Fettuccine Alfredo
Fettuccine pasta topped with a homemade rich decadent alfredo sauce
There are certain recipes that are essential to have in your recipe box and one of them has to be a phenomenal Fettuccine alfredo recipe. Years ago, when I was teaching kids' cooking classes, this was one of the first things I taught them. Almost every single kid around goes crazy for alfredo sauce! It is so easy to make a homemade alfredo sauce that you will never buy the jarred variety again!
This homemade alfredo sauce is made with simple ingredients -- butter, parmesan cheese, garlic, heavy cream, and salt. It's a 5-ingredient alfredo sauce that is beyond easy!
If you are looking for a lighter version, I created a low-fat fettuccine alfredo version called Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo. You can find the recipe HERE.
This homemade alfredo sauce can be tossed with the pasta so the pasta soaks up all of the sauce or it can be spooned over hot, fresh pasta. I love to use fresh refrigerated fettuccine noodles because it tastes that much better. If you want the fettuccine alfredo to be a little more "saucy" toss the sauce with less than one pound of pasta (you may start with 12 ounces of fettuccine).
Tips for making PERFECT FETTUCCINE ALFREDO:
- Start by bringing water to a boil in a large pot. Add salt to the water to season the pasta. Once it is boiling, add pasta and cook according to package instructions.
- Saute the garlic and butter together until softened -- about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and let simmer over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add half of the parmesan cheese to the mixture and whisk well until smooth.
- Save some pasta water. The pasta water is full of flavor and can be used to thin out the sauce.
- Toss alfredo sauce with fettuccine pasta and add half of the parmesan cheese. Once it is tossed, garnish with the remaining parmesan cheese. Add a little pasta water if it needs to be thinned out.
- Garnish with Italian parsley, if so desired.
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Fettuccine Alfredo
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb Fettuccine Pasta
- 6 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Garlic Clove (minced)
- 1 ½ cups Heavy Cream
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ¼ cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Italian Parsley (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat water over high heat until boiling. Add salt to season the water. Once it is boiling, add fettuccine and cook according to package instructions.
- In a large skillet or pan, heat butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream.
- Let heavy cream reduce and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Add half of the parmesan cheese to the mixture and whisk well until smooth. Keep over heat and whisk well until cheese is melted.
- Save some pasta water. The pasta water is full of flavor and can be used to thin out the sauce.
- Toss alfredo sauce with fettuccine pasta and add half of the parmesan cheese. Once it is tossed, garnish with the remaining parmesan cheese. Add a little pasta water if it needs to be thinned out.
- Garnish with Italian parsley, if so desired.
Video
Notes
- Use real parmesan cheese, which is refrigerated.
- If you like it to be more "saucy", you may use less than 1 lb. of fettuccine pasta.
- Leftover pasta water may be used to thin out pasta sauce.
I hope you love this fettuccine pasta with homemade alfredo sauce. Happy Cooking, my friends!
Kathy
This recipe was easy to follow and tasted amazing. I followed the recipe well but I will add in more pasta water next time. My sauce ended up a little thick. All in all it came out well for the first time.
linda
is the butter salted or not??!
Margaret
I would say unsalted as the parmesan cheese is salty by itself. Then add to taste in your individual plate.
Sam
Fabulous, thank you. I added finely chopped, slowly fried smoked pancetta. Awesome. One of those dishes that when you serve up you think "This will never be enough" and half way through you everyone is saying they can't finish it. Which is what happened. So half of what I made is now cooling, then I'll freeze it and reheat another day. No idea if this will work, but I couldn't bear to waste it.
Juliana Atkins
This was an excellent recipe. Both my husband and 3 year old grandson loved it. Will definitely be making it again.
Nicci
You mention using half the parmesan twice, then mention using the remaining for garnish.
This is our go to fettuccine recipe. The teen even eats the leftovers for breakfast.
Jane
Also, it never says when to use the salt and pepper!
Jess
This is very easy and very good. The only tweak for me would be using more garlic. I used 4 large garlic cloves and could only faintly taste the garlic, so I can't imagine only using 1. Granted, maybe this recipe doesn't intend for you to taste the garlic, but I like my alfredo garlic-y. Other than that, very good recipe and will be my new go-to!
Melissa Stadler
Great insight Jess! I love hearing what people think about my recipes, so thank you so much for sharing!
Carl Forestieri
I usually double the garlic but I thought one clove was just a hint of flavor.
I also do a touch of nutmeg.
Bdunn
What a delish recipe. I cut the receipt in half. Hi
I did not use pasta. I used 4 green zucchini cut in a spiral. I also used 1/2 a sweet onion sautéed in the butter before the garlic.
I cooked a seasoned chicken breast in my IP. Cut it up in cubes and added to the sauce after it blended together prior to adding the spiral cut zucchini.
I served it with garlicky bread and topped with Parmesan shreds.
I kept the broth from the IP chicken for something else
Melissa Stadler
This is such a great way to make this recipe healthier. Zucchini noodles and chicken are perfect for lowering the calories while increasing satiety! Thanks for trying out my recipe and for taking the time to comment. It really helps people get great ideas on how to adjust the recipe to their needs and likes, it’s awesome!
Jennifer
Wow! I made this tonight and it tastes soooo good!
Monica Gutierrez
Happy New Year! I chose your fettuccine Alfredo recipe to partner with my chicken piccata. It was delicious! Thank you for your post. I look forward to trying more of your wonderful recipes!😊
Melissa Stadler
Monica I am so happy to hear it! I hope it was a wonderful New Years celebration, and I am so glad that my recipe was a part of it. I really appreciate it!