Give Your Next Alfredo Dish A Boost With A Crunchy Garlic Topping
Alfredo sauce can be used for a number of recipes — with chicken fettuccine Alfredo being one of the more popular options — but you may find that your Alfredo dish is lacking something. Specifically, you may be lacking a crunch. Luckily, there's an easy and delicious solution to this: crunchy garlic.
One option for a crunchy topping is garlic chips, which are simply slices of garlic cloves that have been fried in oil. They're quite simple to make at home, and you can even make the garlic chips in your microwave for an easier process. The chips will bring in that crunch while taking the garlicky flavor up a notch. A simple Alfredo sauce already contains a small amount of garlic, so, if you're craving more of that strong flavor, then the chips will make the perfect crispy addition to your dish.
On the other hand, if you want something crunchy without adding too much of that punchy flavor (maybe you're worried about the garlic overpowering the creaminess of the sauce) then you can go with garlic breadcrumbs instead. To make these, all you have to do is cook smashed cloves (or minced garlic) in olive oil over medium heat for about two or three minutes, then add in panko breadcrumbs and stir together. With this addition, you'll get the crunchiness that you want, with just a touch of garlic flavor that won't overpower your dish.
Take all your Alfredo dishes to crunchy new heights
Although we love topping our fettuccine Alfredo — whether it has chicken or another protein — with garlic chips or breadcrumbs, the crunchy upgrade would work with any Alfredo pasta dish. Another one of our favorites is shrimp linguine Alfredo. The creamy sauce can also be used on pizza when you want something a little different than the classic red sauce. Pizza will also benefit from a crunchy garlic topping — you can add it to a simple cheese pizza or mix it in with a more complex array of toppings.
Alfredo sauce also brings a richness to casseroles. After you finish making an Alfredo-infused casserole, you can add crushed garlic chips or garlic breadcrumbs to the top for serving. One unexpected way to use the sauce is as a dip — you can pair it with everything from crackers to bread slices to veggies. If you prepare it as a dip, you can include a layer of garlic breadcrumbs on the top to infuse some crunch. Or, you can use the garlic chips to dip for an easy and straightforward way to combine the two.