Fettuccini al Burro Recipe (The Original Fettuccini Alfredo)
The predecessor to what many know as Fettuccini Alfredo, this simple three-ingredient recipe is what you’d be more likely to find in the streets of Rome. With just fettuccini noodles, good butter and Parmigiano Reggiano – you can build a luscious, creamy sauce that will knock your socks off. No cream required.
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 pound fettuccini pasta (or another long pasta)
- Salt, for seasoning the pasta water
- 1 heaping cup of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus more as needed
- 1/2 cup very cold good quality salted butter (1 stick/8 tablespoons)
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and then salt the water generously (like the sea). Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions and don’t drain it.
- Grate the cold butter (I use my box grater), or just cut it into small pieces.Â
- Add half of the cheese and half of the butter to a large bowl.
- When the pasta is al dente (with a slight bite left), use tongs to transfer it directly from the hot pot into the bowl with the cheese and butter. Add a splash of the hot, starchy pasta water and toss vigorously to really start things melting and to help create a glossy sauce.
- Add the remaining cheese and butter (any more of each, as you like), and a little more hot pasta water as needed until your sauce is melty and mostly smooth (it won’t be perfectly smooth – which is fine). It should be very well salted at this point, since we used salted butter, salty cheese, and we salted the cooking water. No extra salt needed!
- I typically go for broke and top with even more cheese and a generous amount of black pepper. Enjoy!