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Fettuccine Alfredo has tender strands of pasta smothered in a smooth and silky cheese sauce.
Easy and delicious comfort food!
Fettucine Alfredo is one of the easiest comfort food dinners around! It has pasta in a decadent, rich, creamy cheese sauce – and if you’d like – you can garnish it with more Parmesan cheese and chopped, fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley when served.
What is Alfredo Sauce?
Alfredo Sauce is named after Alfredo di Lelio, who is believed to have first served Fettucine Alfredo at his restaurant, Alfredo’s, in Rome around 1914.
Back then, it was simply fresh fettucine tossed with butter and Parmesan cheese – but it was prepared tableside in a ceremonious fashion for his customers. (This dish is also sometimes called Fettucine al burro – which means with butter in Italian.)
As the Parmesan cheese melted, it emulsified the butter and residual pasta cooking water – creating a smooth, creamy sauce that coated the fettucine.
Over the years, versions of Alfredo Sauce have evolved (including our recipe today) to include heavy cream, garlic, and other seasonings – so it’s more of a thick cream sauce with generous amounts of freshly-grated, aged Parmesan added for both flavor and texture.
Today, Fettucine Alfredo is on the menu at just about every Italian-American restaurant. It’s often served with grilled chicken, beef, or seafood including shrimp or lobster.
What the difference between Béchamel Sauce and Alfredo Sauce?
Béchamel is a classic, French, creamy white sauce that is thickened with a roux made from butter and flour. It’s often used as the starting point for white sauces in many recipes such as our Chicken Florentine, Chicken Enchiladas, Mexican Lasagna, and Chicken a la King.
Alfredo Sauce traditionally has no flour, corn starch or any thickening agent – just lots of Parmesan cheese to make it thick and creamy!
Cooking Tip
Today’s recipe is written for dried fettucine pasta. If you use fresh pasta instead, the timing of this dish will change.
Fresh pasta cooks up quickly, so make the sauce first, then cook the fresh pasta and add to the sauce.
You might like these other Creamy Pasta recipes
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Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
12 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
Few grinds fresh nutmeg
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
Optional – chopped parsley (for garnish)
Instructions
- Place a large pot of water on to boil and once boiling, salt the water then add the fettuccini. Always salt pasta water to flavor the pasta. Cook to al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet or saute pan over low heat, melt butter and add the garlic.
- Cook for a few minutes on low, just until the garlic barely starts to brown.
- Add in the cream, whisking into the butter and garlic.
- Whisk in the salt, pepper, mustard and nutmeg. To make things easier, measure out all of the spices in a little dish ahead of time.
- Whisk in the Parmesan cheese and turn off the burner.
- Once the pasta is almost cooked, use tongs and remove pasta to the cream mixture. Do not discard the cooking water yet.
- Turn heat back onto the sauce to medium heat and cook until the pasta is tender and the sauce is thick. Add pasta water if it gets too thick. Pasta water is also good to use to reheat leftovers so save a cup or two.
- Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese over the top of each portion along with optional chopped parsley.
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Notes
If you use fresh pasta instead of dried pasta, the timing of this dish will change. Fresh pasta cooks up quickly so make the sauce first, then cook the fresh pasta and add to the sauce.
Mary Atkison says
Absolutely delicious!!😃
Best I’ve ever had!😃
Martha says
Thanks Mary!
Ines Di Lelio says
HISTORY OF ALFREDO DI LELIO CREATOR IN 1908 OF “FETTUCCINE ALL’ALFREDO” (“FETTUCCINE ALFREDO”), NOW SERVED BY HIS NEPHEW INES DI LELIO, AT THE RESTAURANT “IL VERO ALFREDO” – “ALFREDO DI ROMA” IN ROME, PIAZZA AUGUSTO IMPERATORE 30
With reference to your article I have the pleasure to tell you the history of my grandfather Alfredo Di Lelio, who is the creator of “Fettuccine all’Alfredo” (“Fettuccine Alfredo”) in 1908 in the “trattoria” run by his mother Angelina in Rome, Piazza Rosa (Piazza disappeared in 1910 following the construction of the Galleria Colonna / Sordi). This “trattoria” of Piazza Rosa has become the “birthplace of fettuccine all’Alfredo”.
More specifically, as is well known to many people who love the “fettuccine all’Alfredo”, this famous dish in the world was invented by Alfredo Di Lelio concerned about the lack of appetite of his wife Ines, who was pregnant with my father Armando (born February 26, 1908).
Alfredo di Lelio opened his restaurant “Alfredo” in 1914 in Rome and in 1943, during the war, he sold the restaurant to others outside his family.
In 1950 Alfredo Di Lelio decided to reopen with his son Armando his restaurant in Piazza Augusto Imperatore n.30 “Il Vero Alfredo” (“Alfredo di Roma”), whose fame in the world has been strengthened by his nephew Alfredo and that now managed by me, with the famous “gold cutlery” (fork and spoon gold) donated in 1927 by two well-known American actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks (in gratitude for the hospitality).
See the website of “Il Vero Alfredo”.
I must clarify that other restaurants “Alfredo” in Rome do not belong and are out of my brand “Il Vero Alfredo – Alfredo di Roma”.
