Real-Deal Fettuccine Alfredo

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The creamy, comforting bowl of fettuccine Alfredo you'd order at a family Italian chain — but made the honest way, with nothing but butter, real Parmigiano-Reggiano and starchy pasta water whisked into a glossy sauce that clings to every strand. The whole thing comes together in the time it takes the pasta to cook, and once you learn the emulsion trick, it never breaks again.

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried fettuccine
• 2 tbsp kosher salt, for the pasta water

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
• 5 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated on the small holes of a box grater (about 2 packed cups)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional, for extra insurance and a chain-style richness)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• freshly grated nutmeg, a few scrapes (optional)

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional)
• extra grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for the table

Instructions

1. Grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano first, before anything else. Use the small holes of a box grater or a rasp grater so it melts into a smooth sauce — pre-shredded cheese and coarse shreds are the #1 cause of a gritty, broken Alfredo. Set the cheese in a bowl and let it sit at room temperature.
2. Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add 2 tablespoons kosher salt — you want less water than usual so it gets extra starchy, which is what makes the sauce emulsify. Add the fettuccine and cook, stirring often, until it is 1 minute shy of al dente (usually 8 to 10 minutes; check the box and taste).
3. While the pasta cooks, put the butter in a large skillet or wide sauté pan (12-inch is ideal) over low heat and melt it slowly, swirling, without letting it sizzle or brown. Turn off the heat once it's melted.
4. Just before draining, scoop out 2 full cups of pasta water and reserve it. Drain the pasta — do not rinse it.
5. Add 3/4 cup of the hot pasta water to the melted butter and set the pan over medium-low heat. Whisk vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds until the butter and water come together into a cloudy, slightly thickened liquid rather than a layer of fat floating on water. This is your emulsion base. If using, whisk in the heavy cream now.
6. Add the drained fettuccine to the pan and toss with tongs for about 1 minute, so the noodles finish cooking in the buttery liquid and release more starch. The pasta should be swimming in loose sauce; add another splash of pasta water if the pan looks dry.
7. Turn the heat OFF. Wait 15 seconds, then add the Parmigiano-Reggiano in three additions, tossing and stirring constantly with tongs after each one and letting each handful disappear before adding the next. Off-heat is critical: above about 175°F the cheese proteins tighten and squeeze out fat, which is exactly how Alfredo turns stringy and greasy.
8. Keep tossing, adding hot pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time, until the sauce is glossy, ivory-colored and coats each strand like a thin cream — about 1 to 2 minutes of steady motion. You may use up to 1 1/2 cups of pasta water total. If the sauce ever looks broken or oily, take the pan off the burner entirely, add 2 tablespoons cool pasta water, and stir hard for 30 seconds; it will come back together.
9. Stir in the black pepper and a few scrapes of nutmeg if using. Taste and add salt only if needed — the cheese and pasta water bring a lot.
10. Serve immediately in warmed shallow bowls, topped with parsley and extra grated Parmesan. Alfredo waits for no one: it tightens within a few minutes, so get it to the table hot.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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