balanced sauce that will create a meal that tastes much closer to a homemade pasta dish.

Put down the plastic tub of dried Parmesan. Iyou're going to elevate your Alfredo sauce to homemade levels, it is crucial that you opt for fresh Parmesan instead. If you have ever tasted fettuccine Alfredo in Italy, the rich, umami flavor from the sauce is in large part due to the inclusion of Parmigiano Reggiano. This revered cheese can only be made in a few areas in northern Italy, and is often aged for years to achieve the signature flavor. The laws governing the labeling of Parmesan are not as strict outside of Italy, so the cheese you pick up in the grocery store may not be genuine Parmesan.

To give your store-bought Alfredo sauce the best chance of deliciousness, find a wedge of real Parmigiano Reggiano at your local deli or specialty Italian store. It will be more expensive, but the strength of flavor means you can use it sparingly. Finely grate a handful of the fresh Parmesan and add it directly into the sauce as you are heating it. There will already be cheese in the sauce, but the addition of the fresh version will transform it. Once you have served the pasta with the Alfredo sauce, grate a little more Parmesan over the top, as they do in Italy. The Italians are very serious about their so-called King of Cheeses, and adding a little to all of your pasta sauces will make a huge difference to the authentic flavor.

Your instinct to improve a store-bought Alfredo may be to add fresh cream, but mascarpone is a luxurious alternative that will give it a velvety twist. With any homemade cream sauce, I like to add a small amount of mascarpone in, as it gives a fantastic texture and thickens the sauce nicely. In the case of store-bought Alfredo, it will create a silky texture that is missing from the jarred version.

Mascarpone cheese is pretty thick, so the key is to stir in a little at a time, tasting the sauce as you go until you are happy with both the flavor and consistency. If you feel like you've added too much, you can steal a couple of tablespoons of cooking water from the pasta and use it to thin the sauce down slightly. Since you will likely only use a few tablespoons of the mascarpone, you can use the rest of the indulgent cheese to make the ultimate Italian dessert, tiramisu!

If you make pasta sauces regularly, having a tub of mascarpone in your fridge is the ideal way to add a touch of authentic Italian flair to them, whether homemade or store-bought. In addition to upgrading your store-bought Alfredo sauce, you can add a spoonful of mascarpone to a classic tomato sauce or mushroom-based dish to add a creamy and buttery taste.

If you look at the label of your jar of Alfredo sauce, chances are it will contain garlic. But it cannot compare to the difference that real, fresh garlic can make to a sauce, and there is no reason you can't add it in. The Italians are masters of subtlety when it comes to garlic; it never overpowers a dish, but magically enhances it, and will bring a warmth to your store-bought Alfredo if you use it correctly.

Raw garlic in a sauce can have a jarring effect, so cooking it is the best option, unless you love the pungent flavor of the raw stuff. Either sauté a sliced clove of garlic for a few minutes on its own, then add to the sauce, or roast a whole bulb of garlic in the oven and then mash a couple of cloves and add them to the Alfredo. The remaining cloves of roasted garlic have so many uses — add to mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables done right. You could also make a delicious dip such as hummus.

When I add garlic to store-bought Alfredo sauce, I like to simmer the sauce for a few minutes once the garlic has been added to make sure the depth of flavor from the garlic infuses the whole dish. The garlic is such a simple addition, but it genuinely elevates the jarred sauce and transports you to Italy as soon as you tuck into the pasta.

Sun-dried tomatoes may not be an obvious addition to Alfredo sauce, but trust us, they are amazing. One of the main downfalls of jarred sauce is depth of flavor, and sun-dried tomatoes have got that in abundance. The umami flavor from the tomatoes works brilliantly with the creamy, cheesy sauce, and also adds a brightness to lift it.

As a recipe developer, one of the challenges for each new dish is balancing the flavors, and creamy dishes can be particularly challenging. Getting the right mix of luxurious texture without it being too heavy takes a bit of trial and error, and for homemade Alfredo sauce, sun-dried tomatoes offer a flash of acidity against the creamy base. For store-bought versions, this complexity is even more important, as the lack of fresh ingredients can leave the sauce tasting flat.

My favorite way to incorporate the sun-dried tomatoes is to chop them into bite-sized pieces and stir them through the sauce just before adding it to the pasta. This way, you get little jewels of chewy, sweet goodness hidden within the pasta. Alternatively, you can blend the tomatoes with some of the oil they are packed in and stir into the pan to create a rose-colored version of Alfredo. Save a few large tomatoes to add to the finished dish as garnish, giving a pop of color to an otherwise beige dish.

The idea of an Italian pasta sauce without fresh herbs is unthinkable, and although there will be herbs in your jar of sauce, much of the flavor will be depleted by the time that has passed since it was added to the jar. In my time spent eating in Italy, I have enjoyed many different fresh herbs in pasta dishes, but basil is a standout favorite and goes particularly well in Alfredo.

Basil has a fresh, almost sweet flavor that contrasts really well with the creamy elements of the sauce. Tomatoes and basil are a pairing that should always be together, so if you are also adding sun-dried tomatoes into your sauce, basil is the obvious choice. Parsley is another option that works well with creamy sauces, adding an earthy element that freshens them up.