The brand “Il Vero Alfredo – Alfredo di Roma” is present in Mexico with 2 restaurants (Mexico City and Puebla) and 2 trattorias (Mexico City and Cozumel) on the basis of franchising relationships with the Group Hotel Presidente Intercontinental Mexico.
The restaurant “Il Vero Alfredo” is in the Registry of “Historic Shops of Excellence – section on Historical Activities of Excellence” of the Municipality of Roma Capitale.
Best regards Ines Di Lelio
IN ITALIANO
STORIA DI ALFREDO DI LELIO, CREATORE DELLE “FETTUCCINE ALL’ALFREDO” (“FETTUCCINE ALFREDO”), E DELLA SUA TRADIZIONE FAMILIARE PRESSO IL RISTORANTE “IL VERO ALFREDO” (“ALFREDO DI ROMA”) IN PIAZZA AUGUSTO IMPERATORE A ROMA
Con riferimento al Vostro articolo ho il piacere di raccontarVi la storia di mio nonno Alfredo Di Lelio, inventore delle note “fettuccine all’Alfredo” (“Fettuccine Alfredo”).
Alfredo Di Lelio, nato nel settembre del 1883 a Roma in Vicolo di Santa Maria in Trastevere, cominciò a lavorare fin da ragazzo nella piccola trattoria aperta da sua madre Angelina in Piazza Rosa, un piccolo slargo (scomparso intorno al 1910) che esisteva prima della costruzione della Galleria Colonna (ora Galleria Sordi).
Il 1908 fu un anno indimenticabile per Alfredo Di Lelio: nacque, infatti, suo figlio Armando e videro contemporaneamente la luce in tale trattoria di Piazza Rosa le sue “fettuccine”, divenute poi famose in tutto il mondo. Questa trattoria è “the birthplace of fettuccine all’Alfredo”.
Alfredo Di Lelio inventò le sue “fettuccine” per dare un ricostituente naturale, a base di burro e parmigiano, a sua moglie (e mia nonna) Ines, prostrata in seguito al parto del suo primogenito (mio padre Armando). Il piatto delle “fettuccine” fu un successo familiare prima ancora di diventare il piatto che rese noto e popolare Alfredo Di Lelio, personaggio con “i baffi all’Umberto” ed i calli alle mani a forza di mischiare le sue “fettuccine” davanti ai clienti sempre più numerosi.
Nel 1914, a seguito della chiusura di detta trattoria per la scomparsa di Piazza Rosa dovuta alla costruzione della Galleria Colonna, Alfredo Di Lelio decise di aprire a Roma il suo ristorante “Alfredo” che gestì fino al 1943, per poi cedere l’attività a terzi estranei alla sua famiglia.
Ma l’assenza dalla scena gastronomica di Alfredo Di Lelio fu del tutto transitoria. Infatti nel 1950 riprese il controllo della sua tradizione familiare ed aprì, insieme al figlio Armando, il ristorante “Il Vero Alfredo” (noto all’estero anche come “Alfredo di Roma”) in Piazza Augusto Imperatore n.30 (cfr. il sito web di Il Vero Alfredo).
Con l’avvio del nuovo ristorante Alfredo Di Lelio ottenne un forte successo di pubblico e di clienti negli anni della “dolce vita”. Successo, che, tuttora, richiama nel ristorante un flusso continuo di turisti da ogni parte del mondo per assaggiare le famose “fettuccine all’Alfredo” al doppio burro da me servite, con l’impegno di continuare nel tempo la tradizione familiare dei miei cari maestri, nonno Alfredo, mio padre Armando e mio fratello Alfredo. In particolare le fettuccine sono servite ai clienti con 2 “posate d’oro”: una forchetta ed un cucchiaio d’oro regalati nel 1927 ad Alfredo dai due noti attori americani M. Pickford e D. Fairbanks (in segno di gratitudine per l’ospitalità).
Desidero precisare che altri ristoranti “Alfredo” a Roma non appartengono e sono fuori dal mio brand di famiglia.
Il brand “Il Vero Alfredo – Alfredo di Roma” è presente in Messico con 2 ristoranti (Città del Messico e Puebla) e 2 trattorie (Città del Messico e Cozumel) sulla base di rapporti di franchising con il Group Hotel Presidente Intercontinental Mexico.
Vi informo che il Ristorante “Il Vero Alfredo” è presente nell’Albo dei “Negozi Storici di Eccellenza – sezione Attività Storiche di Eccellenza” del Comune di Roma Capitale.
Grata per la Vostra attenzione ed ospitalità nel Vostro interessante blog, cordiali saluti
Ines Di Lelio
Martha says
WOW Ines – thank you so much for sharing your family history with us!
Debbie Ringhoffer says
Hi, When this cools down some does it get pasty? I am looking for an alfredo that does not get pasty… Should I just add more milk and or heavy cream?
Martha says
Hi Debbie – Yes – this will get very thick when it cools because of the fat content (butter and cream) in the sauce. Adding milk would probably minimize the thickness a bit when it cools, but once it’s warmed up again, the sauce will be much thinner. Hope this helps!