Classic Fettucine Alfredo

Creamy, comforting Fettucine Alfredo is hard to beat. I already provided a short description of why American Italian classics are “inauthentic” and (shocker) less healthy in the gloriously elegant Spaghetti Al Limone post. Fettucine Alfredo is one of those classics that should probably be made with reserve pasta water, a little butter, and parmesan, but old habits die hard and I make my alfredo just like my mother. So, yeah, don’t eat a gallon of this stuff, but by all means, throw some steamed broccoli or sliced chicken onto a bed of this dreamy creaminess and float on off to heaven. You can elevate the flavors by adding toasted pine nuts, fresh green peas, or (my favorite) marsala mushrooms. Any which way, this is pure comfort in a pasta bowl, and perfect for a Sunday afternoon.

what you need

1 bunch parsley

1 package fresh fettucine noodles

6 tablespoons salted butter

1 large pinch of ground nutmeg

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 cup grated parmesan reggiano cheese

black pepper

dash of cayenne pepper or paprika

(optional) 1/2 package baby bella mushrooms, sliced thinly

*if using mushrooms, you’ll want a splash of marsala wine and some thyme

how to make it

First thing is first. Grate your cheese and chop your parsley. Set both aside.

Then, mushrooms. Throw thinly sliced mushrooms in a saucepan with a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté until the juices from the mushrooms begin to run. Garnish with salt, cracked black pepper, a little bit of thyme, and a splash of marsala wine. Cook until juices disappear, remove from heat, and set aside.

Next, pasta. Cook pasta until al dente per package instructions. Strain and return to the pot. While pasta is cooking, make the sauce. The key to the sauce is to warm it very, very slowly. Otherwise your butter will separate and your sauce will become chunky. We do not want this. Slow and deliberate are key here and this sauce will become foolproof for you.

Start with the butter and the cream in a large saucepan over medium heat. Heat the mixture until the butter melts, give it a stir, and watch for the top of the cream to begin to steam. This is how you know it is time.

Send in the spices. Cracked black pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne (can also use paprika). Stir just a moment more so everything is combined and remove this beauty from heat before it bubbles (v. important!).

Now, cheese. Remove the sauce from heat and add the parmesan cheese, stirring until the cheese melts and the sauce is uniform.

Back to the pasta. Add the parsley and mushrooms to the pasta and replace the pot over very low heat. Pour the sauce over the pasta and gently toss everything together with two forks until all the pasta is coated.

Serve. Twirl into pasta bowls and add a hefty grate of black pepper and a bit more parm to the top. Garnish with a parsley sprig. If you want to get really fancy, you can sprinkle on some toasted pine nuts or fresh green peas.

I like to make chicken alfredo by adding sliced, marinated, baked chicken to the top. Chicken Alfredo was frequently requested by my graduate school housemates (two orthopedic med students and a local English teacher – all male). The English teacher would leave a $20 on the counter by the coffee pot in the morning which I could loosely translate to mean “please go to the store, buy the good parmesan cheese, and make us chicken alfredo.” I happily obliged. These days, I tend to take my alfredo with some fresh florets of steamed broccoli given my cheesy broccoli obsession. But it is also just as good with a side salad – try the OneandahalfSlices Signature Salad for sure!