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 in a blue bowl with cheese sprinkled on top


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 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.

Fettuccine Alfredo in a blue bowl with a fork pulling the pasta upward

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.

Alfredo sauce is being drizzled over pasta noodles.

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.

  1. I start by melting butter in a pot, then whisking in the cream and bringing the mixture to a simmer.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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!

Cheese being grated over a bowl of Fettuccine Alfredo

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. 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!

Soooo….the moral of this story is, if you don’t have a place like Buca near by to feast with your family…make a family feast at home with your favorite pasta like DeLallo Fettuccine Egg Pasta with the Very Best Fettuccine Alfredo.

Two blue bowls of Fettuccine Alfredo in front of a bag of pasta

What to Serve with It

You could round out the spread with this simple (and equally quick) 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!

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Fettuccine Alfredo in a blue bowl with cheese sprinkled on top

Get the Recipe: The Best Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe

Easy fettuccine Alfredo is the perfect comfort food for a weeknight dinner and on the table in just 15 minutes!
5 from 1 vote

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.

Notes

Sauce can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Heat the sauce slowly over low heat stirring frequently to avoid separation.
Serving: 0g, Calories: 598kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 44g, Saturated Fat: 27g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 153mg, Sodium: 697mg, Potassium: 218mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1476IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 482mg, Iron: 1mg