Fettuccini Alfredo

An Alfredo sauce is so simple and only takes about 2 minutes - and one pan! This is our traditional New Years Eve meal - at home or in the RV. Don't skimp with this dish - use only the finest Parmesan cheese, butter and cream you can find. This pasta dish, served with a tossed salad, crusty Italian bread and an icy bottle of Pinot Grigio - or champagne on New Year's Eve - is a lovely meal. Have paramedics standing by.

1 pound dried fettuccini
4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 cube), cut into pieces
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup half & half
Dash ground nutmeg
1 ½ cups shredded fresh parmesan cheese (about 1/3 pound)
Salt & pepper to taste
Cook pasta until 'al dente' in a large pot of boiling, salted water. While pasta is cooking, prepare the remaining ingredients and have them on-hand. When pasta is finished cooking, let it drain (do not rinse!) in a large colander while you quickly make the sauce.

Prepare the sauce in the same large pot: over medium heat, add the butter, whipping cream and half & half. Stir in a dash of nutmeg. Let warm one minute. Return pasta to the pot. Toss to coat. Add the cheese, 1/2 cup at a time and stir between additions. Sauce will thicken within another minute. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with additional grated cheese if desired. (I prefer to garnish with freshly cracked black pepper, but a few herbs or chopped flat-leaf parsley is also nice.)

Serves 4.

print recipe    print recipe with photo