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pasta essentials: creamy garlic/parma sauce

Andy59 avatar
Recipe by
Andy Anderson !
@Andy59
Wichita, KS

This is another recipe that was created for my New Year’s party. My main photo shows the sauce over shrimp and pasta. In truth, it would work brilliantly with any seafood… Yummy stuff. The sauce can be made the same day; or it can be made 2 – 3 days before and refrigerated until needed. I usually make it the day before because it saves time while preparing the other dishes. And need I say that it is bursting with the fresh flavors of garlic, lemon, and parmesan. Use it with pasta, shrimp, fish; even drizzle over eggs. Up to you. So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen.

yield serving(s)
prep time 10 Min
cook time 20 Min
method Stove Top

Ingredients For pasta essentials: creamy garlic/parma sauce

  • PLAN/PURCHASE
  • 4 Tbsp
    sweet butter, unsalted
  • 4 clove
    garlic, finely minced, or grated
  • 2 Tbsp
    flour, all-purpose variety
  • 1 c
    whole milk
  • 1/2 c
    heavy cream
  • 3/4 c
    parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 oz
    cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 tsp
    lemon juice, freshly squeezed, or more to taste
  • salt, kosher variety, to taste
  • white pepper, freshly ground, to taste
  • additional liquid (water, milk, chicken stock) as needed, more on this later
  • OPTIONAL ITEMS
  • 1 Tbsp
    smooth brown mustard, i prefer grey poupon
  • 5 - 6 sm
    capers, smashed, and finely chopped
  • 14 oz
    diced tomatoes (1 can), fully drained, to make a creamy tomato sauce
  • 1 - 2 pinch
    cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes, for a bit of heat

How To Make pasta essentials: creamy garlic/parma sauce

  • 1
    PREP/PREPARE
  • 2
    You will need a large saucepan, or heavy-bottomed pot to make this recipe. I have a small Dutch oven that is perfect for making sauces like this.
  • 3
    Additional Liquid I have found that in most cases, you will probably want to thin the sauce down a bit, and the way to accomplish that is with a bit more liquid. You could use water, more milk, or chicken stock. In my opinion, chicken stock it the best, it gives the sauce a bit more depth and flavor.
  • 4
    Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
  • 5
    Add the butter to a pot over medium heat and allow to completely melt.
  • 6
    While the butter is melting, finely grate the garlic.
  • 7
    Grate the parmesan.
  • 8
    Add the garlic to the pot.
  • 9
    Stir until fragrant, about 60 – 90 seconds.
  • 10
    Add the flour to the pot and stir to make a roux.
  • 11
    Add the milk and cream, then bring up to a lite simmer, and allow to slightly thicken, about 3 – 5 minutes. Then add the cheeses to the pot.
  • 12
    Set the heat to low and slowly stir.
  • 13
    Keep stirring until the cheeses are completely melted into the sauce, about 5 – 6 minutes. Add the lemon juice plus salt and pepper, to taste.
  • 14
    At this point you can add any of the optional items.
  • 15
    Do a final tasting for proper seasoning, and either store in the fridge until needed, or serve while nice and warm.
  • 16
    PLATE/PRESENT
  • So Yummy
    17
    Serve with pasta, seafood, eggs, whatever suits your fancy. Enjoy.
  • Stud Muffin
    18
    Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!

Categories & Tags for Pasta Essentials: Creamy Garlic/Parma Sauce:

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