Life’s all about balance and that’s where Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken Sausage comes in!  There’s no denying Alfredo Sauce is decadent (full of cream, butter, and cheese) but when paired with chicken sausage and steamed veggies, it can still be part of a balanced life!  Please don’t tell me if I’m wrong because this alfredo sauce is just too good to let go!  This sauce has been on constant rotation in our house for years.  Here’s how it’s made!

Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

When there are only a few ingredients in a recipe, like this alfredo sauce, it’s important to use quality ingredients.  Look for a high quality parmesan cheese, ideally Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.  It’s a little more expensive, but the recipe only calls for 2 ounces, and it is worth it’s price.  If you live near a Costco, they have a great brand at a good price.

Grate the cheese on the fine side of your box grater and add it to some cream, butter, and salt in a small saucepan.

Melt the ingredients together over a very low heat, whisking often.  You don’t want the mixture to boil or it will seize up and turn lumpy. Low heat = smooth sauce.

Once the mixture is smooth and cohesive, add a pinch of nutmeg and freshly ground pepper.  That’s all there is to it!

At first glance, this Alfredo sauce won’t be as thick as the jars of it you can buy at the supermarket.  Those sauces are full of presertives and additives to thicken it.  This on the other hand ,is alfredo in it’s purest form.  It will thicken up as it continues to rest and will especially thicken as it is added to the pasta with it’s starchy surface.

Chicken Sausage

I love to sneak chicken sausage into meals whenever I can.  This particular brand has lots of varieties to choose from and it’s so good added to pasta dishes.  For this particular dish, I used Italian Style sausages.

The sausage comes fully cooked so all that’s left to do is cut it into 1/2″ slices.

And sautee over medium heat in a 1 tablespoon of oil, until browned.

Toss the Alfredo Sauce with cooked fettucine pasta and top with cooked sausages, freshly grated cheese, and fresh parlsey.  This recipe is worthy of a special occasion dinner, or your quickest weeknight dinner after a long day of work.

This alfredo sauce also also pairs well with this Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken.

Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken Sausage

1 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 1 tablespoon pieces
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 ounces (1 cup) Parmigiana Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
Freshly ground pepper
Dash of nutmeg
12 ounce package of chicken sausage, sliced 1/2″ thick and sauteed with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium heat until browned

Directions

1. Put the cream, butter, salt and cheese in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until the cheese has melted. The mixture may come to a simmer, but should not boil.

2. Remove from the heat and add freshly ground pepper and nutmeg.

3. Toss with 1 pound cooked fettuccini, serve with chicken sausage (see above for step by step instructions), and steamed veggies.

Shortcut: This meal is really quick to begin with, but on nights when you need dinner on the table in the time it takes to boil noodles, you can substitute a quality jarred alfredo and serve with frozen veggies, steamed in the microwave.

*Alfredo sauce adapted from America’s Test Kitchen “Best Recipes”*