Alfredo Pasta Recipe | Fettuccine Alfredo Pasta

Alfredo Pasta is a rich and creamy pasta dish made the classic style. Fettuccine Alfredo Pasta is super easy to make and tastes absolutely delicious. Learn to make Alfredo Pasta the perfect way following the step by step pictures and video.

Fettuccine Alfredo Pasta is made by cooking pasta separately then blending it along with a sauce made with butter, garlic, mild spices, cream and Parmesan cheese. As it is loaded with cream and cheese this pasta is so rich and tastes so delicious.

Jump to:

• What is Alfredo Pasta?
• Alfredo Pasta Video
• Alfredo Pasta Ingredients
• How to make Alfredo Pasta Step by Step
• Expert Tips
• Serving & Storage
• FAQS
• 📖 Recipe Card

What is Alfredo Pasta?

Alfredo Pasta is a creamy and rich Italian pasta dish made with minimal ingredients. Alfredo sauce is made with butter, garlic, spices, cream and Parmesan cheese and is one of the popular sauces. Fettuccine is the pasta variety used for this, it is separately cooked and mixed with the prepared pasta sauce.

You can make Alfredo Pasta with or without vegetables, you can also add chicken. But the classic version of Fettuccine Alfredo Pasta is made simple with just few ingredients so I usually make it this way. Sometimes when I want to make this pasta as a meal add in vegetables.

Traditionally Alfredo is made with fettuccine pasta and popularly known as Fettuccine Alfredo, also known as fettuccine al burro. It is a popular Italian pasta dish that has fresh fettuccine tossed in butter and Parmesan cheese.

I make pasta once in a while at least twice a month when I run out of idli dosa batter. As you all know I am not fond of pasta but hubby and kids love pasta dishes especially white sauce pasta.

Alfredo Pasta  is a rich pasta recipe with cheese and fresh cream as main ingredients. I am sure you will love it if you are a fan of white sauce recipes. Cheese and cream are the main ingredients in Alfredo – As the cheese melts, it emulsifies the liquids, resulting in a smooth, cheesy and creamy sauce that coats the pasta well.

Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo Sauce is a rich, silky smooth and creamy sauce made using butter, cream and cheese. Though we add rich ingredients like cream and cheese one secret ingredient to perfect Alfredo sauce is adding pasta cooked water which makes the sauce rich, glossy and creamy.

This recipe uses the classic Italian method of emulsifying the pasta. Cook the sauce with pasta cooked water and see the magic happen. By doing this every single strand of pasta clings lusciously with the sauce.

Alfredo Pasta Video

Similar Recipes

• White Sauce Pasta
• Mac and Cheese
• Baked Mac and Cheese

Types of Pasta to use

• Fettuccine – It is a  flat, ribbon like pasta which is hands down the best and traditionally used for Alfredo pasta. The thick, creamy sauce perfectly clings to the fettuccine, making it absorb the sauce better.
• Spaghetti – It is a noodle like pasta variety widely used because of the easy availability. This is also best to use for Alfredo sauce.
• Penne – Penne is one of the most popular pasta variety to be used for any pasta sauce. The sauce easily coats the penne makes it look more appealing and taste delicious too.
• Linguine – It is long, thin elliptical pasta and another suitable option for Alfredo.
• Pappardelle – It is large, very broad, flat pasta, similar to wide fettuccine and is also suitable for making Alfredo pasta.

Alfredo Pasta Ingredients

• Pasta – Fettuccine is the pasta variety traditionally used for Alfredo. However you can use any pasta variety like penne, fussili etc.
• Butter – Alfredo sauce is rich and creamy so use butter generously to enjoy the best flavor.
• Herbs – Garlic and parsley are the main flavoring herbs used here. Pepper powder and nutmeg powder are also used.
• Cream – Cream is one of the most important ingredient in making Alfredo sauce. You can even add half of cream and half of milk.
• Parmesan cheese – Parmesan cheese is brittle and has a nutty flavor which is best for Alfredo pasta.

How to make Alfredo Pasta Step by Step

Cooking pasta

1.Heat 5 cups of water in a sauce pan. Add salt to taste.

2.Once water starts to boil well add 226 grams(1/2 a pound or 8 ounces) of fettuccine pasta variety.

3.Push from the sides using a ladle for it to immerse fully.

4.Let it cook in medium flame.

5.Continue to cook until the pasta is al dente meaning it should be cooked with a slight crunch in it.

6.Drain water, reserve it for later use. Rinse the pasta with water to avoid further cooking, set it aside.

Preparing Alfredo Sauce

7.Heat 2 tablespoon butter in a pan. When it starts to melt spread it on all sides of the pan. Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped or minced garlic.

8.Saute for a minute.

9.Add 1 cup fresh cream along with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. For cream – you can alternatively add 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup milk.

10.Whisk it well until smooth and creamy.

11.Add a ladle of pasta cooked water to it to thin down the sauce. You can even add milk. Add little more pasta cooked water if needed.

12.Let the sauce boil for few seconds.

Adding herbs and spices

13.Add salt to taste, 1/4 teaspoon pepper powder and a tiny pinch of nutmeg powder.

14.Mix it well. See how creamy the sauce it.

Combining Pasta

15.Now add cooked pasta to it.

16.Mix it well until the sauce coats the pasta. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon parsley chopped.

17.Mix it well, thin down by adding a ladle of pasta cooked water if needed.

18.Fettuccine Alfredo Pasta is ready!

Serve hot and enjoy!

Expert Tips

• Pasta – The classic version uses fettuccine pasta variety. However you can use any variety of pasta like penne, spaghetti, linguine, papardelle etc. If using other pasta varieties like penne use 1 and 1/2 cups of pasta.
• Alfredo Sauce – For 1/2 a pound of pasta 1 cup fresh cream or heavy cream is needed. But you can add 1/2 cup of milk with 1/2 cup fresh cream alternatively.
• Cheese – Parmesan cheese is hands down the best for Alfredo sauce, it not only makes the sauce creamy but also tastes delicious.
• Spices & Herbs – The main flavoring is from garlic and parsley.
• Variations – You can add vegetables like mushrooms, corn etc or add protein like chicken breasts.
• Usually when heavy amount of cream is used it becomes very rich and you can’t have more but as here we are thinning down the sauce with pasta cooked water it will be perfect and I am sure you will come for 2nd serving.

Serving & Storage

Serve it hot with cheese sprinkled and toasted bread on the side however it tastes great on its own too. Alfredo Pasta keeps well in room temperature only for a day(around 10 hours) and in fridge for 2 days.

If you want to make it ahead prepare the Alfredo sauce and refrigerate it. While serving cook the pasta, add pasta cooked water and heat the sauce and combine it with pasta.

FAQS

1.What is the difference between white sauce and alfredo pasta?

White sauce uses flour and milk to make the sauce thick. Alfredo pasta is more rich as it uses cream and cheese as main ingredients.

2.What does Alfredo sauce taste like?

Alfredo sauce has a rich and creamy flavor from fresh cream and a nutty and salty taste from Parmesan cheese. The flavors from garlic and parsley adds extra flavor to the sauce.

3.Does the pasta suitable for freezing?

The Alfredo sauce freezes for up to 15 days. But I would not recommend freezing as there are chances for the dairy components to get separated while thawing. If you prefer to freeze then you should more care in the thawing process like bring it to room temperature first then adding more milk and cream to get to the desired sauce consistency.

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