Here’s a tip for any single folks trying to impress a date: Invite them over for dinner and whip up a killer Alfredo sauce from scratch while they’re sipping a glass of wine. Pull this one off and you won’t have to be good at anything else for at least a week. The best part is it’s probably one of the easiest things you can make.1
Ingredients
½ lb butter (2 sticks)
1 cup half-and-half (or cream for richer)
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup (or more) parsley
Directions
While your pasta is cooking, melt the butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Don’t use something thin and risk burning.
If the butter is completely melted before the pasta is done, turn the heat as low as it will go. You don’t want to boil it.
The timing of the next couple of steps will make or break the dish. Leave the butter over low heat until the pasta is completely done then add the cream and parsley.
Give it a quick stir and add the cheese. Turn the heat up to medium and stir quickly.
Only stir until the cheese is melted. It’s okay if the butter isn’t completely incorporated. It’s actually better if it stays a little separate — it makes it easier to stir the pasta in.
Pour half the Alfredo sauce into the pasta pot, return the pasta, then add the rest of the sauce and mix.
Add more grated Parmesan and parsley and serve.
1. You should still practice at least once on your own first. Never cook something for the first time with guests watching.
Want more like this? For more recipes like this, that you can hold right in your hands, and write on, take notes, tear pages out if you want (Gosh, you're tough on books, aren't you?) you might be interested in How To Cook Like Your Grandmother, 2nd edition, Illustrated. Or to learn your way around the kitchen, check out Starting From Scratch: The Owner's Manual for Your Kitchen.
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5 Comments
I have a couple questions about this recipe…
1. How would I incorporate chicken to the dish?
2. (feel kinda stupid asking this) you say to add half the alfredo sauce to the past pot…you do this after you have pour out the pasta to drain correct?
3. By cream do you mean heavy whipping cream?
Thanks!!
Try my pan fried chicken in butter recipe. Then just cut it up and put it on top of the fettucini.
Yes, add half the sauce after pouring the pasta out to drain. If you put the pasta back in the dry pot, it will stick fast to the bottom.
Heavy cream, but try not to get heavy “whipping” cream. Most whipping cream has additives — typically carageenan, glycerol monostearate and guar gum — to help it whip up easier. Since you’re not trying to whip it, you don’t need the extras.
Hi, how many does this recipe serve and do you have a recipe for home made fettucini noodles? I remember my Mom making noodles and hanging them all around the kitchen-they were soooo good!
This is enough sauce for two pounds of dry pasta.
I’ve made pasta by hand and also made pasta with the mixer. That second one shows the cutting tool I use to make the noodles.
I find these noodles to be much more delicate than store-bought, to the point that I haven’t used them for Alfredo. I’d be afraid they’d tear and turn to mush before I got the sauce mixed in. Try the sauce with dry pasta, and make the pasta from scratch for a separate meal, and decide for yourself if you think it will work.
Speaking of hanging pasta in the kitchen …
Holy cow! that’s-a lot-a past-a!!!!
Thanks for all of the awesome tips!
I think I will give this recipe this next week since my husband is in Houston. I will use my teenage kids as ginny pigs-he, he!
I will let you know how it goes. I am a little stressed about the time line you talked about in the recipe-it’s a make or break for the whole dish. I will study it like I was taking a final before I attempt.