What Gives Olive Garden's Alfredo Sauce An Irresistible Edge (It's So Easy!)

Olive Garden's Alfredo sauce ranks among some of the beloved chain's fan favorites, not to mention highly ranked in our own tasting. Not only is Olive Garden's Alfredo sauce made in house from scratch, but it also has a less conventional ingredient to give it its irresistible edge. In an exclusive interview with POPSUGAR, an Olive Garden representative confirmed that the secret weapon to the chain's Alfredo sauce is cream. According to the spokesperson, "adding cream gives alfredo sauce a richer, more full-bodied finish that Americans love." A traditional Italian Alfredo sauce is a simple mixture of butter, parmesan, and pasta water. The addition of cream and often flour to create a more roux-like base were American adaptations. Olive Garden's recipe is as Americanized as it gets, with cream, flour, and milk as well as an extra cheesy kick from Romano and parmesan cheeses.

The Alfredo sauce recipe hasn't changed since Olive Garden's opening in 1982. Plus, it's one of various scratch-made sauces. Olive Garden gave us the inside scoop on the making of its Alfredo sauce and other sauce from chef Terrence Tookes. According to chef Tookes, "we do extensive training and all 920 restaurants get the same recipes. Everyone knows the procedure." Furthermore, there are chefs that specialize in making the sauces, themselves, to ensure consistent quality. And Tookes let us in on another trick of the Alfredo trade; the sauce is made in a double boiler in small batches for optimal flavor and texture.

Not only is Olive Garden's Alfredo sauce one of our favorite sauces, but it's also the star of many highly ranked pasta dishes. And we aren't just talking about a classic chicken fettuccine Alfredo. In fact, Olive Garden customers say forget the fettuccine and order Alfredo sauce with spaghetti instead. We wouldn't recommend going any thinner than spaghetti as dainty pasta shapes like angel hair aren't ideal for heavy white sauces. Our very favorite pasta dish at Olive Garden is the chicken tortellini Alfredo, a larger version of tortellini stuffed with cheese and fresh herbs smothered in that irresistible Alfredo sauce.

If chicken isn't your favorite, Alfredo sauce would taste delicious with shrimp, mushrooms, and any number of veggies, from broccoli to fresh peas. You can easily recreate Olive Garden's Alfredo sauce at home, especially with POPSUGAR's link to the classic recipe. So, you can customize your own pasta dish, or leave pasta out of it altogether and spread Alfredo sauce over flatbread or pizza. If you're cutting out carbs, you can drizzle Alfredo sauce over spiralized zucchini or toss it with cauliflower rice for a healthier take on Riceroni. Don't have time to make Olive Garden's Alfredo sauce from scratch? We found the store-bought dupe is from the Giovana Rana brand, a sauce found in the refrigerated section for its fresh, preservative-free ingredients.