Quick Garlic Alfredo Sauce

This is a great quick alfredo sauce.  We love to serve this with pasta, kielbasa sausage and steamed or sautéed veggies.  Sometimes we also mix it with marinara to make a pink sauce.  Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press

4 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into 6 pieces (see note)

1 cup milk (see note)

3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste, if needed

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium pot or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, taking care not to let the garlic burn.

Add the cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. It will look curdled at first, but with constant whisking for 2-3 minutes, it should come together to form a smooth, creamy paste.

Add the milk gradually, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking quickly and constantly until each addition is incorporated fully into the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt. Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency.

Cook for 2-3 minutes for a thicker sauce or remove right after the cheese is melted for a thinner sauce. Serve immediately over hot, cooked noodles.  Makes 2 cups of sauce.

NOTES:

1% milk in this sauce and it works great for our tastes. Also, you can use regular or low-fat cream cheese. The low-fat cream cheese gives it a slightly, very slightly grainy texture, the full-fat cream cheese offers a very creamy texture.