This basic pasta cream sauce is worth learning how to make. Only 3 ingredients and the taste will rival any Italian restaurant. Once you master the basics, you can customise this recipe in so many different ways. I can show you how!
The recipe for pasta cream sauce I am about to share shouldn’t really be called a recipe. It’s so easy and only has 3 ingredients. It is however what authentic Italian cream sauce is all about.
Simplicity
Quality ingredients
What is pasta cream sauce?
Pasta cream sauce could be known under many names. Alfredo sauce, parmesan sauce, etc. Those names however, are not something that Italians actually use.
There are many stories on the internet linking an Alfredo sauce recipe to a restaurant in Rome but I am not sure how much of it is true and what is fiction. From what I can gather the famous Alfredo sauce is an American invention and as it is the case with most American recipes it has many unnecessary ingredients.
Garlic, chicken stock, flour, milk. None of them are really needed to make a full flavour cream sauce for any types of pasta.
How do you make authentic Italian pasta cream sauce?
I don’t want to build any more suspense than what is already there. Truth is all you need is cream, freshly grated parmesan cheese and salt.
You are probably wondering how could be that good when it’s so simple. I will say it again.
Quality ingredients.
How to make restaurant quality pasta at home
It’s really important to rely on your own instincts when making simple dishes because apart from quality ingredients they also rely on proper cooking techniques.
Lucky for you, cooking a delicious pasta dish is not too difficult if you follow a few simple steps.
Always buy 100% durum semolina pasta made in Italy. It’s worth your money I promise you.
Always salt the water you boil your pasta in. No oil, just salt.
Always cook your pasta al dente. (Buying 100% durum semolina pasta makes it easier to achieve since it’s got a bit of a chew.)
Always reserve some water the pasta was cooked in to add to the sauce later. The main reason for is because hot pasta absorbs liquid very quickly and greedily.
And even though you made enough sauce to serve with your pasta, the minute you combine the two a portion of the sauce gets absorbed, and all of a sudden you’ve got dry pasta but what we want is saucy!
Here is when your reserved starchy water comes to the rescue and turns your pasta into something silky smooth and lovely.
Always dress your hot pasta with a sauce before serving!
This point is actually very important as I often see sauce on the side in people’s homes and blogger’s photos. There is really no good reason for it. All it does is exposes your undressed pasta and makes it dry and flavourless.
Can I use pre-grated Parmesan cheese for this pasta sauce recipe?
You can but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Once the cheese is grated and packaged, it immediately dries out and starts losing flavour, so you would actually need more of pre-grated cheese to get enough flavour in your sauce.
Buying a small, vacuum sealed piece of Parmesan and grating it yourself before adding to pasta sauces will always result in a more flavourful and creamier dish.
As I’d mentioned, this recipe for pasta cream sauce is basic to which you can add all kinds of things to make it more interesting like this Creamy Tagliatelle with Bacon, Portobello Mushrooms and Truffle Oil.
If you are a fan of tomato sauces as well, check out my Homemade Basil and Tomato Spaghetti Sauce.
What is your favourite? Red Sauce or White Sauce? Let me know in comments.
I love seeing your creations from my website! If you do make one, do tag @vikalinka in your Instagram snaps!
Ingredients
- 500ml/2cups double cream/heavy cream
- 50g/1/2cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the cream in a pan over low heat but do not let it boil.
- Take it off the heat and whisk in the grated Parmesan cheese until melted and smooth. Taste the sauce and add the salt as needed. (Salt is an important ingredient here, so do not skip it.)
- To dress the pasta with the cream sauce, add the pasta directly to the pan with the sauce and gently shake the pan to coat the pasta with the sauce. Add up to 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Making this now. Grilled chicken breast & Veges to add. Using ravioli. Sauce exactly as recipe for my first time. Thank you. Sauce Excellent!
Enjoy, Cheryl!! 😃
fast,easy and very creamy..i put some left over shredded chicken in mine,thank you for this fabulous easy sauce!
Great one! Thanks, Summer!
Oh my delicious goodness!
