Best Fettuccine Alfredo
Simple ingredients like butter, cream and cheese are the base for this Easy Fettuccine Alfredo recipe. Quick and simple, this comfort classic Italian meal is made with easy to find ingredients you already have in your kitchen and is great for busy weeknights.
Fettuccine Alfredo
My family loves Italian food and recently visited Buca di Beppo. If you’ve never been there, think insanely large platters overflowing with chopped Italian pasta salads, pasta and gravy laden cuts of chicken breast blanketed with melty cheese.
It’s a carb lovers heaven. Which I am…so it was a feast I was thrilled to attend.
You would think that Italian food, in all it’s simplicity, would be easy to duplicate….ensuring a fabulous meal whenever you order a pasta dish at any restaurant. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
My absolute favorite pasta dinner of all time is Classic Fettuccine Alfredo….and boy, have I had some bad Alfredo. It’s really not hard to make at all, especially when you have high quality ingredients at the ready like really great butter, fresh parmesan cheese, cream and the finest pasta around.
Combined with a little bit of love and you have the Very Best Fettuccine Alfredo ever made….right in your own kitchen.
How To Make Fettuccine Alfredo
Homemade Fettuccine Alfredo is great for a cozy weeknight dinner, it’s ready in minutes and the best comfort food ever.
- I start by melting butter in a pot, then whisking in the cream and bringing the mixture to a simmer.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice, zest, a boatload of freshly grated parmesan and a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- You really could do whatever you want with the sauce at this point but I love to toss my favorite pasta in it….right in the pot so that the starch from the pasta helps to thicken the sauce just a bit more.
- To serve, sprinkle with more grated parmesan and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
You can really use this Alfredo Sauce recipe with any pasta you want, I have tossed it with Ziti, Penne and Linguine in the past with great results!
What is Fettuccine Alfredo?
Fettuccine Alfredo, also known as Fettuccine al burro, is a classic Italian dish made with fresh pasta tossed in a sauce of butter and parmesan cheese. The sauce is created as the butter melts with the cheese and emulsifies into a creamy, rich sauce.
To make my homemade Alfredo Sauce a little thicker and easier to make, I added heavy cream and half and half. I also add lemon and a pinch of nutmeg for added freshness even though it’s not authentic fettuccine already style. You can totally skip the lemon and nutmeg if you’re looking for a true classic fettuccine alfredo.
This recipe is closer in flavor to the Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo recipe than what you’d find in the trattorias in Italy.
What kind of pasta is fettuccine?
Fettuccine pasta is a flat, thick pasta noodle typically found in the Roman and Tuscan cuisines. It’s made of egg and flour and is narrower than tagliatelle but wider than linguine.
You can substitute fettuccine with spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle with great results.
Tips for the Best Fettuccine Alfredo
- If you feel your sauce is a bit on the thin side, you can thicken your alfredo sauce with a bit more cream and cheese. Even better, reserve 1-2 cups of the pasta water and add that to the sauce. The starch from your pasta will also help the sauce thicken up a bit. DO NOT ADD FLOUR OR CORNSTARCH. Just don’t. I don’t care what the other recipe sites say, just trust me that your pasta will do the trick and you will end up with the BEST Fettuccine Alfredo ever. Period.
- If you want to make your alfredo sauce a little lighter you can substitute the heavy cream with half and half making the entire sauce recipe with half and half. You could even stir a spoonful of this Basil Pesto into your sauce for a punch of flavor!
What to Serve with Fettuccine Alfredo
You could round out the spread with this simple Chicken Parmesan, keep things simple with this Spaghetti Aglio e Olio or throw in a simple stove top Marinara with the BEST meatballs ever made. All without even leaving your house. Mangia!
Want EVEN MORE easy weeknight dinner recipes? Follow us over on Instagram!
More Easy Italian Recipes
- Super quick Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce
- Italian Sausage Soup in 30 minutes!
- We are LOVING this Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore lately.
- Easy Pesto Cavatappi is on the table in minutes
- Shrimp Alfredo
- Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
- Pastina
Get the Recipe: The Best Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounce Fettuccine Egg Pasta
- 8 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup half and half
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- Fresh chopped parsley, if desired
Equipment
- 1 stockpot
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions, just until al dente. (Pasta will continue to cook when added to the sauce.)
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Whisk in the cream and half and half. Heat the cream just to a simmer. Turn the heat off and whisk in the lemon juice and zest.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of cheese and stir until smooth. Stir in the nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and the remaining cheese. Toss to coat until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Heat the sauce slowly over low heat stirring frequently to avoid separation.
2 Comments on “Best Fettuccine Alfredo”
Wow this looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
Thanks for the tip!
Have a great day.
Priyanka
You’re welcome!