Many of you have asked how I make my basic cream sauce. After reading all the entries for the pasta maker giveaway it is clear you all love your cream sauce. The truth is I never use a recipe for my cream based sauces, I always make it “to taste.”
A basic cream sauce is very easy to make, and is really only a few ingredients. However you can make an amazing cream sauce with some of my favorite additions.
Ingredients for Basic Cream Sauce
Heavy Cream
I use heavy cream in almost every cream sauce. The only reason I don’t use it is because there isn’t any in the fridge.
You can use a little or a lot depending on how much sauce you like. I use about a half a pint for one pound of pasta. If you don’t have heavy cream you can substitute with half and half or sour cream.
Butter
Mmmmm, don’t you just LOVE butter? I do, and I use it in every cream sauce I make.
Once again, depending on how much exercise you want to do after dinner you can add a little or a lot. (A little meaning 1 Tablespoon, a lot meaning throw in the whole stick)
I’ve never substituted margarine for butter in cream sauce, so if you’ve tried it let me know how it works!
Sour Cream
If you want to lighten up your sauce (calories, not taste) use less heavy cream and substitute with light sour cream.
You won’t be able to tell the difference. Sour cream is also cheaper (sales and coupons) than heavy cream, so use it when you want to stretch your pennies.
Cream Cheese
I’ve started replacing most of my heavy cream in recipes with the low fat cream cheese. I think it brings a better flavor to the sauce and a slight tang to it.
Chicken Base
This gives your sauce a little chicken flavor without actually buying meat. I use it when I include chicken in the pasta too, it is just a habit.
Most restaurants use chicken base in their sauces which is why if you aren’t using it your sauce might not taste like the kind you get in a restaurant.
You can also use chicken broth, but I like the chicken paste better because it’s cheaper and you can use it to make your own broth if you don’t have any on hand.
Garlic
You can’t have sauce without garlic. You can use fresh, minced, crushed, or in a pinch, garlic powder. I prefer fresh, but I usually use minced garlic.
Costco sells giant jars of minced garlic which are a perfect for a quick substitute for fresh garlic.
Salt
I don’t use a lot of salt in my sauce, but a little goes a long way. One or two teaspoons does the trick. I like using kosher salt, but it is truly a personal preference.
Cheese
Like salt, a little cheese really livens up your sauce. I prefer asiago, but will use parmesan or romano too.
I buy it in the triangle wedges and finely shred the cheese. 1/4 a cup for a pound of pasta is sufficient, but if you are from Wisconsin add the entire wedge.
Cream of chicken soup
I try to avoid canned soups in recipes if possible. I don’t use this often, but it tastes really good in my chicken tetrazinni recipe. It makes your sauce really creamy. For a pound of pasta I use about a half a can. Do not dilute, just spoon it right from the can into your sauce pan.
Extras: I add these ingredients if I have them in my fridge or pantry, they add a lot of flavor to the sauce but aren’t necessary.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Pepper
- Tomato Sauce (for pink pasta)
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Green Onions
- Red Onions
- Emeril’s Essence
- Italian Seasonings
- Broccoli
- Fresh Spinach
Full disclosure- I follow this recipe exactly. I always add garlic, cheese, chicken base, etc. But if you need a basic cream sauce to add to something else, use the recipe below.
Basic Cream Sauce
Equipment
- Wok or sauce pan
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teasp salt
- 1 teasp pepper
- 1 Tbs flour
Instructions
- Melt butter in sauce pan
- Mix heavy cream and flour with fork
- Add heavy cream and flour mixture to the melted butter
- Stir constantly until mixed together
- Add salt and pepper
- Serve
How to make cream sauce
I don’t have a photo tutorial for making the sauce because it goes too quickly to stop and take photos. I usually have my pasta either already cooked or almost done when I start the sauce because it only takes about 5 minutes.
To make your cream sauce heat a saucepan to a medium high heat. I use a wok to make my cream sauces because I like the high sides for tossing the pasta.
Add butter. As the butter is melting add garlic (I usually add 1 to 2 Tablespoons). Once your house is smelling like an Italian restaurant add salt and any extra ingredients from the above list, plus cooked meat (optional).
Turn the heat down and add your creams – heavy cream, sour cream, and/or cream cheese. You can skip the sour cream and cream cheese, but don’t skip the heavy cream. I use about a half pint per pound of pasta if I am not using the other creams.
