Fettuccine Alfredo is a very quick and easy dinner to make from scratch. This 3-ingredient Alfredo sauce is made with heavy cream, white cheddar cheese, and butter. It’s rich, creamy, and sooo delicious!
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There’s nothing more comforting than a giant bowl of this homemade fettuccine alfredo topped with fresh herbs and served with crust bread and a side salad. It’s a heavenly dish that only takes 20 minutes to put together!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s quick to make! Coming together in 20 minutes this homemade alfredo sauce is so super simple to make for dinner, especially when you are short on time.
- It’s customizable! Add in broccoli florets, peas, spinach, sauteed mushrooms, Italian seasoning, or Cajun seasoning to your alfredo sauce to take it to the next level!
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cheese – Classic Italian alfredo sauce is made with freshly grated parmesan cheese. While this is delicious I love to use shredded white cheddar cheese or a combination of the two of them! Cheddar cheese gives the sauce an even richer and more delicious flavor that my family and I very much enjoy!
- Heavy cream – Cream makes this alfredo sauce extra rich and creamy.
- Pasta – Fettuccine and linguine are classic choices, but bow ties and penne pasta noodles are delicious as well.
- Garlic – Even though this is a 3 ingredient alfredo sauce recipe, I added minced garlic too. A couple cloves of fresh garlic adds so much flavor to this rich and satisfying sauce.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure that the cream and butter are completely combined before adding in the shredded cheese. This helps to create a smoother cream sauce.
- If you are going to add spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, or some other watery type vegetable to your sauce, make sure they are sauteed or steamed with most of their juices removed. This way you won’t end up with a watery Alfredo sauce.
- When reheating, I only recommend reheating your alfredo sauce over the stove with a splash of heavy cream or half-and-half. Reheating in the oven can cause the sauce to break and leave you with greasy pasta.
- Serve your Fettuccine alfredo immediately after making it. It will have the best flavor while it’s still hot.
Frequently asked questions
Italian alfredo sauce is made with freshly grated parmesan cheese, butter, and pasta water is used to thicken the sauce. American alfredo sauce is made with heavy cream, minced garlic, and parmesan cheese.
To fix a broken alfredo sauce add in a few tablespoons of starchy pasta water, heavy cream, or half-and-half. Reheat on medium heat and whisk until the sauce comes back together.
Italian alfredo sauce is thickened with starchy pasta water. Other options would be making a roux. Add 1 tablespoon of flour to the melted butter, then whisk in milk or half-and-half to create the sauce.
Looking For More Recipes?
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- The Best Lasagna Recipe
- Greek Yogurt Mac and Cheese
- Cheesy Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce
- Ground Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas
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3-Ingredient Alfredo Sauce With Fettuccine
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter unsalted
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream cold
- 6 ounces white cheddar cheese shredded, or 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- Salt to taste
Optional
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 6 ounces fettuccine pasta cooked and drained
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked, drain the water then toss pasta with a drizzle of olive oil to help prevent the noodles from sticking. Cover until needed.
- In a stainless steel skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is almost melted add in the minced garlic, if using.
- Add the heavy cream and stir it into the butter. It will take about 5 minutes before the cream and the butter doesn’t look separated anymore, stir occasionally.
- Once the butter/cream mixture has started to gently simmer, add in the grated cheese. Whisk and cook until all the cheese is melted and the sauce has thickened 5 – 7 minutes.
- Season the alfredo sauce with salt and pepper to taste, then toss in the pasta mixing to coat. Serve hot with fresh herbs, more black pepper, or extra parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.
