Like…a lot, a lot. Like, I may or may not have eaten a frozen chicken alfredo dinner for lunch, a blackened chicken alfredo calzone for dinner and a bite or two of the shrimp alfredo dish I made for the purposes of this blog when I got home from work at midnight. That much.

 

And while it may not be the healthiest addiction out there, it’s definitely an affordable one. A store brand jar of sauce can cause as little as $1 and if you’re not afraid of a little spice, you’ll never know the difference. So here’s how to do it.

 

But before we start, I have another confession. I use frozen food…a lot. It’s just so easy! 45-50 already cooked, mostly-peeled, frozen shrimp for $5? Done. Vegetables that don’t go bad? Bought. Frozen dinners? Beep beep goes the scanner. 

 

There is no shame in my freezer section game.

 

What you’ll need:

– 1 jar of alfredo sauce 

– 1 box of pasta (I’ve found bowtie or fettucine works best, but let your freak flag fly!)

– Shrimp (frozen or fresh if you want to be all fancy)

– Broccoli

– Various spices (Tony’s, garlic, salt and pepper, oregano, WHATEVER)

 

And here’s the rundown:

1. Boil your water and cook your pasta. This is relatively idiot-proof. I only mess it up like 1 in every 20 tries.

 

2. While the water’s a-boilin’ and the pastas a-cookin’, thaw your frozen ingredients. Easy peasy.

 

3. Drain your pasta and add your sauce. This is where it gets tricky. Store-brand sauce can sometimes be a little bland so if you don’t feel like spending the extra 50 cents on the good stuff, there are ways around it. Salt and pepper can go a long way. I’m a fan of adding garlic and Tony’s, but it really depends on what you’ve got around the house. I’ve found the best way to get it just the way you want it is to add little by little and taste as you go along. Remember that a little can go a long way. For real.

 

4. Once your sauce is all tasty, add your broccoli and shrimp. Be sure to pay attention to how much of each ingredient you have- too much of one thing can really take the fun out of it. Just kidding…but it is kind of weird to eat.

 

5. Hide the leftovers from your roommates.

 

Enjoy!