Feb 17, 2011

The Original Fettuccine Alfredo

Mixing the ingredients on a warmed platter will help them melt quickly to make a satiny sauce. For the best results, use dried pasta, which doesn't break as easily during tossing as fresh egg pasta does.

Credit: Landon Nordeman

1 lb. dried fettuccine
1⁄2 lb. unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1⁄2 lb. finely grated parmesan (about 3 1⁄4 cup)

1. Bring a 6-qt. pot of salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cut butter into thin pats and transfer to a large, warmed platter. Drain pasta, reserving 3⁄4 cup pasta water, and place the pasta over the butter on the platter.

3. Sprinkle grated parmesan over the pasta and drizzle with 1⁄4 cup of the reserved pasta water.

4. Using a large spoon and fork, gently toss the pasta with the butter and cheese, lifting and swirling the noodles and adding more pasta water as necessary. (The pasta water will help create a smooth sauce.) Work in any melted butter and cheese that pools around the edges of the platter. Continue to mix the pasta until the cheese and butter have fully melted and the noodles are coated, about 3 minutes. (For a quicker preparation, bring the reserved 3⁄4 cup pasta water and the butter to a boil in a 12" skillet; then add the pasta, sprinkle with the cheese, and toss with tongs over medium-low heat until the pasta is creamy and coated, about 2 minutes.)

5. Serve the fettuccine immediately on warmed plates.

SERVES 4 – 6

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #120

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Ratings & Reviews (12)

by The Muse Gourmet on 2009-04-27

Thanks to Todd Coleman and the most recent edition of Saveur, I was able to learn the history of this American favorite and get a fantastic recipe. This is amazing! Absolutely, positively, delicious! Worth every calorie, even if it does mean new bloomers.

by mitleid on 2009-05-11

This is fabulous as a side dish, but not as a meal in itself. Add garlic, mushrooms, asparagus and cold poached chicken - now that's a meal!

by acunderwood on 2009-05-17

This recipe proves that the original recipes without the additions of numerous other often irrelevant ingredients are the best...the same is true for Caesar Salad in Julia and Jacques. This is a great dish..eat once a year for heart health

by onebadscientist on 2009-07-16

So, I decided to make this for my lactose intolerant, half Italian boyfriend. I had fresh noodles so, I made the sauce on the side...sauted garlic with butter, added finely grated (microplaned) pecorino (had no parmesan), pasta water, reduced for about 10 and then added to the noodles...EXCELLENT. One of the best recipes I have ever made...oh (!) and SIMPLE!!!

by mkrosse on 2009-10-06

didn't work well - the parmesan congealed into multiple gummy lumps and failed to form a sauce with the butter

by Annelle on 2009-12-13

With freshly made pasta, it literally melts in your mouth!

by djgibboni on 2010-02-15

Thank you for this! I have lost track of the number of people who have asked me for a "good fettuccine Alfredo" recipe. I tell them, "It's buttered noodles, with some grated parmesan or pecorino sprinkled on it."

"Oh, no, it can't be! What sort of cheese should I use that will melt well in the sauce?"

"There is no sauce. It's buttered noodles."

"Can't be!"

"Trust me, it is."

Now I can offer them this 'recipe'!

by Vehorn on 2010-04-20

This recipe is decadent. I made this for my our anniversary last week and topped with lobster. It's amazing that so much flavor comes from butter, parmesan and pasta water coming together.

You can see my results here with pictures: http://onecoupleskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/04/original-fettuccine-alfredo.html

by Vehorn on 2010-04-22

We just made this for our anniversary and it turned out fantastic. http://onecoupleskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/04/original-fettuccine-alfredo.html

Here are pics from my attempt!

by rnelson on 2012-05-15

rich, and deadly.

by slsinaz on 2013-01-27

I made this and it IS as good as Alfredo's in Rome! I went to Rome in the late 70's and it was the best ever. I was so excited to see the recipe and background in the Saveur magazine... Yes, I made it and Yes, it was great. Just wish I was in Rome to eat it!

by ASMZERO on 2013-02-25

This was wonderful. mkrosse, your parm may have been too young. I accidental grated a baby parmesan into this once and it did exactly that, clumped all up into an oily, stringy mess. Oops.

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