When preparing your fresh herbs, don't chop them too far ahead of time. The potency of the oils in the herbs reduces from the moment they are cut, so for the biggest impact, hold off until you're ready to add them to the dish. Don't cook the herbs in the sauce; add them at the last second, stirring them through to make sure they are spread throughout the finished dish. Garnish the pasta with a couple of whole leaves for a lovely green contrast to the pale pasta, and enjoy the upgrade that the herbs bring to your Alfredo sauce.

This addition won't be for everyone, but personally we love it! It is not a traditional Italian move, but adding chilis to a creamy sauce such as Alfredo can transform it. Many jarred sauces are one-dimensional, and if you are going to add some new layers to it, you may as well make them spicy ones. If you are unsure about the potential heat of chilis, start with flavorsome options that won't blow your taste buds away, such as jalapeno or poblano. These are mild chilis with a Scoville rating of only 1000 – 2000 units, meaning they should be manageable for most people. 

If you prefer a real kick, very thinly sliced habanero, at around 100,000 units, will make your Alfredo sauce a lot of fun! The creamy sauce will help to balance the heat of the chilis, meaning they should be less fiery than they would be in other dishes. Be sure to remove the seeds and membrane, as this is where the majority of the spice-giving capsaicin is found. Keep the quantity of chilis small and evenly dispersed throughout your Alfredo sauce, and you should find it spices it up just enough without overpowering your palate for the rest of the day.

One of the things that can be lacking in creamy pasta sauces is a contrast of texture. If you want to jazz up your store-bought Alfredo, adding chopped nuts is a great way to incorporate crunch as well as flavor.

Nuts are used regularly in Italian cuisine, and in northern Italy, walnuts and  pine nuts are used for more than just pesto; they're often added to pasta. Walnuts are a personal favorite of mine in savory dishes, and they are packed with healthy fats and antioxidants, giving your pasta Alfredo a nutrition boost. Whichever nuts you choose, you can either add them to the dish raw or toast them first. Toasting nuts will deepen the flavor and add a richness that will complement the pasta very well. The best way to toast nuts is to simply add them to a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 10 minutes, but if you are short on time, you can also microwave them for a minute at a time until they are dark enough.

Chop the toasted nuts roughly, reserving a few whole nuts to add at the end. Stir the chopped nuts into the store-bought Alfredo sauce just before serving and ensure they are evenly distributed throughout. Once you have plated up the dish, add a couple of whole nuts as a garnish to complete the presentation.

If you're going to upgrade your store-bought Alfredo sauce, you can take the opportunity to add in some extra veggies too, meaning that your indulgent pasta dish can also count toward your intake for the day. Mushrooms are the ultimate savory vegetable, and their umami flavor works brilliantly with the rich, cheesy Alfredo sauce.

The Italians love mushrooms and regularly add them to pizza, risotto, and sauces. They also enjoy a wide variety of fungi, from chanterelle and morel to the famous, super-umami porcini. If you can get hold of a more interesting mushroom than the usual white ones, you will notice a big difference in your sauce. Using a variety of mushrooms in your cooking means you can benefit from the unique nutritional profile that each one has, too.

Once you have chosen your mushroom variety, you will want to cook them — raw mushrooms are not going to enhance your sauce in the way we want. While the pasta cooks and the sauce heats, sauté some sliced mushrooms in a pan with a little butter and herbs, or for a more hands-off approach, drizzle them in olive oil and bake in the oven. Add most of the cooked mushrooms to the sauce before serving and top with a couple of mushroom slices for garnish.

If you love carbonara just as much as Alfredo sauce, why not create the best of both sauces by adding bacon to your jar of Alfredo? The smokiness of the meat plays off the creaminess of the sauce perfectly and creates the ultimate indulgent sauce to have with pasta.

As much as the creaminess of Alfredo sauce is its distinguishing flavor, sometimes with store-bought sauces, it can feel a little monotonous. Adding a bold flavor like bacon into the mix can lift the sauce and give it a new dimension, while still keeping the comforting essence of the beloved Alfredo. As an avid home cook, I am always looking for new ways to add texture and flavor into dishes, and crispy bacon is a guaranteed way to incorporate both.

Crisp the bacon up, either in a pan or under the broiler, until it is beautifully browned without being burnt. If you are planning to add garlic, chili, or mushrooms to your sauce, too, you can cook them in the leftover bacon fat for extra delicious notes. Chop the crispy bacon into small pieces, then scatter across the finished dish to retain the texture. You can also mix some into the sauce, but the crispy exterior may be lost.

The addition of black pepper to a jar of Alfredo sauce may seem like such as small tweak, but you may be surprised at the difference it can make to the flavor. The Italians like to add black pepper to many of their dishes, and it has become a familiar sight in an Italian restaurant to see the waiter appear with a large pepper grinder to offer it freshly ground to the whole table. The reason for this is not just the flavor of the pepper itself, but the effect it can have on other ingredients.

Not only does black pepper impart a spicy flavor of its own, it also causes the salivary glands to engage more, improving the taste of the rest of our food. This is why, once added to an Alfredo sauce, black pepper can make the whole dish seem more vibrant and flavorful. It should be noted that this effect only works with freshly ground black pepper, as the flavor will diminish quickly after cracking the protective shell. So even if your jar of Alfredo sauce contains black pepper as one of the ingredients, you should still add some freshly ground pepper just before serving. Add it to your sauce as you heat it in the pan, then a few more twists on top after plating, to give you a more authentic Italian pasta dish that will keep your taste buds happy.