I’m not even sure how I came across your recipe, but once I read it, I knew I had to try. I already had the ingredients, good and fresh ingredients, and it took no time at all. And I ended up with this yummy, creamy, stick to the tagliatelle sauce. This will definitely be a staple in my house! And to think I was going to order takeout.
You’re right, the key is the freshness of the ingredients. Thank you!!
Hi Vikalinka,
I’ll admit I’m a little clueless when it comes to cooking, but this seems like something I can do. (I’m about to turn 28 and feel SUPER self conscious about having no idea what I’m dong in the kitchen, but better late than never, right?!) I’m a little stuck on 2 things, though:
1. Choosing a good pasta. Do you have a brand or two that you recommend? I want to make sure I’m using the right stuff! I did some research and it looks like Barilla is durum semolina, but I’m second guessing myself because it doesn’t seem THAT expensive, so I’m like “that can’t be the right stuff if she’s telling me it’s worth the extra expense!” Maybe it is and I’m overthinking it though, so I’m asking for some advice.
2. I’m single, and I’ve always bought pre-grated Parmesan because of its shelf stability. I go through things SO SLOW. Is there a way you recommend keeping a block of Parmesan fresh once I’ve opened it?
Thanks so much for this post – I loved reading comments from people who had an easy time making it and enjoyed it!
Thanks,
Kelly
Oh my goodness – I also just realized your name is Julia, and that Vikalinka is the name of your blog. I feel even sillier now. Ahhh!
No problem! 🙂 You are certainly not the first one to call me Vikalinka!
Hi Kelly, Barilla is a decent brand, so go for it without any fear. I also love De Cecco. When it comes to Parmesan I would suggest getting a smallish piece, so you go through it quicker. I usually keep mine in an airtight container in the fridge and it last forever because it’s aged for months it doesn’t go bad like cheddar. Good luck!!
Thank you for your easy cream pasta sauce.
I’m using up the cream and was given some fresh scallops and Gambia’s. I am also softening finally diced onion, garlic.
I just wanted a simple cream sauce to add to my cooked ingredients at the end.
Thank you so much I am sure my pasta will be much enjoyed.
Many thanks and keep safe, from Lara x
My pleasure, Lara! Your pasta dish sounds delicious!!
Wow the best ever and so easy and quick to make. My family loves it.
Thank you for this! This is the best recipe for pasta sauce I’ve ever tried and it’s amazing! My kids said it’s the best pasta dish I’ve cooked for them! Thanks a million!
This made my day, Chris! Thank you for sharing this with me.
Good but if you add a knob of butter in the sauce whilst cooking it as well as some dried oregano and black pepper it takes it to another level. Whilst your recipe is the ‘basic’ version and authentic, it’s only authentic to the point where this recipe contains the actual basis to this sauce, however all cooks and restaurants will use this base BUT most would never limit just to these 3. They would add to it a bit of herbs of their choice as well as butter for extra taste. Hence only 4 stars as you seem to advise to only use these 3 ingredients when it could be much much better…
Hi Don, I suggest using these three ingredients for a BASIC cream sauce, which is indeed used in Italian restaurants. The third sentence in my post says this.”Once you master the basics, you can customise this recipe in so many different ways.” That being said Italian cuisine is actually incredibly simple, not to be confused with Italian restaurants abroad, and often uses very limited number of quality ingredients to allow them to shine. They do not add butter to their cream sauces as butter is rarely used by Italian cooks. They also add herbs to tomato based sauces and even then very sparingly rather than cream ones. It’s also worth mentioning that this recipe is for home cooks as restaurant dishes are often far too high in calories and not something most people would want to eat daily.
Hi, i absolutely agree about simplicity of Italian cuisine . One day I’ve got suspicious about Alfredo sauce (North American version) , so I went to actual Italian sites on google. It turned out that it is just hot pasta with a little butter and grated parmeggiano, I ate it so many times in Italy not knowing it was Alfredo. Also Italians cut bigger piece of Reggiano and freeze it in plastic bag or container , they take it out as they need it. It’s good method for a single person to keep it fresh .I learned it in Italy and still use it.
I have so many Italian friends, who never heard of Alfredo sauce. Not one Italian restaurant in Italy will serve it because it’s an American invention.
