This Authentic Italian Tagliatelle Alfredo recipe is made with just 3 simple ingredients! Also known as pasta al burro e parmigiano, this is a simple but flavorful pasta recipe that doesn't use any heavy cream or excessive ingredients.
Most people believe that alfredo pasta is something that we made up in the United States. However, contrary to popular belief, the original fettuccine alfredo was created in Rome in 1908 by Alfredo di Lelio. di Lelio created this dish for his pregnant wife, as it is often served to those who have an upset stomach. She loved the dish so much, di Lelio added it to his restaurant's menu.
The famous dish became very popular among visitors. Some well-known Hollywood actors asked him for the recipe, which then made this dish popular internationally. Of course, once it made it's way to the US, we took some liberties and changed a good bit of the authentic recipe to better fit the American palate.
The real deal version of a pasta alfredo recipe uses just fresh pasta (like fettuccine or tagliatelle), parmigiano cheese, and a good amount of butter. Those high quality ingredients are all mixed together to emulsify with some salty starchy pasta water to create a luscious and creamy sauce. This dish is perfect for anyone of any age!
Table of Contents:
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🥘 What you need for this recipe
Ingredients
Like I said, this recipe uses very few ingredients. So, make sure you are using high quality!
- Fresh Pasta - You can use any kind of pasta, but using fresh tagliatelle or fresh fettuccine pasta will be the most accurate.
- Butter - Use a good quality butter, with or without salt.
- Parmigiano Cheese - Freshly grated cheese with a cheese grater will have the best results.
See recipe card for quantities.
📋 How to make Tagliatelle Alfredo
Step 1: Make the Pasta
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat and add a large pinch of kosher salt.
Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions to al dente. Use a measuring cup or bowl to remove about ¼ cup of starchy pasta water and set aside.
Step 2: Make the Alfredo Sauce
While the pasta is cooking, add cubed butter to a large mixing bowl.
Once the pasta is cooked, turn off the heat and use tongs to remove it from the pot and add the hot pasta directly to the mixing bowl with butter. Immediately begin stirring the pasta in with the butter as quickly as you can.
While stirring, sprinkle in about ⅓ of the parmesan cheese with a splash of the reserved starchy pasta cooking water and continue stirring. Repeat this process until all of the cheese has been incorporated and the butter is fully emulsified.
You do not have to use all of the pasta water.
Step 3: Finishing Touches
Taste the pasta and add salt as desired, though you may not need much. You may also add in some cracked black pepper at this point.
Serve pasta hot and use a spoon to drizzle on any extra alfredo sauce. You may wish to garnish with parsley or chives.
Variations
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes to the sauce to make it have a little kick.
- Lemon - Adding some fresh lemon juice would make this a nice fettuccine al burro e limone, which is very delicious.
See this vegan version of this recipe on my website!
Equipment
- Large pot
- Cheese grater or food processor
- Sharp knife
- Large mixing bowl
- Tongs
Storage
Store this pasta dish in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about 1 week. To reheat, place the pasta in a pan over medium-low heat and stir while gently warming.
💭 Expert Tips & Tricks
- The key to this recipe is the emulsification of the butter. If you let the hot pasta sit on the butter long enough for the butter to start melting, the result will not be as creamy. The butter must melt while stirring, in order for the best homemade alfredo sauce.
- Using fresh pasta will take this dish to the next level. However, if you don’t have a pasta machine or you can't get fresh pasta, feel free to use boxed pasta, but opt for a high quality. Look for the words "bronze die" or "bronze cut" on the box.
- It is important to use the correct type of cheese in this recipe. You want to use parmigiano reggiano cheese, rather than just normal parmesan. The parmigiano-reggiano cheese is a specific type that is a bit saltier. Be sure to get the correct cheese, which is often mixed up with pecorino romano cheese – the primary cheese used in cacio e pepe.
Recipe FAQs
Believe it or not, a traditional alfredo sauce is an Italian recipe. Though the authentic alfredo sauce is quite different from what you may find at the Olive Garden in the U.S. Traditional Fettuccine Alfredo is just butter, pasta, and parmigiano cheese.
Fettuccine pasta is what is used most often in an authentic fettuccine alfredo recipe. However, tagliatelle is a great option too. Fettuccine is slightly smaller in width than tagliatelle, while tagliatelle is a bit thinner and flatter than fettuccine.
If you order alfredo while in Italy, especially Rome, you are most likely going to be served pasta al burro e parmigiano, which means "pasta with butter and parmigiano." What we consider alfredo in the United States is not likely to be found in Italy. Real alfredo sauce is a simple sauce of just butter and cheese.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Authentic Tagliatelle Alfredo:
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📖 Recipe
Authentic Italian Tagliatelle Alfredo
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Cheese grater or food processor
- Sharp Knife
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 8 oz Pasta fettuccine or tagliatelle
- 3-4 tablespoon Butter cubed, chilled
- 3 oz Parmigiano Reggiano grated (about ½-¾ cup when grated)
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat and add a large pinch of kosher salt.
- Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions to al dente. Use a measuring cup or bowl to remove about ¼ cup of starchy pasta water and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, add cubed butter to a large mixing bowl.
- Once the pasta is cooked, turn off the heat and use tongs to remove it from the pot and add the hot pasta directly to the mixing bowl with butter. Immediately begin stirring the pasta in with the butter as quickly as you can.
- While stirring, sprinkle in about ⅓ of the parmesan cheese with a splash of the reserved starchy pasta cooking water and continue stirring. Repeat this process until all of the cheese has been incorporated and the butter is fully emulsified.
- You do not have to use all of the pasta water.
- Taste the pasta and add salt as desired, though you may not need much. You may also add in some cracked black pepper at this point.
- Serve pasta hot and use a spoon to drizzle on any extra alfredo sauce. You may wish to garnish with parsley or chives.
Notes
- The key to this recipe is the emulsification of the butter. If you let the hot pasta sit on the butter long enough for the butter to start melting, the result will not be as creamy. The butter must melt while stirring, in order for the best homemade alfredo sauce.
- Using fresh pasta will take this dish to the next level. However, if you don’t have a pasta machine or you can't get fresh pasta, feel free to use boxed pasta, but opt for a high quality. Look for the words "bronze die" or "bronze cut" on the box.
- It is important to use the correct type of cheese in this recipe. You want to use parmigiano reggiano cheese, rather than just normal parmesan. The parmigiano-reggiano cheese is a specific type that is a bit saltier. Be sure to get the correct cheese, which is often mixed up with pecorino romano cheese – the primary cheese used in cacio e pepe.
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