Creamy, buttery, cheesy, garlicky Alfredo sauce is the easiest weeknight meal and comes together in less than 15-minutes. One of my favorite movies around the holidays is The Holiday with Jack Black and Kate Winslet, and in the movie they share a meal of “Christmas fettuccini,” so each December, this is on the menu. I know you will love this easy, whole food recipe as much as we do!

Why Grass-fed Butter?

With so many choices out there, why do I recommend grass-fed butter? 

• Whole Food: One of the reasons I prefer to use only grass-fed butter in my dishes and cooking is because it is a whole food. Eating whole foods means that you are eating foods that are minimally processed and are closest to the way you would naturally find them.
• Nutrient Dense: Grass-fed cows are healthier cows and their beef and butter are more nutrient dense since they are eating their natural diet.
• Vitamin A: Grass-fed butter is high in beta-carotene which is converted to vitamin A in the body.  Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin that is necessary in eye health, cellular division, and immune health [1].
• Vitamin K: Vitamin K is essential in bone health and it is converted to vitamin K2 by our gut microbiome, which supports our heart health!
• Higher in unsaturated fatty acids [2]
• Higher in Omega-3’s: support anti-inflammation pathways.
• Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA): Grass-fed butter has been show to have a much higher concentration of CLA than butter from grain-fed cows.  CLA’s contain Omega-6 fatty acids that are converted in the body to arachidonic acid, the building block used to support inflammatory and anti-inflammatory pathways [3].
• Taste and Satiety: Let’s just be honest, fat makes our food taste wonderful and it promotes satiety from our meals, so why not make the healthiest whole food choice like grass-fed butter.

Why Whole Milk versus Low-Fat Dairy

As a functional nutritionist, I always recommend to my clients that they eat foods in their whole form, and this includes all dairy.  Anytime you remove a whole group of foods from your diet, like fats, your diet becomes nutrient deficient and overtime, you may begin to experience symptoms of a deficiency.

Whole milk dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and are a good source of carbohydrates, protein, and fat [1]. In general, I do not recommend eating dairy products that are low-fat or non-fat.  There are a few reasons for this:

• Many non-fat and low-fat products have replaced the fat that has been removed with fillers, thickeners, and sugar yielding a products that is not a whole food and potentially inflammatory.
• Dairy products often contains the fat soluble vitamins A, E, K and D…and did you know that in order for your body to absorb these fat soluble vitamins, you must have fat in your diet?  A low fat diet reduces the bile released by your gall bladder therefor reducing the absorption of your essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins.
• Taste.  Yes, taste.  Fat makes food taste good and creates satiety from our meals.  If you think about your macros in regards to a fire, the carbohydrates are like the kindling for the fire, they burn fast and are quickly used up.  The fats in your diet are like the fire log, it burns at a more steady rate for a longer period of time.

So grab some whole milk cream and grass-fed butter and let’s get cooking!

The Best Alfredo Sauce (Keto) Ingredients

Makes 24 ounces of sauce

½ cup Unsalted Grass-Fed Butter

1½ cups Organic Heavy Whipping Cream

1-2 Cloves Garlic, finely minced

1 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

2 cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Tbsp Fresh Italian Parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp Real Salt* (opt)

1 lb Pasta, cooked to al dente**

*The cheese is salty so season as needed

** Garlic zoodles  for Keto

How to make The Best Alfredo Sauce

1. To a large skillet, add the butter and melt over low heat.

2. Add the heavy cream, garlic and black pepper bringing to a gentle simmer over low heat for to 2–3 minutes to infuse all of the great garlic flavor.

3. Add the parmesan cheese and whisk continuously until melted and the sauce has come together.

4. Stir in the parsley.

5. If ready to eat, add the cooked pasta and toss with tongs.

6. For later use, transfer to a glass jar/container and refrigerate.  When ready to serve, heat in a skillet over low heat until sauce has melted, add pasta and toss.

Enjoy!

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FAQs

Q: My sauce is really thin, how should I thicken it?

A: If you sauce is more runny than desired, whisk in more grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 of a cup at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Q: How do I thin my sauce if it’s too thick?

A: Whisk in a bit more heavy cream until desired consistency is reached.

Q: How long will the sauce keep?

A: Making the Alfredo sauce ahead of time is a great time saver for an easy weeknight meal, it will last in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days.

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