This recipe is so incredibly good. Who knew just 3 ingredients could make the perfect sauce. This will be my go to sauce from now on. Thank you!!
My pleasure, Josie!! 🙂
How many people with this serve ? Will it be enough for my husband my daughter and I ?
Hi Vicky, this recipe serves 6 or 4 if you like a lot of sauce. You can usually find all this information at the top of a recipe card under Servings.
Okay, Awesome I’m going to the store soon to get the ingredients. My husband & I are excited to try this dish. The only thing I’m going to try next time is adding a little Spanish & sauteed mushrooms but this first time making it I’m doing it the exact same way you have posted.
Enjoy, Vicky! 🙂
Couldn’t find how do add a new comment lol so I’m just adding it here sorry. So I just got done make this and we all love this so much I will be making this every 2 weeks my husband said lol. I just added fresh rosemary, thyme, and a pinch of fresh chive. I wish I could give this 10 stars.
Wow, you just made my day, Vicky!! Thank you for such an amazing review!
It is easy and SUPER!!!!! Love it!!!!!! Thank you vikalinka!
My pleasure!
Finally! I thought I was the only one who skipped the flour roux! This is my go to recipe for cream sauce and I have NEVER had a complaint 😉
I have experimented with lower fat alternatives to heavy cream and had success but you do have to let the sauce reduce for a longer period of time to thicken. My best alternative to using heavy cream is 18% Table Cream (available in Canada – I’m not sure if it is widely available elsewhere). This gives a nice creamy texture almost indistinguishable from the heavy cream but will almost half the fat. As I mentioned, it may take longer to thicken as it needs to reduce but I don’t find that it takes an inordinate amount of extra time – maybe worth trying to cut some calories if you make this type of sauce often 🙂
Thanks for sharing the beaurty of using simple and quality ingredients!
Thanks, Jenn! I completely agree that the sauce thickens when reduced. Double cream, which is sold in the UK, is so thick on its own, I struggle to keep the sauce runny, so I often add pasta water to mine. Single cream is the equivalent of Canadian table cream, which works great in this recipe as well.
This is a simple great recipe. I was very impressed. I did add garlic, butter and shrimp. I let the dish sit for about 15 minutes before serving. AMAZING!
Thank you so much, LaVonne!
Made with penne, tossed in spinach and black pepper. I simmered it for a bit and the sauce stuck to the pasta beautifully. Truly excellent and a wonderful, comforting meal. This seemingly simple recipe speaks volumes to the importance of quality ingredients and technique in cooking. Thank you Julia!
Absolutely delicious! I served this with fresh Fettuccine that I made as well. My husband I practically licked our plates and my three young children enjoyed it as well.
Yay! I love hearing success stories and especially right now! Thank you for sharing with me, Abbey!
Came out great.i had doubts as i was adding the cheese but it just took longer than i expected to get the creamy texture..You really need to put in the elbow grease with the whisk to get there. It takes a fair amount of salt to get it seasoned properly. I added a bit of pepper for personal preference too ended up delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
My pleasure, Stacey!
I learned how to make Alfredo pasta exactly this way when I worked at the Magic Pan restaurant in the early 80’s! The exception being adding garlic, and chopped parsley on top, it was a restaurant and some color added to presentation, it was also a great flavor component. Truly a simple fantastic meal, Thanks for sharing the “right” way!
I completely agree about the parsley, Bela! It’s important to have garnish for visual appeal!
Oh Magic Pan! I worked there too, in N.J. That cheddar cheese salad dressing was fab too.
First time making this recipe. I added flour, tomatoes, broccoli, pepper flakes, parmesan and cheddar cheese for a thicker sauce. It was so goooooooddddd! Easy peasy!
Sounds great, Christine!
Oh my goodness- what an amazing sauce. Thank you a thousand times over. To think I have been making sauce Alfredo sauce from a roux base is now appalling. As listed it was amazing: fresh and creamy. As a catch all for leftovers- also great. Ended up with no cream just whole milk so I used that as my base. Added in some butter for fat content and the last 1/4 of a sour cream container. While grabbing that I found the end of a holiday cheese ball, scraped out the clinging schmear of cream cheese, tossed in the Parmesan packets from the salad mixes that accumulate on our refrigerator door along with some not so fresh Parmesan cheese and it was STILL great! After I tossed with the al dente noodles, I turned the pan back on warm and kept rotating the noodles till there wasn’t much sauce left at all on the bottom. This is the best cream sauce and really- it’s all about the method and simplicity. So many years wasted on the other recipes – argh!!
