Skip to main content

Make this crowd-pleasing chicken Alfredo pasta tonight and skip dining out

Keeping dinnertime fresh can sometimes feel like a full-time job in itself, especially with kids in the mix. Children are notoriously picky when it comes to food and there are often only certain dishes they will eat. Getting kids to try new foods can be even more difficult. If you’re looking for new recipes to prevent dinnertime from getting boring, you’re going to love dishing out chicken Alfredo pasta. Chicken and pasta are two dishes children typically eat. Combining the two with a tasty and easy Alfredo sauce puts a delicious twist on chicken and pasta the whole family will most certainly enjoy. So, let’s get cooking.

bowl of Alfredo sauce
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What is Alfredo sauce made of?

Much like marinara, Alfredo sauce is a classic. This traditional white sauce is made using butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese. Making an Alfredo sauce from scratch isn’t difficult. As a matter of fact, whipping up an Alfredo sauce is actually pretty quick. Allrecipes has an Alfredo sauce recipe that takes about ten minutes to prep and ten minutes to cook.

Is Alfredo and carbonara the same?

Alfredo and carbonara are both white sauces. The two sauces originated in Italy mostly because people were tired of pasta with typical red sauces. Alfredo di Lelio created the sauce that bears his name in his Italian restaurant. He made fettuccine Alfredo for his wife who had difficulty eating pasta in marinara while she was pregnant. Carbonara was also invented in Italy, but has a less concrete backstory. Some say carbonara comes from coal workers while others point toward World War II. The main difference between the two white sauces is the ingredients. Alfredo may have some additions like garlic and parsley, depending on the recipe, but the base of butter, cream, and Parmesan is always the same. Carbonara, on the other hand, is made from guanciale, eggs, and Pecorino Romano cheese. Guanciale is an Italian cured meat that comes from pork jowls. Some people may confuse guanciale with bacon. Unlike bacon, guanciale is just used for cooking and is the main ingredient for carbonara. It’s the guanciale that gives the carbonara sauce its flavor, which is quite different from the creamy buttery taste of Alfredo sauce.

jar of Alfredo sauce
Image used with permission by copyright holder

How do you use Alfredo sauce in a jar?

While making your own Alfredo sauce from scratch is simple, busy parents don’t always have time for that on those crazy weeknights. Thankfully, Alfredo sauce does come in a jar. Not everyone has the time to make sauces from scratch, especially when trying to balance busy work and home schedules. Using a jar sauce makes the cooking time for chicken Alfredo pasta even shorter. The Food Network recently ranked the top jarred Alfredo sauces. Some you’ve probably seen on the shelves at your local supermarket and thought about trying. According to the Food Network, Classico’s Alfredo sauce is a safe bet when introducing kids to a dish like chicken Alfredo pasta.

When it comes to using a jarred sauce, use it just like you would a homemade sauce. Heat the sauce separately and then add it to the pan with the chicken and pasta. Allow the Alfredo sauce to simmer for a few moments before removing it from heat and serving. Letting the jarred Alfredo sauce heat up first will add more flavor to the meal. Many people though do pour the sauce straight from the jar over the chicken and pasta without preheating.

How do you add flavor to Alfredo pasta?

The three main ingredients in Alfredo sauce are butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese. If you’re looking to add a bit more flavor to the Alfredo sauce, that’s easy to do. Kids may certainly prefer a more bland Alfredo, but that doesn’t mean you can’t spice it up a bit. Most traditional Alfredo sauce recipes include pepper. Using freshly ground pepper from peppercorns is one way to enhance the Alfredo sauce’s flavor. Garlic is another option. The addition of either minced garlic or garlic powder is a savory one for an Alfredo sauce. Parsley is often used in Alfredo sauce. Adding parsley along with oregano and sage is a tasty way to give homemade or jarred Alfredo sauce an infusion of flavor. Of course, you can never go wrong with more cheese. Parmesan is the main cheese in Alfredo sauce, but there are recipes that use Romano too.

plate of chicken Alfredo pasta ready for dinner
Liudmyla Chuhunova/Shutterstock

Chicken Alfredo pasta recipes kids will enjoy

Now that we know what an Alfredo sauce is and how to make it, you can easily add it to your kids’ favorite chicken pasta dish. Otherwise, here are some chicken Alfredo pasta recipes you can try. Remember, you can always substitute a jarred sauce for a homemade one if you’re pressed for time.

  • Broccoli and chicken Alfredo pasta: This is a great recipe from Super Healthy Kids if your kiddos don’t mind you sneaking in the veggies.
  • One-pan chicken Alfredo: It’s always a plus when you can make dinner with just one pan. When you’re short on time, try this one-pan recipe from Kids Spot.
  • Easy chicken Alfredo penne: Tasty serves up this quick chicken Alfredo pasta recipe.

