🍝 Fettuccine Alfredo
Fettuccine Alfredo is a dish of flat ribbon pasta tossed with butter, parmesan and, in the version popular worldwide, cream. The sauce forms as the hot pasta melts the butter and cheese into a smooth, glossy coating that clings to every strand. It is rich, mild and cheesy, and is served immediately as a main course, often topped with extra grated parmesan and black pepper.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g dried fettuccine
- 60 g butter
- 200 ml cooking cream
- 100 g parmesan, finely grated
- salt, black pepper
- a pinch of nutmeg (optional)
Method
- Cook the fettuccine in well-salted boiling water until al dente; keep a cup of pasta water.
- Melt the butter in a wide pan, add the cream and warm gently without boiling.
- Add the drained pasta and toss, then add the parmesan a little at a time.
- Loosen with pasta water until the sauce is smooth and glossy; season with pepper and serve at once.
How to make it lighter
- Replace half the cream with starchy pasta water — the cheese still makes it creamy.
- Serve a 200 g portion with a large green salad or steamed vegetables on the side.
- Use 30 g butter instead of 60 g; 1 tbsp butter ≈ 100 kcal.
History
The dish is usually credited to Alfredo di Lelio, a Roman restaurateur who in the early 20th century served a richer version of the old Italian fettuccine al burro. It became famous after American visitors brought it home, and the cream-based version spread through restaurants in the United States. In Italy the simple butter-and-parmesan pasta is still more common.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →