Description
Classic Fettuccine Alfredo is a rich and creamy pasta dish made from scratch with simple ingredients like butter, cream, Parmesan cheese, and shallots. This indulgent Italian favorite combines perfectly cooked fettuccine with an emulsified sauce that clings beautifully to the noodles for a restaurant-quality meal in just under 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Fettuccine
- 8 oz (250g) dried fettuccine
Sauce
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot, very finely minced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Good grind of black pepper
To Garnish (optional)
- Fresh parsley
- Extra Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the dried fettuccine and cook until al dente, meaning the pasta is still firm but fully cooked through. This usually takes around 10-12 minutes depending on the brand.
- Melt the butter: While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat until fully melted and beginning to sizzle.
- Sauté the shallots: Add the finely minced shallots to the melted butter and sauté for about 2 minutes until they become tender and fragrant but not browned.
- Add and simmer cream: Pour in the heavy cream and bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer gently for 3 minutes, allowing the cream to thicken slightly.
- Incorporate cheese and seasonings: Remove the pan from heat. Stir in the freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, salt, and a good grind of black pepper until the sauce is smooth and well combined.
- Reserve pasta water and drain pasta: Before draining the pasta, scoop out 1/4 cup of the hot pasta cooking water and an extra mugful just in case. Drain the pasta in a colander once cooked.
- Combine pasta and sauce: Transfer the drained pasta and reserved 1/4 cup pasta water back into the frying pan with the sauce. Return the pan to medium-high heat and toss the pasta very gently for 1 minute. This emulsification step allows the sauce to cling beautifully to the noodles and become silky.
- Serve: Remove from heat and immediately serve the pasta garnished with extra Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- This recipe takes just over 15 minutes total and serves about 3 people comfortably.
- The emulsification of the sauce in step 7 is key to prevent a heavy, swimming-in-cream dish and delivers a luscious, clingy sauce.
- The nutritional info is based on a proper restaurant-style portioning and ingredients.
- Have everything ready before you start cooking so the pasta finishes at the same time as the sauce for best results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 123 g
- Calories: 426 kcal
- Sugar: 1.2 g
- Sodium: 349 mg
- Fat: 21.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 12.8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8.7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 46.4 g
- Fiber: 2.0 g
- Protein: 11.5 g
- Cholesterol: 122 mg