REMEMBER TO TURN DOWN THE HEAT!
If you dump your cream into a really hot pan it can curdle and you don’t want that! Also if you are using cream cheese (which I highly recommend that you do) cut it in to small chunks before adding to the ban. This makes melting it so much easier.
Once the sauce has come to a boil, turn down the heat and add the cooked pasta to the sauce. I use tongs to mix in the pasta.
Once the pasta is coated in sauce, mix in the shredded cheese.
Serve.
Try this delicious cream sauce with my homemade pasta recipe!
Jennifer Allwood says
I almost started a fire boiling eggs in my house a few weeks ago. I really, really want to cook… I’m just so bad at it! Clicked over because I love me some cream sauces…. I’ll show this link to my cooking husband! Ha!
Stop by my painting blog and say hello sometime!
Jennifer
alisa says
I like making cream sauce too, but had never thought of the sour cream substitution. thanks for all the additional ideas!
Susie says
No flour? I always use milk because too disorganized to have cream, but never did it without flour!!
Mrs. Jen B says
YUM! Visions of cream sauce, dancing in my head…
I’ve also started using a roux and fat free half and half to sort of cheat a cream sauce – my husband loves it!
Lauren says
Must you always make me so HUNGRY?? 🙂
TheHappyHousewife says
Come up and visit! I’ll make you dinner! 🙂
Sherry says
This sounds delish! I love how you have all the variations, too!
Thanks for sharing!
Have a great day!
Sherry
emma rastelli says
I love this, i had heavy cream and no idea what to do with it( lost my recipe from a maginzine) so searched and found this, I dont cook unless it is my crock pot. This was alsome and it came out great. I used cream of potato instead of the cream of chicken, and the only cream chesse i had was spinich and aritchoke. It is amasing i will be making my own sauces now ( at least for cream) thank you so much!
Brett says
Thank you. I added some pan fried chicken breasts an
d smoked paprika and fire roasted peppers to the sauce. Then served with penne pasta and a slice chicken breast
It was fantastic, it will be made again
Brandon says
I’m a college student teaching myself how to cook, and this has been incredibly helpful! I impressed everyone by whipping out my own cream sauce!
One thing I would add if you want a spicier cream sauce: 1-2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes at the stage where you put the garlic into the butter. Packs a lot of flavor!
Robert says
Great ideas and recipes. I use heavy whipping cream, small amount of unsalted butter, 1/2 block of cream cheese and about 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. i slow, very low heat, cook for about 30 minutes. Makes a great sauce to pour over pasta with grilled chicken
Brad says
Thanks! Googling this always results in a bunch of people talking about variations on a béchamel sauce. Since a garlic cream sauce was next on my list to master, I just hit the road running and used the principals that you mentioned above. The very first one also used a good quality can of clams. (Wife out of town. She’s NOT a fan of most things from the sea.)
It was spectacular. My process is very similar to yours. Finely diced onions/shallots in olive oil with salt and fresh ground pepper. Followed by garlic. White wine added and then reduced to about a third. (For the clam sauce, I had wilted some spinach and finally chopped it. Added a nice flavor and color.) Then comes the cream. Bring to a light boil and stirring constantly, reduce a bit, and add freshly grated parmesan, pecarino romano, and asiago. Remove from the heat and add some butter. Allow that to melt and spoon over the pasta (I bought some fresh pasta from Whole Foods.) I was a happy man.
Thanks again for your recipe/technique. I can see a couple of adjustments that I can make. (I’ll adopt the tossing the pasta in the sauce thing. That sounds like a winner.)
Lynn says
This is how I make cream sauce. My favorite flavoring I use is white wine, garlic, tarragon and Dijon mustard! I make it with sliced pan seared or grilled chicken and penne pasta! My Hubby’s favorite is with lots of garlic, touch of chicken broth or white wine, crawfish tails, New Orleans type seasoning (like Tony’s) with corkscrew pasta.
You can do pretty much anything g with a basic cream sauce. I, much like you, don’t really go by recipes. Wing it and taste all along the way!
Sharon White says
Ran out of heavy whipping cream and saw this recipe using sour cream as a substitute. I must say that it turned out great. I used a little white cooking wine to the sour cream and garlic along with my homemade essence. Served it over rice with shrimp.