Sounds like you’ve had great results, Tamara! Comments like yours make my day! 🙂
This was a very tasty sauce, as I expected. I was, however, disappointed with how runny it was. I poured it over pasta in a bowl and most all of the sauce collected in the bottom of the bowl. I notice now that your pictures show the same thing with relatively little sauce on the pasta and a lot on the bottom of the plate. Is there anyway to make it thicker. I presume I could have added some flour at some point, but I would hate for it to interfere with the taste of the sauce. Thanks for any advice you can provide.
Hi William, this type of sauce shouldn’t be simply poured over pasta as it won’t sit on top like sauces thickened with cornstarch or flour. The pasta should be added to the sauce as shown in photos and gently tossed together until coated. You can simmer it longer for the sauce to reduce and get thicker but there is no other way to make it thicker I am afraid. If you are hoping for this sauce to be as thick as jarred Alfredo, it won’t be. It’s simply a different sauce and that’s why I wrote the article explaining the difference between American Italian sauces and authentic Italian sauces. I hope this helps!
I work shifts and like good food when I’m at work. Last night a colleague had made lasagne, which I love homemade but just haven’t got the time today. So I thought I would try a makeshift version with a typical bolognese dish and I will try this recipe for the béchamel sauce which I will had at work along with the pasta! Thank you
Great idea, Jaime! Let me know how you get on with it!
My husband found this recipe which we made when it was our turn on a vacation with 3 other couples – it was a HUGE hit!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I stressed all day that it would turn out with such simple ingredients but everyone loved it!
🙂
Oh this just made my day, Michelle! So glad you had a chance to show off in front of your friends! 🙂
My god, this is actually really good, thank you so much for this simple recipe!
My pleasure, Julio! 🙂
Wow, I made this with a simple salad and the family loved it. I never would have thought just 3 ingredients would make such a good sauce. So, so easy. Second time making it! Thanks
So lovely to hear, Erica! Yes, fresh and good quality ingredients make all the difference in this simple pasta sauce.
Sorry, We saw it! It said heavy cream..lol. I don’t have heavy, so was wondering if reg was fine..
Heavy cream makes a thicker sauce, so you if you use lower fat cream, you might want to thicken it with a tablespoon of flour.
Do i use regular or heavy cream? Is there a difference?
This was incredible! I made this for my daughter’s engagement party and everyone raved over it. I tripled the recipe and made it exactly as directed. I can’t believe how exquisite it was for such a simple recipe. Thank you SO much!
My pleasure!! So happy you loved it.
I had trouble. Need to understand how long to cook on low heat. Otherwise, this was an easy and yummy recipe!
All you need to do is to heat the cream over low heat until you start seeing small bubbles, right before it comes to a boil, then take it off the heat. I hope this helps, Fred!
Tried this last tonight and was a big hit. I added some pork lardons and a sunny side egg on top as the finisher . Spend the money on the authentic pasta ( or make your own) as the post mentions …. will not be disappointed. Thanks again !!
Amazing!! Thanks Steve!
Thank you…….!!!!
Tried this simple sauce for this evenings family dinner, the outcome was perfect. No egg or flour was used which sometimes don’t come out that great. Added sauté garlic, parsley and freshly ground black pepper and cooked strip of chicken breasts with the pasta.vDidn’t take no time to prepare and even less time to eat.
No fuss thanks Vakalinka, I’ve bookmark your page for future references.
I am thrilled to hear it, Pauline! 🙂
Hi, I plan to make this sauce. Are you a chef or someone who truly enjoys cooking and has mastered the different ingredients when making delicious dishes? I’ve read recipes that include flour and it always has a pastey taste. I’ve used the flour to make it thick, and really didn’t enjoy the after taste.
I just made this tonight and my goodness it was delicious! I added chicken sausage and spinach and even my picky 3 and 5 devoured it. I love how simple yet how flavorful it is. Thank you!
