The Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce (Easy Recipe)
Here's an easy Alfredo sauce recipe that your whole family will love. This tasty recipe is a family favorite easy weeknight dinner that takes less than 30 minutes to make. It's so good!This tasty recipe was adapted from Marcella Hazan's Cream and Butter Sauce (all'Alfredo) from her book, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, is super fast to make and incredibly delicious to eat!
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 381kcal
Equipment
- large pot
- whisk
- airtight container
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1-½ cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or use best parmesan cheese available
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg a few fresh gratings, or a few shakes from spice jar
- 1 lb fettuccine pasta
Instructions
- Boil Water. Get the water boiling for the pasta. Put 4 quarts of cold water into a large pot and set it on high heat to boil. While you are waiting for the water to come to a boil, start making the sauce.
- Start the Sauce. Put the butter and heavy whipping cream into a sauce pan and turn the heat on high heat. Bring the cream and butter up to a boil, stirring continuously with a whisk until the sauce thickens. This should take about 1 minute. When the sauce is thick and creamy, turn off the heat. Then, check to see if the pot of water is boiling yet.3 tablespoons butter, 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Back to the Pasta. Wait until the water begins to boil and then add 1 ½ tablespoons of salt to the boiling water. Add a pound of pasta to the boiling water and stir occasionally to make sure the pasta doesn't stick together. You want it to loose and freely moving around in the water. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. It should only take between 8-10 minutes.1 lb fettuccine pasta
- Transfer Pasta to Sauce. When the cooked pasta is just about al denté, turn the sauce back on low heat and transfer the pasta directly from the boiling water into the sauce pan taking with it a little pasta water. Quickly toss the pasta, making sure that all of the pasta is coated with the cream and butter.
- Finishing the Sauce. Finally, add all of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, a little salt and pepper, a few gratings of fresh nutmeg, and toss the pasta continuously creating a beautifully creamy sauce.1-½ cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon table salt
- Serve Immediately. Dish out each serving into a warmed bowls and serve immediately garnished with more freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and some fresh parsley.
Video
Notes
Pasta Water
It's super important that you salt the pasta water. Add 1 ½ tablespoons salt to 4 quarts of boiling water. The water you boil your pasta in should be salty like the sea.Substitution Suggestion
If you cannot get Parmigiano-Reggiano, use the best grated parmesan you can find.Add-Ins And Variations
Serve this creamy pasta with some homemade crostini, garlic breadsticks, or focaccia. Make it extra special with a delicious addition like cut up rotisserie chicken, some sliced juicy grilled ribeye steak or perfectly tender filet mignon. One variation we love to make is Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli. Grilled Chicken Breast or Rotisserie Chicken are tasty options to use here. Other additions like salmon and asparagus or steak are also great variations. Or try one of our grilled ribeye recipe or tender filet mignon recipe. They're both so great with this creamy pasta recipe. Garlic is a popular flavor addition to this delicious sauce. Add some fresh garlic cloves to the butter and cream as it's simmering, or some add roasted or minced garlic, or even some garlic powder. Spice it up with some homemade Italian seasoning. Or elevate it with a few shavings of fresh white truffle or some truffle oil.Nutrition
Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 445mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 653IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 1mg
