Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo

Three ingredients are all you need for authentic Fettuccine Alfredo. It’s a dish that just goes to show that you can’t beat simplicity!

Fettuccine All’ Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo is a dish that Americans think of in their list of “classic Italian dishes” right along with Spaghetti and Meatballs and Ravioli. But, the dish that is known to Americans is not quite the authentic Italian version.

Fettuccine Alfredo started off as the desperate attempt of Roman restaurant owner, Alfredo di Lelio, to find something that his pregnant wife, who had lost most of her appetite due to pregnancy, would be able to eat. So, he added some Parmesan cheese to an everyday Italian dish, fettuccine al burro (Fettuccine with Butter), and she couldn’t stop eating it!

(But, seriously. To put things into perspective, it’s like he made her buttered toast with a bit of cheese sprinkled on top… And then the world went CRAZY over it!)

He introduced the dish onto his restaurant’s menu in 1914. In 1920, he served the dish to some famous American movie stars, who brought the idea back to Italian restaurants in the States.

Ingredients for authentic fettuccine Alfredo (real Alfredo sauce without cream)

Seriously, all you need is three ingredients.

No, not a jar of “Alfredo” sauce.

• grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• butter
• fettuccine

THAT’S IT!

There’s not a drop of cream in Alfredo’s original recipe. Just cheese, mixed with pasta, pasta water, and butter, to create a creamy sauce without the cream!!

What is the origin of American Alfredo sauce?

While you could chalk it up to the fact that making things unnecessarily rich and bad for you is just what the American food market does, there might be a legitimate reason that we Americans added cream in this case.

You see, at the time that fettuccine Alfredo was introduced in the States, the butter and Parmesan cheese that they had access to were nowhere near the quality of the cheese and butter in Italy. So, it is possible that cream was introduced to the dish in order to make up for the lack of richness in the other ingredients.

But, whatever the reason, now YOU know the REAL story.

And, now you can make authentic fettuccine Alfredo to impress your family and friends!

How to make authentic fettuccine Alfredo (pasta al burro e parmigiano)

With so few ingredients, this is a very simple recipe.

1. Add cooked pasta to melted butter in a wide skillet.
2. Alternate adding grated cheese and hot (but not boiling) pasta water to the pasta, while tossing with tongs.
3. Continue until your cheese has all been incorporated and your pasta is creamy.
4. Taste and add salt if desired.

Tips for making the best authentic fettuccine Alfredo sauce

While simple, this recipe does require a bit of attention for one reason – melted cheese can be finicky.

To make your best sauce:

• Use good quality parmigiano-reggiano cheese and good quality (high fat) butter
• Add your cheese slowly, a little at a time
• Make sure your pasta water is hot, but not boiling
• Toss continually while adding each element

If you follow these guidelines, your sauce should melt into a smooth creamy coating for your fettuccine.

What to do if my traditional Alfredo sauce gets lumpy

First, slow down. Cheese clumps or lumps in your Alfredo sauce mean you’re either working too quickly or too hot. Check that your heat is medium low to low. Check that your pasta water is not too hot. Make sure you’re using high quality ingredients and not adding that cheese too quickly.

If your cheese has clumped, add a bit more pasta water and continue tossing to see if you can get some of the cheese proteins to release. Often a little extra pasta water and attention will smooth out your sauce.

In the case that you can’t get your cheese proteins to un-bind (it does happen occasionally, particularly if using lower quality cheese or butter) we recommend adding some ingredients to your Alfredo – like grilled chicken, broccoli, or peas. It’s not authentic, but it will help with the clumpy cheese texture and it will still be incredibly tasty.

Adaptations to the authentic fetuccine Alfredo recipe

The really authentic fettuccine Alfredo recipe from Alfredo di Lelio calls for 1/2 lb of butter and 1/2 lb of grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese cheese per 1 lb of fettuccine.

That may sound like a lot of butter and cheese, but when we got ready to make the recipe we realized just how MUCH butter and cheese it really is for that amount of pasta.

For our recipe below, we have reduced the amount of butter and cheese. Even though we cut them back from what is called for in the original recipe, we still found our fettuccine Alfredo to be PLENTY rich and flavorful.

But, if you really want to go for it, feel free to use the full 1/2 lb of butter and 1/2 lb of cheese with your pound of pasta.

You only live once, you know. And, the dairy industry will thank you.

How to serve fettuccine Alfredo (pasta al burro e parmigiano)

First, if possible, serve fettuccine Alfredo on a warm plate to help the sauce stay creamy.

Fettuccine Alfredo makes a wonderful meal on its own. It can also be served as a primo (first course) or side dish with a meat dish, like chicken or steak.

While not the traditional Italian way, we like to serve it with a salad to balance out some of the fat in the dish.

How to store and reheat

Fettuccine Alfredo is best if eaten immediately after making. However, if you do have leftovers, once cooled, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Reheat the Alfredo in a saucepan or skillet with a little warm water and a sprinkling of extra cheese. Heat on medium-low heat until heated through.

(We do not recommend freezing this dish. It really is best made in small batches to eat immediately.)