A few extra ingredients go a long way. This extra creamy alfredo sauce takes the pasta experience to another level of indulgence.
Fettucine alfredo is an indulgent dish. Rich and creamy, it leaves you wanting more, well after you’re full. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
It is quite a simple dish. The traditional sauce contains only three ingredients: butter, cream, parmesan. I have opted to add a few more for extra creaminess and flavour.
Naturally, you can make alfredo pasta with any type of noodle but there is something about fettuccine that elevated this dish to the next level. Try multicoloured fettuccine as for an equally decadent presentation.
Preparing Extra Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients for Fettuccine Alfredo
Milk: I use full fat (3.25%) or partly skimmed (2%) milk for this recipe. Adding milk and reducing the cream makes the sauce feel lighter. It also cuts the fat quite a bit if that’s something you look for.
Heavy Cream: Cream is one of the main stars of this dish. Ideally, you want to use heavy whipping cream or heavy cream which has between 36% and 40% fat content. I find that this isn’t typically available in the grocery stores near me so I settle for whipping cream which is usually between 30% and 35% fat. This cream will thicken nicely and create that almost fluffy texture in the sauce.
Cream Cheese: I use Philadelphia cream cheese, herb and garlic flavour. Plain cream cheese will work just as well. The cream cheese used adds creaminess and if you use a flavoured kind, it also adds more flavour.
Parmesan: Grated parmesan cheese is perfect for this recipe, and I don’t mean freshly grated. The relatively inexpensive pre-grated type is just right here. The flavour is perfect and I always find it a bit of a waste to use the freshly grated stuff in a sauce where it just melts away. Save the expensive fresh stuff for topping your pasta.
Oregano: Dried oregano is all you need. The extra flavour makes the sauce less bland and some believe it helps with digestion. Which we all agree is a nice touch with this rich recipe.
Fettuccine: is a long flat noodle that is often compared to tagliatelle. They are in fact interchangeable. In some parts of Italy, this type of noodle is called fettuccine (usually in the south) and in other parts, it’s referred to as tagliatelle (typically in the northern parts). I like to use an egg noodle for this dish but if you can’t find it it’s perfectly fine.
How to Make Extra Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo
One of the simplest and quickest sauces to make, alfredo does not take much effort at all. As such, we start with the cooking of the noodles. With most noodles taking anywhere from 8-12 minutes to cook, the sauce will be ready before your timer goes off.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. If you’re not sure how much water to use refer to the package instructions for details.
While you’re waiting for the water to boil, add milk and cream to a large saucepan. Turn the burner to medium heat. Once the liquid begins to warm up you will see steam begin to rise. This is your cue to add the cream cheese. You want to make sure not to boil the sauce as overheating can lead to the sauce separating. Frequent stirring and lowering the heat can help to prevent this from happening.
Stir frequently but gently as the cheese can get quite slippery. You don’t want to splash yourself with the hot liquid. Keep stirring until the cheeses melt.
When the water in the large pot has come to a boil, add the noodles and stir occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking.
Next, to the sauce, you can add the garlic powder and salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the parmesan cheese and stir constantly until it is melted. Finally, add the oregano and stir just to combine. The order of these ingredients is unimportant however you do want to add the parmesan separately and dedicate the time to melt it properly.
Let the sauce simmer for a couple of minutes to thicken. It will continue to thicken as it stands as well.
Once the fettuccine is cooked, scoop it out using a spaghetti ladle or tongs and place them in the saucepan with the alfredo sauce. Stir gently to coat the noodles in the sauce.
Serve topped with freshly grated parmesan and red chili flakes, if desired.
Substitutions
Milk/Cream: You can skip the milk altogether and increase the heavy cream instead. You can also replace both the milk and heavy cream with half and half. Lastly, if you don’t have any cream in the house, you can use just milk to reduce the fat and calory content.
Fettuccine: Even though it’s in the title, fettuccine can easily be replaced. You can use another long noodle such as spaghetti or opt for penne or even elbow pasta if that’s all you have on hand. As I mentioned earlier, egg noodles are best with alfredo sauce but it won’t ruin the meal not to use it.
Serving Extra Creamy Fettucine Alfredo
Fettucine alfredo is excellent all on its own. There is no need to mess with it. With that said, it is definitely not a complete meal from a nutrients perspective so adding a vegetable on the side is definitely warranted. I usually pair fettuccine alfredo with steamed broccoli or a spinach salad with our lemon dressing.
Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe
Equipment
- Deep saucepan
- Large pot
- Spaghetti ladle or tongs
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp herb and garlic cream cheese
- 1 cup parmesan
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ salt
- ¼ pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 450 g fettuccine
- red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the fettuccine according to the package instructions.
- Pour the cream and milk into the saucepan and warm up on medium heat. You don’t want to boil the liquid.
- Once you see steam starting to form on top of the liquid, add the cream cheese into the pan. Stir gently until the cheese fully melts.
- Add the garlic powder, salt and pepper and stir once again.
- Next, add the parmesan cheese. Stir constantly until the parmesan melts.
- Add oregano and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Note that the sauce will continue to thicken even after cooking.
- Using tongs or a spaghetti ladle remove the fettuccine from the pot and add to the saucepan with the alfredo sauce. Stir until the noodles are well coated. If the sauce is too thick, spoon pasta water into the saucepan a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve with red chili flakes and freshly grated parmesan.
Video
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add protein to the fettuccine alfredo?
Yes! In fact, I do this often. Cut chicken breast or boneless skinless chicken thighs into one-inch cubes and cook in the pan before you make the sauce. Remove from the pan, make the sauce and add the chicken back in before you mix in the fettuccine noodles.
Can I add vegetables to the fettuccine alfredo?
Definitely! My favourite addition is broccoli but you can add frozen vegetable medley, frozen peas, or asparagus. Simply add the vegetable of your choice right after you have melted the cream cheese. Do not add the parmesan until the vegetable of your choice has reached your desired texture.
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