Perfect, creamy, classic, restaurant quality Fettuccine Alfredo. Indulgent – definitely. Everyone thinks it is SO unhealthy. But it’s only 420 calories for a decent size serving – did you know that?! Sure, not the most nutritious meal. But you won’t go up a jeans size! (Unless you eat 3 servings for yourself….)
Fettucine Alfredo
I triple checked the nutrition analysis because I couldn’t believe my eyes when it came out with only 420 calories for a good size serving of this pasta. I have it in my head that Alfredo is so bad for you because it’s made with cream. Sure, there’s a high fat content. But the calories are a lot less than I expected. A LOT less.
Maybe because this is a recipe that uses the classic Italian method of emulsifying the pasta (which is the magic that happens when you briefly cook the sauce with the pasta + some pasta water).
By doing this, the sauce gets thick, rich and glossy so it clings lusciously to every single strand (take a close look at the photo above!). So you don’t need to use an entire tub of cream to make a beautiful, restaurant quality Alfredo pasta.
I have seen recipes around that use double the amount of cream I use. It’s completely unnecessary and makes it sickeningly rich. If anyone tells me they don’t think this is rich enough, I’ll honestly fall off my chair. 🙂
I was 24 before I had my first Alfredo pasta. Seriously. My mother never, ever cooked with cream – it’s just not the done thing in Japanese home cooking! And now I believe to my very core that cooking with cream for midweek meals is just not acceptable. Which is why you see so many “creamy but made with no cream” recipes here on RecipeTin Eats. I grew up learning all the other ways to make creamy sauces other than using cream.
I think my mother will actually be quite shocked when she sees that I’m sharing an Alfredo pasta. And once she gets over that, the next thing she’ll do is send me an email asking me “who ate all that pasta?”. Hmph!
So I was well into my twenties before I tried Alfredo at a restaurant. Of course I loved it. I mean, who wouldn’t? All that creamy, buttery sauce coating every strand of pasta. Just. So. Good. And SO EASY to make (with just a few simple but critical tips 🙂 ).
So now that you know Alfredo is not as guilty an indulgence as you previously thought….on the menu for dinner this week? Just plonk some raw carrots on the side to make it a complete meal! 😉 Nagi x
PS Truly, this is what it should look like – each strand with sauce clinging to it, not swimming in cream sauce! The only way to achieve this thick glossy sauce that sticks to the pasta is with step 7 in the recipe – emulsifying. Learn it, love it, and use it for every pasta you make. 🙂
More ways to get your creamy pasta fix!
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Baked Mac and Cheese – and try the Shrimp version!
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Browse all pasta recipes
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Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 8 oz / 250g dried fettuccine
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot , very finely minced (eschallot in Australia) (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (Note 2)
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or parmesan (Notes 3 and 4)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Good grind of black pepper
Garnish
- Fresh parsley (optional)
- Extra Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente (still firm but just cooked through). (Note 5)
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a deep fry pan over medium high heat. (Note 6)
- Add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes or until tender.
- Add the cream and bring to boil. Turn heat down to medium low and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Remove the fry pan from the heat and stir through the Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper until the sauce is smooth.
- TAKE OUT 1/4 cup of pasta water PLUS scoop out an extra mug (extra, just in case). Then drain the pasta in a colander.
- Transfer the pasta and 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water into the fry pan with the sauce. Return the fry pan to the stove over medium high heat. Toss very gently to coat the pasta in the sauce and allow the sauce to emulsify (Note 6) for 1 minute. (Note 7)
- Remove from the stove and serve immediately, garnished with extra Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh parsley, if using.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
And to finish up…a peek into Dozer’s hard life. Morning at the beach (is it winter?!). Afternoon eyeing off the Alfredo pasta. Yes I managed to resist that face. Took a lot of will power! 🙂
This Fettucine Alfredo would have to be the most tasteless dish I have ever made! Did you leave something out of the recipe? It was boring, tasteless and not worth the effort!