I can’t truly give an authentic review as I used pre-grated parm cheese for convenience. I doubled the recipe. The sauce was much runny than I was hoping as I was attempting to replicate a dish my mother-in-law had at a restaurant the night before (parmesan cream topped blackened Mahi). I was able to add the sauce to a pan of hot roux and it thickened right up. Final product was excellent!
Oh. My. Goodness! Just mde this for dinner tonight and it was fabulous! My husband usually does the cooking but I was craving a cream sauce pasta. He helped by boiling the fresh pasta, grating the parm and grilling some chicken which I wanted to add. I also sauteed some mushrooms and spinach to toss with the pasta. Thus sauce is divine! It is so flavorful and fresh. It’s also a great base for adding extras like pancetta or finely diced tomatoes and basil. Or…just. the sauce itself on pasta. Rich! Creamy! Full of flavor! Thank you! This will certainly be added to our menu rotation.
It’s such a great basic sauce recipe, isn’t it, Lisa! You can add anything you like or keep it as it is. Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing! there are some verions that use butter as well to these three ingredients (especially for alfredo recipes). Do you think butter is unnecessary to add,and why?
I personally don’t see why butter is necessary, Amy. Italians certainly don’t add butter to their sauces, so I tend to stay away. It only adds extra calories.
Can the sauce be made in advance and reheated?
Yes it can be but I would add a little water when reheating since liquids evaporate quickly.
Hi , I was wondering if I could use greek yoghurt in the recipe instead of cream? Or use to cut down the cream?
Hi Sabrina, I wouldn’t recommend using Greek yogurt. It’s far too tart for this delicate Italian cream sauce. If you want to make a lower calorie version, I would choose light/single cream instead. The sauce will be thinner but the flavour would be the same.
Ok I see, thank you!
I made this the other day and used some oyster sauce to flavor the cream and cheese and it was delicious
Omg!! I absolutely love this recipe!! Thank you so much for the tip on the noodles. I found a good noodle like you recommended and I couldn’t believe the difference! I will never buy a boxed noodle again! I followed your recipe to to the T and it turned out amazing!! Thank you so much!
I am thrilled to hear it, Sharon. Boxed pasta is fine as long as it’s good quality 100% durum semolina. 🙂
So I made this and I found I needed WAY more cheese added to the sauce. I did add sauteed mushrooms, some chicken and peas. All in all, it was decent.
Hi Sharon, the amount of cheese is definitely a personal taste, however next time before you add more cheese, try adding a pinch of salt first. I find salt brings out the flavour of cheese that is already there. It is a cream sauce after afterall, not a cheese sauce. Also, have you used freshly grated Parmesan or pre-grated cheese? That makes a world of difference to the taste as I mentioned in the article above.
If I wish to add peas or mushrooms or any other veg to the sauce when would I do that?
Hi Klara, it really depends on vegetables as they all cook at different times. You can use these Pancetta Pasta with Peas or Creamy Tagliatelle with bacon and mushrooms recipes as your guide.
I am definitely making this tonight. I am going to try it with sweet potato zoodles.
What do you think?
Looks absolutely delish!
Sounds delicious, Mary! Just watch those sweet potato noodles. They tend to cook really quickly and go from crunchy to mushy in seconds. 🙂
Just offering an opinion…tossing the pasta with a little melted salted butter first, intensifys the flavor and helps prevent over absorption. I use all of the other ingredients, including the pasta water, but butter makes it a true alfredo, which I realize you’re not trying to accomplish here. Either way, it’s divine. Depending on what the added ingredients are (if any) such as chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, spinach, etc…I usually add fresh ground black pepper.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing, Katie.
Why do people ask such stupid questions? Did you read the recipe or owns calculator? Geez!!
Signed ~annoyed
Can you make it and store unused in the refrigerator. ? It is only my husband and I.
You absolutely can, Mary Anne or you can easily half the recipe.
Better to make it fresh, it’s just my husband and I and I cut the recipe in half.
Hi~
I was wondering how much pasta you would need for this recipe? If I were to use all the sauce made in this recipe, how much pasta is proportional to that, and how many servings would that make?
