Store-Bought Alfredo Sauce Hack: Add This Ingredient For More Flavor

It takes a lot of work to make dinner from scratch every night, so it's understandable that very few people do it. Boiling some noodles and heating up some sauce is a time-honored tradition of the busy person tasked with making dinner for everyone. That doesn't mean you have to just eat what the grocery store gives you, though. Making little additions to store-bought items is a quick and easy way to make a delicious dinner. If you're making dinner tonight and finding your store-bought jar of alfredo sauce is a little flat and heavy, it probably needs a drop of acid! One great way to bring brightness to the sauce is to add a dash of white balsamic vinegar after you heat up the sauce.

Balsamic vinegar has a light, sweet, crisp flavor that cuts through the heavy cream. You can use regular balsamic, but it will muddy the color of your Alfredo sauce. There's a reason many chefs prefer white to regular balsamic vinegar – don't forget we eat with our eyes first! A splash of lemon will also achieve a similar effect in acidity, but will be a bit stronger in flavor.

Acid may not always be enough to liven up your grocery-store Alfredo; sometimes you need to find other methods to layer flavor. Another way to make everyone you're cooking for wonder how long you took to make dinner from scratch is to add some Calabrian chili paste to your jar of cream sauce. The paste has vinegar with ground-up chilis, so you'll get some brightness with the heat it brings. The cream should help balance out the spice, but make sure you add a little at a time until you get it to the level you like. If spice isn't to your liking, pesto is another flavorful enhancer you can add that often pairs seamlessly with alfredo sauce.

Another way to boost the depth of flavor of the sauce is to add some dry white wine. Pour about ¼ cup into the pan first, then let it simmer for 3 minutes before you add your jar of sauce. This will bring a mellower acidity than lemon or vinegar, but enough to cut through the butter and cream. Make sure you don't use a sweet white wine because it will leave behind a sweeter flavor, and who wants sugary cream sauce on their noodles?