Pasta alfredo is a very common dish, often seen in restaurants, in jars in the grocery store and it’s super easy to make your own at home! This dish consists of two simple ingredients: pasta and a creamy sauce. There are two main variations of alfredo sauce, one that is made with cream and parmesan and a more traditional one made with butter and parmesan. This recipe is for the cream based version which is more typical in America. The sauce is pretty simple starting with melted butter, to which the cream is added and simmered to thicken it, before adding the parmesan and letting it melt into the sauce. When the pasta is done cooking it’s added to sauce along with some of the water that the pasta was cooked in, which gets the sauce to a nice creamy consistency. Basic pasta alfredo is simply magical even with it’s simple ingredients, especially when served with some fresh cracked black pepper and freshly grated parmigiano reggiano! It’s perfect for date night, including for special occasions like Valentine’s Day!
Here is the more Traditional Pasta alla Alfredo Recipe (without cream).
There are of course many different ways to change up basic pasta alfredo! I like to add some minced garlic and shrimp is a welcome addition! You can add pretty much any flavors that you want, meats, and/or veggies!
Pasta alla Alfredo
A quick and easy homemade American style creamy fettuccine alfredo!
ingredients
- 12 ounce pasta (such as fettuccine) (gluten free for gluten free)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), divided
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 3 ounces (~1 cup) parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), grated
- pepper to taste
directions
- Start cooking the pasta, al dente, as directed on the package.
- Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large sauce over medium heat.
- Add the cream, bring to a simmer, and cook until it thickens a bit, about 3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat, add 2 ounces of the parmesan and let it melt into the sauce.
- Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water, transfer the pasta to the pan with the sauce and mix.
- Add the remaining butter, and parmesan and let them melt.
- Mix in some of the reserved pasta water to get the sauce to the desired consistency.
- Mix in the pepper and enjoy!
Option: Add an herb such as parsley, basil, etc.
Option: Add lemon zest.
Option: Add meat such as shrimp, chicken, steak, etc.
Option: Add a vegetable such as peppers, asparagus, green beans, etc.
Option: Add any flavours you desire!
Option: Use a different cheese, such as: grana padano, pecorino romano, asiago, etc.
Traditional Pasta alla Alfredo
Cajun Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo
Pumpkin Goat Cheese Fettuccine Alfredo with Crispy Fried Sage
Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Alfredo Pasta
Avocado and Goat Cheese Alfredo Pasta
Light and Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo Linguine
Zucchini Alfredo Sauce
Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta
Cajun Shrimp Cauliflower Alfredo Linguini
Broccoli and Bacon Chicken Alfredo Linguine
Cajun Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells
Creamy Shrimp Alfredo Linguine
Cajun Chicken Alfredo
Pasta alla Norcina
I just made this for tonight‘s dinner. It’s fast and easy to make, and is yummy. I work from home, so on my lunch hour I made the pasta (I used penne because I didn’t have any fettuccine) and then the rest of the recipe takes 5 -10 minutes. I didn’t have any fresh Parmesan, so I just used the processed kind from Kraft. I will definitely make this again and add garlic next time.