Bringing new recipes to the table keeps dinner from getting mundane, but with kids new is always hard. With chicken Alfredo pasta, you get two dishes kids already like in one. The only change is the Alfredo sauce, which is creamy and cheesy enough to become a kid favorite.

Editors' Recommendations

Dawn Miller
Dawn Miller began her professional life as an elementary school teacher before returning to her first love, writing. In…
Win Mom of the Year after making one of these tater tot casseroles
tater-tot-casserole

"What's for dinner?" is one of the most daunting questions any parent faces at the end of a busy day. Let's face it, it can be a struggle to find meals that everyone in the family will not only eat without complaint and enjoy but are also quick and relatively easy to make...plus won't break the budget. If you haven't made a tater tot casserole before, you will definitely want to add this tasty dish to your meal plan repertoire.
After a long day, not everyone wants to spend endless hours in the kitchen whipping up a meal that won't be appreciated, which is why a tater tot casserole is such a welcome addition to your family's recipe book. Everyone will gobble up dinner after you make one of these tater tot casserole ideas. If you've been looking for a tried and true recipe that the kids are sure to love, tater tot casserole may be just what you're looking for.

What is Tater Tot casserole made of?
If you've never had a tater tot you don't know what you're missing. Tater tots, which is an actual brand name trademarked by Ore-Ida back in 1953, are tiny (hence the word tots) oval-shaped snacks made of grated potatoes that are then deep-fried. While tater tots have often been served as a side dish, similar to their potato cousins french fries and hash browns, tater tots have evolved over time to the main course with the creation of the tater tot casserole. The beauty of a tater tot casserole is that you can modify the ingredients a bit to cater to your family's preferences, but most recipes typically call for some form of ground meat, a cream-based soup, and definitely cheese. Some people will even use tater tots as a substitute for mashed potatoes in shepherd's pie.
What goes well with Tater Tot casserole?
Depending on what you put in your tater tot casserole you may not need to serve anything with it. The beauty of this dish is it can totally be a one-pot meal, which is great for busy nights where you need something quick and easy to serve the family but still has protein and vegetables. If you incorporate meat and vegetables in your tater tot casserole you may want to simply serve a light salad on the side or even just a loaf of crusty bread.
How to make a Tater Tot casserole
Although recipes can vary, typically a tater tot casserole is made by layering your ingredients in your pan. You would brown your ground meat of choice and add that to the bottom of your pan, then you can either mix your ground meat with your cream soup or layer the soup on top of the ground meat. If you want to add veggies to your tater tot casserole you would then layer the veggies, followed by a layer of tater tots. Finally, you would top your casserole with cheese of your choice then bake in the oven until your tater tots are golden brown.

Read more
Win weeknight dinner with these easy chicken fajitas you can make at home
delicious chicken fajitas on a cutting board

Weeknight dinners can be tough to get on the table especially when your kids are involved in multiple after school activities and sports. It's what makes takeout so attractive. Takeout isn't the healthiest, however, and it does tend to take a bite out of the family budget. The solution is simple and quick meals like tacos, but tacos can get boring when you eat them every week.

This is why busy parents are always on the lookout for fast dinners that can be made at home. Next time you're wondering what's quick to whip up for a weeknight dinner, think easy chicken fajitas. Like tacos, chicken fajitas don't require a lot of preparation or cook time. You can use a chicken fajita kit to cut the prep time or use a simple recipe. Chicken fajitas are also hands-on, just like tacos. Kids can fill their tortillas with their favorite toppings. Chicken fajitas are a win-win for weeknight dinners and we've got your go-to preparation guide.

Read more
Make these better-than-takeout homemade taquitos and gain hero status
plate of beef taquitos ready to eat

Tired of Taco Tuesdays? Tacos are a perfect fit for kids and healthy too, but if you want to change it up, think about bringing taquitos to the table. Taquitos are a Mexican dish with beef or chicken filling combined with cheese. Unlike soft tacos, the tortilla in which the filling is rolled in is typically fried. Frying is what gives taquitos their crispiness. Dipped in sour cream, guacamole, or plain, taquitos are a tasty dish.

Now, don't think kids will turn their noses up at taquitos. Even the pickiest eaters will dive into a taquito. After all, a taquito is meat with melted cheese, and cheese is always a big hit with kids. The other plus: taquitos are not complicated. If you prefer not to fry, taquitos can be baked instead, or even made in an air fryer. So, let's get ready for Taquito Tuesdays.

Read more