Take Frozen Dumplings Up A Notch With One Creamy Sauce

Whether stuffed with minced pork, chives, potato, mixed vegetables, or whatever your preference, frozen dumplings are always a nice freezer item to have on hand for a quick snack or an addition to a larger meal. They're great cooked in oil on the stovetop, steamed, or air fried for an extra crunch. But sometimes you may want to enhance their flavor a bit, even expand their raison d'être. Have you ever considered using frozen dumplings as just one ingredient in a larger recipe, rather than as a standalone dish? It's easy. In this case, the dumplings will work as a pasta component in a delicious, creamy Alfredo sauce.

Whatever the filling, turning them into a dumpling Alfredo doesn't require much measuring or technique. This approach is super quick and will leave your family or guests delightfully surprised at your ingenuity. The dumplings cook up soft and chewy, melding perfectly with a creamy, savory Alfredo sauce. Eat them with just the sauce, or add peas, asparagus, or any other veggies you like to finish the meal.

A jarred Alfredo will work just fine for this upgrade. Rao's Homemade was our top choice when we ranked store-bought Alfredo sauces from worst to best, but you can go with whatever you have at home. For a little extra flavor, saute chopped garlic and onion in some olive oil, add the frozen dumplings and cook until the exterior is softened, then add the jarred Alfredo and simmer for a few minutes until the dumplings are hot.

If you'd like to make a simple Alfredo sauce from scratch, you probably already have everything you need in the fridge and pantry. In a medium saucepan, lightly saute chopped garlic and onion in butter, add dumplings until soft, then add heavy cream or milk until the dumplings are about a quarter covered. Bring to a light simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally. Add grated parmesan to thicken, and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley or the dried herb of your choice.

Using dumplings as just another component to a recipe can be a great way to experiment in the kitchen because it's always fun to think outside of the freezer bag. For other ways to upgrade your dumplings into a full meal, try frozen dumplings in your fall soups for added flavor and texture, or use frozen dumplings as a filling in quesadillas.