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! 🙂
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!
I made my own pasta for the first time and was looking for a simple sauce. This was perfect. Thanks Nagi
My family loved it and it was so easy to make definitely will become a favourite.
This was fantastic. Left us wanting for nothing and feeling like we didn’t have to go out for alfredo anymore 🙂 thanks for sharing!!
I’m glad you liked it Courtney! N x
Hi Nagi and dozer!
Hope you’re well.
I would like to put a request in for a video of this recipe!!! I just adore your videos. And I’ve made so many awful Alfredos in my life I’ve lost confidence to make this!!!
♥️ From Jules
Noted Jules!! I will add that to the list! N x
Hi Nagi,
I am hosting a party in a few days and am planning on making this (Since everything from your site is always such a hit). there will be 11 people total. Any suggestions for making this in a big batch? I know that alfredo can sometimes get globby so I’m worried about adding the pasta to the sauce and it seizing up and also wonder if it will affect it at all making such a big batch in a large pot verses a frying pan?
Thank you so much for your help!
Hi Melina – even restaurants make pasta in individual frypans – it’s not a dish that scales up well in one pot. You can cook all the noodles in one pot if you have one large enough, then have the sauce ready in 2-3 large frypans and divide the pasta between them to sauce it. That’s why restaurants have stacks of frypans and stoves with 12 burners!! N x
Thank you so much for your response. I ended up using two pans, each with a double recipe in them and it turned out SO good. (I did add garlic in addition to the shallot because I’m a garlic lover) Several people said it was the best meal they’ve had in months. I know I can always count on a recipetineats recipe! Cannot wait for your book to come out
This made a lovely quick dinner after a long day at work. Less hassle than organising takeaway, and a million times better, using ingredients that were in the fridge and pantry. I sauteed garlic with the onion (cos I like garlic).
Once again your recipes make people think I have supernatural cooking skills when really I’m just pretty good at following your instructions. The Alfredo sauce is the best I’ve ever made, and my crowd loved it tonight! Thank you for consistently sharing your great recipes and insightful instructions. You’re AWESOME 😎
Amazing! We made this, the garlic prawns, and the better than dominos garlic bread for my daughter’s birthday tonight and everything was such a hit!
Hi Nagi! Is heavy cream thickened cream or pure cream? I’m off to Coles to buy the ingredients but I don’t know which one to get! Thank you 🙂
It’s thickened but you can use either one…see Note 2. N x
Made this tonight, easy to follow directions, perfect Sauce perfectly balanced, Restaurant Quality, EVEN BETTER than some! Thank You for all your hard work to put it out there.
Thank You! Love!
You and Dozer
Cream and parmesan how can you go wrong. Made this tonight and so easy to make and the balance of ingredients was perfect and loved it.
Shallots are actually called spring onions in Australia. Beautiful recipe though.
You can also buy “shallots” in Australia (I’m in Perth). If Nagi means the green spring onions, she’ll say so.
Could you freeze this recipe?
I don’t find pasta like this freezes too well unfortunately Kimberly! N x
Alfredo as it should be imo. Quality Parm reg really makes all the difference. I typically use garlic and really enjoyed the shallots in its place, a much milder and less dominating garlicky-onion accent. Not sure why I never tried that!
Agree re: the cream Nagi, less is more! I went scant on the Parm reg too and it was still mega rich.
Many thanks!
Holly x
Oh my goodness! Made this for the first time. Added fresh garlic with the shallot, and sautéed prawns on top served to guests with a Chardonnay. All commented it was full restaurant quality. Yum!