What in the HECK is going on here!?? First, minestrone soup, now fettuccine Alfredo? It’s like I think I’m Italian or something all of a sudden. But I’m not. And I know it. And I know (yes, I know) that I probably screwed this all up and poor Alfredo is rolling in his grave but GUESSWHATIDON’TCARE!!!
Because it’s good. Even yummy. Delicious, I dare say. And it’s not that far from the original dish; I’m just being dramatic. Ya know? Like girls do? That’s right.
I mentioned in the video another way I used to make this — very non-traditional, but really good — and that was with sour cream, butter, and Parmesan. As I recall, it was about equal parts of each, plus some garlic powder. I’m telling you this because it actually is good and I don’t know if you maybe have picky kids or something, but I used to LOVE that when I was a kid and so maybe your kid will, too. Not that I was a picky kid. Good Lord, no. I ate every damn thing in sight.
This makes a fine vegetarian dinner on its own with a salad, but if you wanted to add some steamed broccoli at the end, or toss in some baby spinach leaves just before serving I won’t even bat an eye. Grilled chicken breast or shrimp also goes great with fettuccine Alfredo.
- 8 ounces fettuccine pasta
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic (about 1 clove)
- ½ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Put on a large pot of water to boil for the fettuccine. Add the salt. When the water boils, add the pasta and set a timer for a minute or two less than the package indicates.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet.
- Add the garlic and let it sizzle for just about 20 seconds, until it smells up the whole kitchen in a good way. Turn off the heat if you need to wait for the pasta.
- When the pasta is done (you want it just a tiny bit less done than al dente because it will continue to cook a few minutes in the sauce) drain it quickly — DO NOT rinse — and toss it back into the pot. Don’t shake it dry or anything; leave it a little wet.
- Add the pasta to the butter and garlic and toss.
- Add in the cream and Parmesan and stir it around to coat. Tongs work well for this job.
- Let the pasta simmer a few minutes until the cream has thickened and the noodles are well-coated.
- Serve with black pepper, red pepper, more cheese, and/or fresh parsley.
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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
I like the addition of the parsley. Gives it a nice, fresh taste. Using a little grated nutmeg instead at the end would give it a warmer taste. <> I think I’d prefer the parsley, like you made it.
I don’t know why I never thought of adding nutmeg. I usually add it to all creamy things. It does seem like it would be even nicer with nutmeg in the cold months, a “warmer” taste as you said.
That’s it. I’m throwing away the stuff I just bought at the store and am making this instead. Loves me some alfredo, especially when the pasta is fresh. Also, I like the way you taunted a breakfast cereal on your Facebook post.
Yay!!! I hope you LOVE it! And, mmm, yes, fresh pasta. Mmm…
thanks for adding the ziplist link, I was the one that asked a few weeks ago. its makes the best BLOG even better
You’re welcome! Thanks for telling me about it. It’s a really cool plug-in.
Thanks Hilah,
I love pasta, fettuccine alfredo my favorite. Very very good.
Hope you like this version, Patricia!
This is fantastic, try adding some Oregano (just a little bit) to catalyze the flavor of the Black pepper..:)
Sounds delicious!
Love your stuff! Not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but you probably shouldn’t feed your dog anything with garlic in it #JustSayin’
http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/ask-the-expert/ask-the-expert-pet-nutrition/is-garlic-toxic-to-pets
Thank you! Good information there.
A really cool thing you should try if you never have is making your own pesto and freezing it – what I do is actually just do basil, garlic and olive oil (without the pine nuts/cheese) and its awesome to add to pasta or add to tomato sauces
Just fill up your food processor with basil (I remove the thick stems) and some garlic cloves (I used about 2-3) and chop it all together with some olive oil – you want it chunky, not like puree…..you can add a squeeze of lemon juice to keep it fresh. Once all chopped pour into ice cube trays and freeze and then pop em out when frozen into a ziplock bag for easy storage and portion sizes!
I love making pesto, Luana! I make a Mexi-pesto sometimes, too, with cilantro and jalapeño added which goes really well on chicken. Thanks for the tip on freezing it!
Those proportions are exactly the way my Italian ex-mother-in-law used to make it!
Yay! I passed the test! Thanks, Diane.
Also, I’m a big believer in adding the pasta to the sauce in the pan, to really get it all, uh sauced, so to speak. Adding it to the top of cooked pasta is lame-o!
I learned to do that from my Italian ex-boyfriend! Proving again that exes are usually good for something.
How do I make the sauce thicker? Thanks.
Hey Scott! You can add a teaspoon of flour to the butter/garlic and make a quick roux that way. Add the cream and stir and you should have a very thick sauce in just a few seconds! Then add the pasta and cheese and stir some more. Enjoy!
Hey Hilah,
I really love all your videos ! You don’t really eat Fettucine Alfredo here in Italy but I was curious and I tried this recipe tonight for dinner..It was soooo yummy !!!
Thank you very much,
lots of greetings from Rome
Thank you Julia! I’m glad you liked it. I think the dish was invented by an Italian immigrant to New York. That’s what I’ve heard, anyway.
Abbracci!
Can you show us how to make fresh pasta? That would be even more epic!
Well, I’ve never tried making anything but egg noodles, though those did turn out delicious! It must be time to try my hand at homemade fettuccine, Patrick.