Turn Boxed Pasta Salad Into Creamy Alfredo With A Few Extra Ingredients

Did you know that with just two ingredients and a boxed pasta salad kit, you can quickly make a big, steaming plate of Alfredo? The thing about a fettuccine Alfredo recipe is that it calls for that challenging step of heating heavy cream over really low heat until it's just approaching steaming hot. That takes patience — a lot of it — and a careful eye. Only then do you stir in the parm and butter and hope the sauce doesn't split.

Or you can grab a box of pasta salad from your pantry and whip something together in a fraction of the time. All you need is some of that starchy broth from those noodles you just cooked, maybe some parmesan cheese for extra flavor, and that little seasoning packet from inside that pasta box, and ... bam. Done.

The reason this works is because the sauce packet has creamy ingredients that help you create a quick and delicious sauce — especially when you use a little of that reserved starchy pasta water. Boxed pasta salads, after all, come not just with enough pre-measured pasta to serve four people but also with a seasoning packet that you typically mix with oil or mayonnaise. These packets typically contain a blend of powdered milk (or sour cream), parmesan cheese, garlic, basil, parsley, and corn starch — basically, all the cheese, dairy, thickeners, and spices you need to create a quick and creamy Alfredo sauce that doesn't miss out on flavor.

To elevate a boxed pasta salad into a really filling and satisfying "Alfredo pasta with ..." kind of meal, try stirring in some shredded (and convenient) deli rotisserie chicken. All those savory spices roasted into that chicken really complement Alfredo's creamy texture and liven up its flavor. Similarly, sweet, succulent shrimp contrast nicely against Alfredo's more tangy, cheesy, umami flavors as well.

A squeeze of fresh lemon juice or lemon zest can help you add layers of complexity, brightness, and acidity to dishes like Alfredo, pasta with gorgonzola, pasta al limone, and even Audrey Hepburn's favorite pasta — spaghetti al pomodoro. Succulent, jarred, sun-dried tomatoes with their deep, rich flavor and silken texture contrast nicely against that velvety Alfredo sauce, which will take on some of their lovely hue, turning a soft rose color. A bit of bitter green spinach or peppery arugula stirred into your hot Alfredo can add a flourish of grassy green that beautifully harmonizes all the deep, contrasting flavors in this pungently cheesy pasta sauce.