Fettuccine Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo is incredibly easy to make at home! With just four simple ingredients you can make this classic in your own kitchen.

One of my husband’s very favorite dishes is Fettuccine Alfredo. In fact, when we were in Rome on our honeymoon, we visited the birthplace of this famous dish. What we didn’t know at the time was how simple it is to make at home. I would dare say that this recipe rivals the original!

This Fettuccine Alfredo recipe is incredibly easy to make. With just four simple ingredients you will be able to make it all the time at home.

How to Make Fettuccine Alfredo

1. Start cooking your fettuccine. More on this below, but it is important to have it done when the sauce is finished, so start boiling your water right away.
2. Combine butter and heavy cream. In a large skillet over medium low heat, melt butter into heavy cream. Whisk it to combine.
3. Let the sauce simmer. You want to bring those two ingredients to a simmer. Then allow them to simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. You are looking for the sauce to cook down and you should see occasional bubbles as it cooks. Stir occasionally.
4. Whisk in the cheese. Whisk in some freshly grated Parmesan cheese until it is fully melted.
5. Taste the final sauce. At this point you will stir in salt and pepper. How much you add is up to you, but I recommend at least 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. We typically add about 3/4 teaspoon salt and almost 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. The seasoning at the end really pulls together the dish, so be sure to play with this.
6. Toss with fettuccine. This sauce is enough to coat 1/2 pound to 3/4 pound fettuccine. Toss and enjoy right away.

Cooking Fettuccine

There are a few things that will make your fettuccine turn out perfectly every time.

• Make sure you use enough water. You should use about four quarts of water.
• Bring the water to a roaring boil. You should see big giant consistent bubbles before you add the dry pasta.
• Salt the water. I always add between 1 and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt to my pasta water before putting in the dry noodles.
• Stir the noodles regularly. Fettuccine is notorious for sticking to itself. Give it a good stir with tongs when you first add it to the boiling water and keep stirring every few minutes breaking it up.
• Set a timer. I always turn on a timer when I add dry noodles to boiling water. Go off the time listed on the box and test your noodles to make sure they are al dente before draining them.

Grate Parmesan from a Block

For the best Alfredo Sauce you are going to want to grate the Parmesan from a block. Please trust me on this. There are additives tossed into pre-shredded cheese that keep it from melting smooth.

In a recipe where the cheese is melted to make a sauce, good melting is paramount. You will be so glad that you took the time to freshly grate the cheese. Additionally, blocks of Parmesan cheese last for about six weeks in the refrigerator, so you can keep it on hand the next time a Fettuccine Alfredo craving hits. Or use it in my Turkey Lasagna.

Leftovers

Sadly, we do not recommend reheating this dish. Given that there is no flour in this sauce, it separates when reheating. This is true whether reheated over low heat on the stovetop or in the microwave. So, enjoy it while it is warm and eat your fill!

What to Serve with Fettuccine Alfredo

We recommend this as a serving for four. It may not seem like it makes a lot with but it being such a heavy dish, it’s great at as a smaller serving with some vegetable side dishes.

• Caesar Salad
• Tomato Bisque
• Zucchini Salad

If you make this Fettuccine Alfredo recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!