I’ve been a fan of Recipe Tin for a long time and it’s our goto.
Is there a reliable method to reheat Alfredo for lunch at the office? Microwave suuucks, at least on high. And no oven or stove (at work), Impossible problem. Ideas!?
I’ve tried a few things here at home but the butter inevitably separates.Please help!?
Sis and I made this tonight, but added sun-dried tomatoes, pecorino cheese and black olives. No shallots, but included spring onions. It was sensational! 😊
It certainly need those extras to give it some flavour!
I love the pasta, it’s delicious and not heavy at all. Would you consider making a video ? I am not sure if my pasta to sauce ratio is correct
So I subbed plant based cream in lieu of heavy cream and it was amazing. I made cashew cream with soy milk (1 cup boiled cashews, 1 cup soy milk plus 1 head of roasted garlic pulp in a blender). It was amazing. I did use butter (next time I will try to reduce the butter) and I forgot to add the shallots so I basically I melted butter, added my roasted garlic cashew cream, and grated parmesan along with pasta water and pasta. I also used whole grain spaghetti and added some sauteed mushrooms. It tasted amazing and you would never know it wasn’t heavy cream. So much lighter on the saturated fat content yet delicious and so lush!
I love love love this recipe. I make it at least once a fortnight. So simple and so tasty. Not to mention I can have it on the table in 15 minutes. Thanks Nagi.
This is a great recipe!
Just got told by my super-fussy pasta-loving 16 yr old that this is a delicious recipe. Filled her plate and is highly likely to come back for seconds! Thanks Nagi!
Just made this tonight and added a ton of garlic with the shallot
Amazing and so simple!!! Restaurant quality dish!!!
I have made this recipe twice. The first time I used a yellow onion instead of shallot, and parmiganio reggiano and I actually didn’t like it. Too much onion flavor, and the cheese wasn’t what I was used to.
The second time I used shallot as recommended, and regular deli Parmesan and it was excellent!! I thought those minor swaps would be okay but now I know the recipe was as it should be
So easy
So quick to come together and oh so very very delicious
I have been craving a creamy pasta and so decided to have a go at your Alfredo. Unfortunately apart from cream, I didn’t have most of the correct ingredients but I decided to go with what I had, so I did linguine Alfredo with brown onions, and Parmesan cheese. I added garlic and bacon to the dish. Despite the substitutions, this ended up being the most delicious and satisfying pasta I’ve ever cooked. I have a lot left over, which I’m hoping it will reheat okay because normally cream-based dishes don’t do well reheated. Thank you for a brilliant, easy to follow and adapt recipe.
Hi Nagi!
Love your site and recipes! We are a gluten free house and I have just made this as a quick dinner for us with gluten free spaghetti and it was delicious!
Thank you!
Rae
Mmmm so good and the recipe was very easy to follow. Just like all your other recipes 🙂 🙂 thank you!
Brilliant recipe in its simplicity! Used French President butter. Will definitely do it again and try prawns, mushrooms etc.
Have made this straight up twice. Wonderful! Tonight added butter sautéed shrimp. Wow!
I needed something quick and easy with what I had in the fridge and in the pantry and this recipe did the trick! I decided to also fry up some mushrooms with this dish as well and it turned out delicious!! My partner was so happy and said this was the dish he has been craving! Will definitely make again.
Last night for dinner I made a combination of your Fettucini Alfredo and your cookbook recipe of Fettucini Alfredo with Mushrooms. I included chicken, sliced mushrooms, minced garlic, and a minced shallot. I omitted the wine because I didn’t have any on hand. Even so, it was so delicious, really 5 star quality. Your recipe is very forgiving allowing for these additions and deletions. It was perfect. Thank you so much for submitting these two Fettucino Alfredo recipes.
This was easy and delicious!! I did sub a lighter version for the cream but I also added bacon and mushrooms. Yummy yummy in my tummy!! Loved it!! Thanks for a great recipe
Absolutely delicious!