Fettuccine Alfredo
Fettuccine noodles are smothered in a creamy, buttery, decadent sauce consisting of classic ingredients: cream, butter, and parmesan. So simple, yet so tasty, you’ll never settle for sauce in a bottle again with this Fettuccine Alfredo recipe. So creamy, and delicious.
Serve with Fall Harvest Salad and World’s Best Cheesy Garlic Bread Recipe for a great meal.
Fettuccine Alfredo is fast and easy to prepare, and is far superior to bottled sauce. It screams comfort food and a meal that is pleasing to even the pickiest of eaters.
While I love a good Spaghetti with Meat Sauce dish, or an Eggplant Parmesan, or a Sun Dried Tomato Pasta, sometimes I am in the mood for a creamy, cheesy pasta meal, and nothing satisfies this craving like Fettuccine Alfredo.
What You Need to Make Fettuccine Alfredo
Just some simple kitchen basics can create a meal that is far beyond basic. So let’s get shopping!
- Heavy Cream
- Unsalted Butter (salt to taste)
- Pepper
- Fresh Fettuccine
- Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Freshly Grated Nutmeg (or dried)
- A Cup of Pasta Cooking Water
How to Make Fettuccine Alfredo
Time needed: 25 minutes.
With just a handful of simple steps you will have yourself a great meal. Boil and cook pasta. In a separate pan cook cream and butter. Then stir pasta and cream together. Spice it up, add cheese, reserved pasta water, and garnish. Easy Peasy.
- Boil Water and Simmer Cream.
Bring a large pot of water over high heat to boil. Meanwhile simmer 1 cup of cream and butter in a saucepan over low heat for 12-15 minutes. - Cook Pasta, Remove Cream from Heat, and Stir in Remaining Cream.
Once water is boiling put pasta in the pot with 1 Tbsp of salt and cooking until just shy of al dente. Meanwhile after 12 minutes or so, remove cream from heat and stir in remaining cream along with salt and pepper. - Drain Pasta and Reserve Pasta Water.
Reserve ¼ cup of pasta cooking water and drain pasta. - Simmer Cream Mixture and Pasta.
Return cream mixture to the pan, adding pasta. Simmer. - Stir in Parmesan and Nutmeg and Simmer.
Stir in parmesan and nutmeg, and simmer over low. - Cook 1-2 Minutes and Stir in Reserved Pasta Water.
Cook for 1-2 minutes until pasta is al dente and cheese is melted. Stir in reserved pasta water. - Garnish and Serve.
Serve in warmed pasta bowls and garnish with fresh parsley.
Tips and Tricks for Fettuccine Alfredo
Making this recipe is Eazy Peazy but here are some helpful tips and tricks, to help you get the best results.
- Any Noodles Will Work: Yes it’s called Fettuccine Alfredo, but you don’t have to use Fettuccine. Any noodle will work, although some are better than others. If you can’t find fresh fettuccine, use dried.
- Add Cheese: If you are not happy with the thickness of the sauce, an easy way to further thicken it is to just add more parmesan cheese.
- Avoid To Much Salt: If you don’t have unsalted butter, salted butter is fine, just add less salt to the dish.
- Garlic: If you are a fan of garlic, feel free to add garlic powder to the sauce.
- Make More Sauce: Make a little more sauce and reserve some of it for dipping French bread or breadsticks in it.
- Warm the Bowl: To keep your sauce creamy, warm your bowls a little before serving, that way when the creamy sauce hits the bowl it won’t congeal because of the difference in temperature.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make Ahead and Refrigerate:
- Follow directions like normal.
- Let the dish cool completely, and put in an airtight container for up to five days.
- Simply reheat in a microwave safe dish in the microwave until heated through. You may need to add a splash of cream or chicken stock to the sauce to make it creamy again.
Make Ahead and Freeze:
- Make as usual.
- Let cool completely.
- Put pasta in a gallon sized freezer bag in the freezer for up to a month.
- Place the meal in the fridge to defrost and reheat in the microwave in a microwave safe dish using directions above.
Serve with:
Other Great Pasta Recipes:
- Baked Spaghetti
- Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Crockpot Lasagna
- Easy Cheesy Sausage and Green Bean Skillet Pasta
- Baked Ziti
- Shrimp Scampi
- Carbonara
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Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Heavy Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 9 ounces Fresh Fettuccine
- ¾ cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
- ⅛ teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg or dried
- ¼ cup Pasta Cooking Water
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
- Meanwhile, in a heavy bottomed saucepan, simmer 1 cup of cream and the butter over low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cream and butter are reduced to about ⅔ a cup of liquid.
- Remove from heat and stir in remaining half cup of cream, a ½ teaspoon of salt and a ½ teaspoon of pepper. Set aside for now.
- Once water is boiling, add 1 Tablespoon of salt, and the fresh pasta, and cook until pasta is just shy of al dente (see packaging for cooking details, as this varies based on the pasta you use, but is typically 2-3 minutes).
- Reserve ¼ cup of pasta cooking water, and drain the pasta.
- Return the cream mixture to a simmer over medium heat, and add the pasta in.
- Stir in the parmesan and nutmeg, and turn heat to low.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes until pasta is al dente, and cheese is melted.
- Stir in reserved pasta water.
- Sauce will look thin, but it thickens as it is served and eaten.
- Serve in warmed pasta bowls to keep sauce creamy, garnished with fresh parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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