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.
- Add cooked pasta to melted butter in a wide skillet.
- Alternate adding grated cheese and hot (but not boiling) pasta water to the pasta, while tossing with tongs.
- Continue until your cheese has all been incorporated and your pasta is creamy.
- 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 ½ lb of butter and ½ 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 ½ lb of butter and ½ 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.)
Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo
You haven't tasted Fettuccine Alfredo until you've tried the authentic version!
Ingredients
- 1 lb fettuccine noodles, dry
- 12 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 6 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated *
- ½ - 1 teaspoon salt, (to taste)
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and heat it over high heat until boiling. Once the water boils, add a good dash of salt and the noodles. Cook only until al dente, 9-10 minutes.
- While the pasta heats, gently melt the butter over medium heat in a large, non-stick skillet with high sides.
- Drain the pasta (reserving the water) and transfer the pasta to the skillet with the melted butter.
- Add a ½ teaspoon salt and toss the pasta with a tongs to combine (nonstick, silicone tongs work best).
- Reduce the heat to medium low. Add a handful of grated cheese and a ladle of hot pasta water, tossing the pasta continuously with your tongs to incorporate the cheese.
- Add more cheese, a little at a time, tossing between each addition, until all the cheese has been used.
- Add more hot pasta water as needed to melt the cheese so that it coats the noodles. (But, be careful not to add too much. You don’t want a watery sauce.)
- Taste the pasta and adjust the salt as necessary.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
*Since there are so few ingredients in this dish it is IMPERATIVE that you get good quality Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. So, go ahead and find your grocery store's specialty food section and buy a wedge that you can grate yourself. Expect to pay around $8-10 per pound for the cheese. (You only need 6 oz!) Your pasta will thank you!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
¼ of recipeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 655
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
I made this tonight (with AUTHENTIC imported Italian Pasta)for my family and we all loved it! We do have some leftover, however. What would be the best way to reheat this without coagulating everything?
We're so glad you enjoyed it Rachael. To reheat, I would let it come to room temperature and toss it with a little boiling water. You could also try to microwave it 5-10 seconds at a time, tossing after each.
We made this with fresh fettuccine, it was delicious! I served with pan seared shrimp in a preserved lemon sauce, very nice accompaniment. Even my toddler liked it!
We're so glad you enjoyed it, Katie!
What would be your opinion on adding some protein like prawns? Got a way to add that to your method? Would I cook with the pasta or boil separate then toss in the end?
Hi Malcolm. That would be quite tasty. I would cook them separately and toss them in right before serving. Enjoy!
Has anyone tried this reheated ?
This dish is definitely best eaten after making. But we have on occasion had leftovers, and they reheat well enough in the microwave.
It doesn’t mention how much pasta water to use
You add it about 1/2 cup at a time as you mix, adding just as much as you need to get the sauce to a good consistency. The amount will vary based on the cheese, temperature, starchiness of your pasta, etc.
By melting the butter first thing, you are breaking the water-in-oil emulsion and losing the creamy sauce consistency. To keep the sauce creamy, first put the pasta water in the pan, then stir cold butter into it, being careful not to let it boil, and making sure to stir constantly to ensure a creamy sauce. Add the cheese last, as the emulsion will make the sauce a bit more forgiving and prevent the cheese from turning into a greasy blob. Toss this sauce with the pasta, and add more pasta water to thin if needed.
Very interesting Tom. We will have to try to give your method a try.
@Tom Windelborn, I wish I would have read this before I followed the recipe. It was a struggle to get the sauce together. The cheese kept turning onto a blob ( I only added a little at a time) and I butchered my pasta bringing it together. I will definitely try this method next time.
@Tom Windelborn, thanks for your comment the first time I made this I accidentally added the cheese too fast and it congealed. Just made it again with your method and it came out perfect. Was able to add more cheese and water as needed without issues. I also added some fresh parsley which was a great addition.
So when I added the cheese, it transformed into a very sticky plastic-like goo. I don’t think it combined with the butter whatsoever, so essentially I was left with large sticky cheese pockets stuck to every sponge, pan, and kitchen utensil I used. Any ideas on where I went wrong here?
Hi Kyle. It is imperative that you add the cheese slowly. If you add it too quickly it will gum up. Take a look at our video, you are really just adding a sprinkling at a time. And make sure the pasta water that you add is hot. This should help with the clumping.
@Sarah Ozimek, I don't see a video.
Hi Mark. Are you using an ad blocker? Sometimes those will block the videos from appearing as well.
I can’t have dairy, gonna try it with vegan options and pray to the Gods it works and tastes good.
Do let us know what you use and how it turns out!
I went to Central Market today to get the right cheese. I spoke with an Italian cheese master (not sure of the correct term) and told him that I wanted to make Alfredo sauce for my brother's birthday. Every time I make it, the sauce comes out grainy. He told me NO cream! So I'll make the original recipe plus, because I'm feeding 8 people and some eat as many as two! Now I need a good pasta recipe to go with it. I also purchased similina flour. I'm searching your site now. Thanks for the recipe.
What a wonderful birthday meal! We have a pasta recipe that we use for our ravioli - https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/homemade-ravioli/ - it is an easy one if you don't have a pasta maker (we haven't tried it in a pasta maker, but it should work). Otherwise, our friend over at Manu's Menu has a fantastic book all about making pasta - https://www.manusmenu.com/homemade-pasta-made-simple. If you really want to get into it, her book is a must!
Going to an Italian market to get fresh ingredients so I can try this tonight. I've never had the original, only Americanized versions so it's time to pay homage to this savory dish. Thank-you!
Hope you enjoy it!
Made this for dinner tonight & it was absolutely delish! I followed your advice to use good quality cheese & grate it myself & I really do think that made a big difference. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it Brooke!
This was an amazing dish for the primi serving of my Italian inspired Easter meal celebration.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this last week and it turned out great!
I made it again this week and it turned out terrible.
I'm not sure what I did wrong. The cheese is clumpy and stringy. I followed the directions. Used all of the same ingredients as I did last time. What did I do wrong?
Hi Simone. This sauce can be a bit temperamental. If you add the cheese a bit to fast, it can tend to clump. Likely the second time you added the cheese a bit more quickly or in larger quantities than the first time.
I love this recipes. It is my go to now. Never liked all the reviews with heavy cream in them . This is much easier and tastes better. My family ❤️ It as well.
Thank you for sharing with us
So glad you and you family enjoy it!
Whenever I look up Alfredo I end up on your page. Tonight will be about the half dozenth or so time I've made it this way and I'm really looking forward to cooking and eating dinner. I like it with some chili flakes sprinkled over it, and maybe a light green salad on the side. Thanks.
So glad you enjoy it Johnny! Chili flakes sound like a wonderful addition!