In the early 1900s, Italian restaurateur Alfredo Di Lelio started serving plates of pasta enrobed with cheese and butter at his restaurant in Rome. Known today as fettuccine Alfredo, the dish gained more fame in the past century in the US than in its home country. But it also evolved in its new environs: American cooks added heavy cream or half-and-half to thicken and enrich the sauce. To each their own, but no authentic fettuccine Alfredo recipe should include cream (because it dulls the flavor of the cheese).
Like Roman staples cacio e pepe and pasta alla gricia, the gloss in Alfredo sauce comes from an emulsion of cheese with starchy pasta water (and, in this case, butter, which should be cold and cut into small pieces). It’s not a complicated technique, but it requires patience. The rich dairy must be introduced to the water slowly so that the elements can coalesce into that silky sauce. For extra guidance, check out this step-by-step video.
The short ingredient list—pasta, butter, and Parmesan—means this is the place to be choosy, particularly with the cheese. Parmigiano-Reggiano (look for its name stamped on the side) is the classic choice and will absolutely give you the best flavor, but there are less expensive substitutes. Whatever you buy, choose a whole wedge and grate it coarsely yourself; or, pulse it in a food processor or blender (about five 30-second pulses should do it) to produce small beads of cheese that will melt evenly.
To transform this simple pasta dish into chicken Alfredo, serve alongside a platter of tangy chicken piccata; or for shrimp Alfredo, make garlicky shrimp scampi.
Recipe information
Total Time
15 minutes
Yield
4 Servings
Ingredients
12
¼
¾
Preparation
Step 1
Cook 12 oz. fettuccine or other long pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water over high heat, stirring occasionally, until very al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
Step 2
Transfer 1 cup pasta cooking liquid to a large skillet. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, then gradually whisk in ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, no more than 1 Tbsp. at a time, until melted. Whisking constantly, gradually add ¾ cup (75 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, making sure it’s completely melted and incorporated before adding more. Add cooked pasta and toss to coat, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce blankets noodles completely. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and more Parmesan cheese.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in our October 2016 issue. Head this way for more of our best pasta recipes →
Leave a Review
Reviews (196)
Back to TopI thought this was very good. I think some of the poorer reviews either 1) did not use the right cheese which is crucial because if it’s grated, “shaker” cheese it will not emulsify right and 2) if the cheese is meh-quality it will be reflected in the overall quality of the dish. Also, it’s a different consistency than the Americanized Alfredo most are used to, so don’t expect that.
Flm3454
Overland Park, KS
4/15/2024
Just simmering water and butter whisked and emulsified is Buerre Monté: "liquid silk that pairs with any seasoning and gilds everything it touches." (Cooks Illustrated, recipe online) Adding the Parm enriches the sauce even more.
Bob Az
Phoenix
2/6/2024
I've been using this recipe for the past few years and it is, legit, one of my favorite go-to's. The quickness + simplicity is perfect. LOVE IT!
Gogo
Tampa, FL
5/30/2023
Went by instructions and it was terrible. I thought sense there wasn't many ingredients it would be great not so. Very disappointed waste of money.
Yankee
Gaffney SC
9/10/2022
I didn't measure but this process worked perfectly. Had a nice chunk of Parmigianino Regianno, butter, and pasta and this combined those into a perfect supper. I boiled some of the pasta water, added more than half a stick of butter slowly, then slowly the shredded cheese until it looked about right, whisking pretty vigorously the entire time. I usually cheat cacio e pepe with butter so this was similar but I found this procedure easier. Everyone loved it. I think mine had proportionately more cheese than the recipe.
RobinFL
South of the south
8/26/2022
1966 we visited Rom on our honeymoon had many memorable meals. At Alfredo our server mixed fettuccini for each guest fresh Server mixed soft butter and cheese numerous times, water was never added. After he finished each strand of fettuccine was thickly coated. The mixing is like baking first dry than wet doing it that way fettuccini taste heavenly
Sonja G Larkin
Dallas, Texas
4/24/2022
The recipes are great and very tasty. THANK YOU.
Anonymous
San Antonio,Texas
3/28/2022