Thanks,
Anonymous
As the recipe card suggests this pasta sauce is for 4-6 people, depending on appetites of course, and would be enough to serve with a pound of pasta.
My family loves garlic, how much would you add to that recipe? Or would that overpower it?
Hi Sarah, I wouldn’t add garlic to this recipe unless I was adding more ingredients like bacon or some veg. It’s kinda beautiful in its simplicity but you can always adjust it to your own taste. If I were to add garlic I would only add one clove and sliced, not crushed. Otherwise all you will taste is garlic.
Thank you so much for sharing this!! An amazingly wonderful recipe I can actually make. I’m always telling my family, “if there are more than 3 ingredients, i’m out.” Thank you again for sharing this delicious, simple recipe.
How much pasta for 4 servings?
It really depends on people’s appetite but one pound of pasta is usually more than enough for 4.
@vikalinka I’m actually going to make this cream sauce for my chicken Alfredo stuffed shells. What do you think? It says to put Alfredo sauce over the shells once filled and then put the pan in the oven to bake, do you think it will turn out good?
It sounds like a good idea. This basic cream sauce could be used in so many ways.
My mouth is literally watering. I wish this were in front of me.
Going to make this tonight! Think it would pair well with pumpkin gnocchi or would that be too much? Either way, can’t wait to try it!
Hi Meredith, it might be a bit too rich but gnocchi but it’s just my personal taste.
I had no idea I could make this lovely cream sauce so easily! Thank you so much for your tips! I will never buy jarred sauce again. I will be making this velvety sauce for an upcoming potluck. Those ladies will just die when they taste it! Love your website!
Oh Wendy, you just made my day! What lovely feedback! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
What is the green stuff on top and do you use Linguine ??? I am new at this..THANKS
The green stuff is chopped parsley, Rena. Yes, I’ve used linguine but this cream sauce can be used with any pasta. Enjoy!
I’ve made this for years – my children grew up on this easy yet delicious dish. I enjoy it topped with freshly ground pepper. Thanks for spreading the word.
Oh yes black pepper goes great with creamy pasta! 🙂
How easy and yum was that. Thanks for sharing!
So happy to hear that! You are welcome!
Gorgeous recipe and fab explanation on the benefits of best ingredients and NOT throwing out the cooking water. As for red or white sauce: if I’m being healthy I would always say red. But if I’m being honest, it will be creamy white! I’m a health food blogger but I’m not silly 🙂
Kellie, I am the same. I cook the red sauce much more frequently than the cream one! And when kids ask for the cream sauce, I make them a carbonara that is all eggs! lol They don’t know and feel very lucky!
Even though I am more of a red saucy pasta type of person, this looks so satisfying. Creamy, comforting and super delicious.
Thanks so much, Esha!!
I’d actually have to say a creamy or cheesy tomato!
I don’t think you can beat a nice, creamy pasta sauce – it’s my absolute favourite! I love this kind of Parmesan sauce with tagliatelle 🙂
It is definitely a comfort food item, isn’t it!
My favourite sauce depends on the type of pasta being served – I love a creamy white sauce like this with tagliatelle. I’m going to be trying this recipe soon – it sounds so good!
I am the same way! I pick the sauce depending on my pasta. Tagliatelle is my favourite and spaghetti is my least favourite. I find I like thicker pastas!
Can I add ricotta to the cream sauce instead of Parmesan
I would say no, because ricotta has a completely different flavour profile. You need something savoury to balance out all the cream and pasta and ricotta won’t do that.
What about grated mozzarella cheese?
I find mozzarella too mild to add much flavour to the sauce. I also don’t think it will blend with the sauce properly. Mozzarella is best when melted in baked pasta or fresh in salads like caprese.
Amazing share…you have shared awesome tips and details to make pasta sauce and pasta for a beginners like me.
I am glad you found them helpful, Lathiya
I don’t think I can ask for anything more delicious! This would be on my dessert island meals because it is just so satisfying yet easy and totally yum. Luckily my fusspot kids are in agreement for once!
I am sure I will feel that my life’s work is complete when I can satisfy the fussiest of kids! lol Thanks, Lucy!