The original Fettuccine Alfredo – called fettuccine al burro in Italy – is a simple pasta dish consisting of fettuccine tossed with lots of butter and parmesan. With only 4 ingredients and ready in 15 minutes, this recipe is perfect to have on hand for when you are craving easy comfort food!
Recipe by Olivia Mesquita on February 8, 2022
Prep time: PT5M
Cook time: PT12M
Total time: PT17M
Keywords
Alfredo sauce, fettuccine al burro, fettuccine al burro e cacio, fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
1 pound dried or fresh fettuccine pasta
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter (preferably European style) (at room temperature and sliced)
½ pound finely grated parmesan cheese (preferably Parmigiano Reggiano)
Kosher salt (to taste)
Categories
Main Course
Cuisine
Italian
Steps
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then salt generously with kosher salt. Cook the fettuccine, stirring often during the first 4 minutes and occasionally after that, according to package directions, until al dente.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water (or more to reheat the pasta later, if you predict you will have leftovers).
Return the pasta to the pot, off heat, and stir in the sliced butter, a small pinch of salt, half the cheese and a splash of the reserved pasta water (about ¼ cup). Toss the pasta vigorously, adding the rest of the cheese and more pasta water as needed for the sauce to emulsify. If you are having trouble getting the cheese to melt quickly, it's okay to turn the heat on low under the pot. Just work quickly so the sauce doesn't curdle.
Serve on warmed plates (see notes) with more parmesan cheese and a fresh grinding of black pepper.
