The Real Fettuccine Alfredo
April 29, 2021 | By Jeremy Scheck | 11 Comments
This dish was actually invented in Rome, although most Italians would not know what “Alfredo sauce” is. More generally, this dish is known as pasta con burro e parmigiano, pasta with butter and parmigiano reggiano cheese. It’s very simple, although the technique is everything.
Video Explanation
The Real Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound fettuccine
- 7oz (200g) finely grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
- 7 tablespoons (100g) good quality unsalted butter
- Salt for pasta water
Instructions
- Boil fettuccine until the package says "al dente". Save at least 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Add the pasta to a pan (OFF HEAT) or even a bowl. The residual heat of the cooked pasta and the hot pasta water is enough. Add the butter and slowly sprinkle in the cheese while mixing vigorously for 2 minutes. Slowly add pasta water as well to get a good consistency -- you probably won't need all of it.
- Serve immediately (you can add black pepper if desired).
Jeremy is a student at Cornell University double majoring in Spanish and Italian with significant coursework in classes such as nutrition, food science and culinary science. He has years of experience as a home cook, working at a local bakery, and teaching cooking classes at Williams-Sonoma. After starting a TikTok account in March 2020 while quarantined in his childhood home, Jeremy’s presence grew to over 1.5 million followers in the first 6 months. During that time, he was featured in People Magazine, Fox News, BBC Radio, BuzzFeed, Tasty, Spoon University, and USA Today, among other media outlets.
I LOVE THIS RECIPE. Seriously so good and I like that it doesn’t take too much time to make. 10/10 definitely recommend making this!!!
I made this recipe for the first time tonight. Oh my goodness, it is so delicious!! Straightforward recipe and easy to make! Will be making my fettuccine Alfredo like this for now on.
I made this a while ago for Thanksgiving, and it alone is a feast. The hardest part about making this was safely grating the cheese, but the final sauce was super creamy and yielded a delicious flavor.
SUPER GOOD & EASY RECIPE!! I cooked it for dinner today and my family loved it. It’s a 10/10! Can’t wait to cook another batch of this fettuccine alfredo again!
Embarrassing question to ask, but.. I don’t have any parmigiano reggiano at home but Im really craving this pasta, will Gouda cheese be a good replica?
How many people does this feed?
2 or 3
I love this recipe! My boyfriend and I make this once a week. So delicious and easy to make!
Hi there, mom on a budget here. I used the Costco already grated parmesan from the fridge and it clumped up into blobs. Where would you say it went wrong? I thought I mixed “vigorously”, but maybe not enough? Did I use the wrong parmigianino?
youre supposed to use the block of parmigiano and grate it yourself. pre-grated usually has starch or a coating to keep them from sticking to each other which is probably why it turned to blobs. hope this helped!
Made this again tonight and it’s delicious! Love how you explain the dish. This and your “Kylie Jenner” roasted potatoes are my FAVORITE! Thank you for teaching me how to cook these amazing dishes. ❤️