Easy Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe

According to Maren Epstein, all home cooks should have a recipe they can pull out of their hats when last-minute guests stop by. For the professional chef, who blogs and shares healthy recipes and tips at Eating Works, her go-to "wow" dinner is fettuccine Alfredo. "I like to make this when I need an impressive meal on the fly," she told Mashed. But don't worry — this meal literally comes together with eight ingredients, one of which is totally optional, and several of which you definitely already have on hand in your fridge or pantry.

Epstein's easy yet impressive pasta dish can definitely stand by itself. As she told us, "I usually serve it alone for my daughter." But she added about the creamy, indulgent meal, "It pairs as a nice side for fish and meat dishes." 

So, if you have ten minutes and a desire to serve a cream sauce that will make friends and family think you spent hours in the kitchen, this fettuccine Alfredo recipe is for you.

Shop for the ingredients for this fettuccine Alfredo recipe ahead of time so you can whip this up at the last minute when the need arises. You'll buy fettuccine pasta, and if you do not have the following on hand, the dish also calls for salted butter, heavy cream, nutmeg, pepper, Parmesan cheese, an egg, and red wine vinegar, which Epstein explains is optional. 

As far as why Epstein recommends using salted butter for this meal, she explained to Mashed, "Salted butter works best because the cream used to make up the majority of the sauce is bland." She also adds, "There isn't enough salt in the Parmesan cheese to balance out the flavor." Meanwhile, she also told us that using heavy cream is highly recommended, noting, "Half and half is too sweet, and regular milk isn't thick enough." Want to make a vegan version of fettuccine Alfredo? "I'm sure an oat milk would work well!" Epstein said.

Step one of this fettuccine Alfredo recipe is to simply bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Experts recommend adding a teaspoon and a half of salt per liter of pasta water for ideal results. You will cook the Fettuccini according to the package instructions, Epstein says. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, go ahead and melt your butter over medium heat. Once the butter is fully melted, you'll add the heavy cream, the nutmeg, and the pepper. As you cook the creamy mixture, be sure to stir it occasionally until the sauce is bubbling.

We asked Epstein why she added nutmeg to this recipe, as one might not expect to find the spice in a savory pasta recipe. She explained to Mashed, "Nutmeg adds a bit of nuttiness to the sauce that helps give it a nice finish." According to her, "Traditional fettuccine Alfredo always uses nutmeg." If you are out of nutmeg, mace and the Indian spice garam masala make nice substitutes.

At this stage of this fettuccine Alfredo recipe, with your pasta cooking away and your cream sauce for the Alfredo coming together, you will add the grated Parmesan cheese to the saucepan, stirring it into the mixture until it's completely melted. Then comes the cool part — you add an egg yolk and stir it into the sauce. Epstein offers this tip for the egg incorporation step: "Whisk the yolk into the sauce while it is on low heat. This will ensure that the egg won't scramble."

Now, simmer your thick and creamy sauce for about five minutes. At this stage, you can add red wine vinegar and salt to taste. Why vinegar? As Epstein explains, "While the vinegar isn't traditional, I thought that the sauce needed a little bit of acidity to balance out the flavor." She adds, "Red wine vinegar is a nice, mild vinegar commonly used in Italian cooking. So it did the trick!" Go ahead and give it a try to see if you enjoy the acid boost.

Now, you are almost ready to serve up your special, last-minute fettuccine Alfredo recipe to impress guests — or to treat yourself! Simply add the cooked pasta right into the sauce, with Epstein suggesting you give it a quick sauté before serving up bowls of the fresh meal. Garnish each serving with additional grated cheese if you'd like. 

We asked Epstein about leftovers, and as she explained, "This dish is never quite as good as it is right out of the frying pan." Still, she advises home cooks that if you want to prep the meal ahead of time, "You can store the sauce separately in an airtight container and boil up some fresh pasta." She adds you will heat the sauce and "add it to the pasta directly before serving. The sauce should last for five days in the fridge or three months in the freezer."