Easy, Peasy Fettuccini Alfredo

If you think about it, it seems funny that Fettuccini Alfredo has a reputation for being a fancy food. After all, it's about as simple as a dish can get. Alfredo sauce is made from just three ingredients: cheese, butter, and cream.

At one point, however, the dish was even simpler! In the early 20th century, a chef, Alfredo di Leilo, popularized a dish he called fettuccine al burro. It was fettuccine noodles tossed together with nothing but butter and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 

When American restaurants brought the dish to our shores, they named the dish after the chef, and it became Fettuccine Alfredo. At some point, a third ingredient, heavy cream, was added. You can easily make it without, but we like the cream as it makes the sauce easier to make. And of course it tastes delicious. 

Though fettuccine Alfredo recipes are on the menu at fancy restaurants around the world, it's still a humble dish. You may have all the ingredients you need in your fridge and pantry already. It's still one of the least expensive things to make and eat. And it's about as satisfying as a recipe gets. 

How do you keep Fettuccine Alfredo creamy?

When a dish is made with just a few ingredients, each one is important — so we don't recommend substitutions here. Heavy cream will work much better than half & half, for instance, and milk really won't work at all. 

Similarly, you want the full fat content of good butter. So if you try this recipe without the cream mixture — using whole milk or margarine, for instance, it will definitely not be as creamy. 

What makes Alfredo sauce so thick?

Hot pasta water is the key for making an alfredo sauce thick. That's because the starches that come off the pasta when you're cooking it al dente are being used to help bind the sauce, thickening it and helping it to stick to the noodles. Neat, right? 

What is the secret to smooth Alfredo sauce?

Unlike sauces that contain flour (such as a roux), which can become clumpy if not made properly, an Alfredo sauce is pretty easy to make smooth. 

The butter and cream will mix together quickly, and the cheese should easily melt and mix with everything, requiring only steady stirring.

But one thing that may prevent your sauce from being its smoothest is using already-shredded Parmesan. This is because pre-shredded cheese is often coated with cellulose powder, to keep it from starting to melt and sticking to itself. 

Melting, of course, is what you want to happen. So if you can manage to shred your own cheese the sauce will come out much smoother. 

The other trick to a smooth sauce is stirring. When adding the cheese to the cream mixture, don't simply dump the cheese and hope for the best. Start stirring the sauce, and then sprinkle the cheese in as you stir. 

Then continue to stir until all the cheese has been incorporated. This will make sure the ingredients are fully combined. 

What goes well with Fettuccine Alfredo?

When you want a simple, elegant, and delicious dinner that doesn't take a lot of time, this dish is honestly pretty great as-is. The dairy and pasta together are plenty filling, and one of our favorite ways to enjoy it is with a nice glass of red wine. 

That said, there are plenty of proteins that can be added when you want to either fancy-up the dish, or fill it out a little. Grilled chicken tenderloins or breast turns it into Chicken Alfredo. You can also add cooked shrimp or even slices of steak!