Classic fettuccine alfredo is both easier and more delicious when you finish cooking the pasta in the creamy sauce!
Usually when you run across recipes that are labeled “shortcut” or “speedy” or “quick” they are almost as good as the original, but not quite…you end up sacrificing a little bit of taste for the time you are saving.
But I gotta tell you…the shortcut part of this particular version of fettuccine alfredo actually ended up making it taste even better than the classic version. I know, hard to believe, but it’s true! And that’s what I call a win-win if there ever was one.
So what’s the shortcut? It’s a trick that I have learned works wonders for any pasta that you are serving with a sauce…you cook the pasta the regular way until it is about 2 minutes from being done.
Then you drain it and finish cooking it for those last couple of minutes in the sauce. In the case of fettuccine alfredo, that means your pasta is spending its last 2 minutes bubbling away in a mixture of cream, butter and Parmesan cheese, soaking it in and turning into a creamy, dreamy concoction of silky, cheesy alfredo heaven.
All you have left to do now is dish it out, grind on some fresh pepper and start twirling your quick but perfect fettuccine alfredo around your fork.
One last hint: for this particular pasta dish, it is well worth the extra step of heating the plates you are going to serve it on. Just pop them in your oven (making sure they are oven-safe first!), turning it on to 200 degrees, and then taking them out right before you are ready to serve it up.
The heated plates will keep the alfredo its creamy, silky self right up to the very last bite.
So go ahead and take a shortcut, fettuccine-wise!
Shortcut Fettuccine Alfredo
Classic fettuccine alfredo is both easier and more delicious when you finish cooking the pasta in the creamy sauce!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fettuccine
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
- Fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until 2 minutes before it is done. Drain.
- Heat butter and cream in a deep skillet or large pot until simmering.
- Add pasta to the simmering cream mixture, add the cheese and cook until pasta is done, tossing frequently.
- Divide pasta among heated plates, garnish with fresh ground pepper and extra grated Parmesan and serve at once.
Jessica says
This looks so hearty and satisfying. I will definitely try it next time I’m making a decadent meal!
ruthie says
Genius! I hate flour-thickened sauces, almost always. They’re just too heavy for my tastes. I’d pretty much abandoned FA because of the super rich sauce. But this! Yay! I’ve still got shrimp, and I’m gonna FA them tonight, with maybe some nice baby peas. My stomach is growling, ready for dinner, and I haven’t had breakfast yet. ;)
Thanks!
Kate says
Shrimp and fettuccine alfredo is pretty much a match made in heaven, right? <3
Connie K says
This received rave reviews last night. Family loved it more than any Alfredo I have made in the past. Definitely going in the file as a keeper! Thanks for sharing!
Kate says
Hurray! There’s something about cooking pasta in the sauce….
Karriepanda says
This definitely looks quick and easy.. but most importantly yummy! Will give this a try for the hubby this week. :)
Kate says
I hope he loves loves loves it! :)
Mike says
One of my favorite dishes! Not too long ago, I saw a similar recipe that called for Parmigiano-Reggiano; I had heard of that cheese but they didn’t have it at my neighborhood grocery store (which doesn’t have a lot of selections of anything) so I looked for it online. I saw it at Amazon and thought I’d add some to an order whenever I had enough to save on shipping. Now every month or so Amazon sends me a newsletter with cheese selections and some of them are the whole wheels, one of which is $2,137.58 (80lbs) I bet I’d get tired of Fettuccine Alfredo by the time I used all that up!
Kate says
wow – that is a LOT of cheese!! (I bet I could eventually use it up though…if I set my mind to it!) :)
Joanne says
I have been craving cream sauce lately but somehow can’t bring myself to make it. you’ve convinced me I pretty much need to.
Kate says
You do. You absolutely do. :)
Mary says
This is how I learned to make fettuccine alfredo! =D I was nearly 30 before I found out that the cheese sauces many people and places make is much more finicky and flour based. I just went around disappointed with restaurant alfredo noodles never knowing why.
Kate says
Thank goodness you found out the secret! Homemade is almost always better than the restaurant kind, I find. :)
Candice@NotesFromABroad says
I love shortcuts like this and I do have a fondness for Fettuccine Alfredo so this is going into my recipe file. besitos, C
Kate says
It’s the best of both worlds, right? Besitos back to you. :)