Food Ingredients Pasta + Noodles Fettuccine Alfredo 5.0 (2) 1 Review This rich, creamy pasta gets a generous layer of garlicky, cheesy breadcrumbs to take it over the top. By Catherine Jessee Catherine Jessee Catherine Jessee is a Test Kitchen Assistant in the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios. She has tested recipes for brands including All Recipes, Eating Well, Food & Wine, Real Simple, People, and Southern Living. Prior to joining the Food Studios, she accumulated 3 years of experience cooking in restaurants. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on June 5, 2023 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Active Time: 45 mins Total Time: 1 hr Servings: 6 servings Jump to recipe Make this restaurant-level Fettuccine Alfredo at home for an unforgettable meal. We start by cooking the pasta until it is almost but not totally cooked. Then, use the starchy pasta cooking water as the base for the creamy sauce, slowly whisking in pieces of cold butter to emulsify the sauce. Then when you return the pasta to the sauce and simmer everything together, the flavor of the sauce infuses the pasta with its richness. Since the pasta cooking water is salted and the Parmesan cheese is inherently salty, you don’t need to add much if any additional salt to the sauce; be sure to taste it before seasoning further. A mixture of crispy panko, parsley, and Parmesan takes this pasta over the top, adding depth of flavor and a lovely crunch to the dish. You’ll want to serve this pasta immediately after finishing the pasta in the sauce, and savor each creamy, garlicky, cheesy bite. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1 pound uncooked fettuccine 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (about 2 tablespoons) 1 cup panko breadcrumbs 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste 1/4 cup inely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish 4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated with a Microplane grater (about 2 1/2 cups), divided 3/4 cup (6 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cubed Flaky salt Directions Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions to just barely al dente. Using tongs, transfer pasta to a colander, and drain, reserving 3 1/2 cups pasta cooking water. Return pasta to warm pot; drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil, and gently stir with tongs to coat. Set aside. While pasta cooks, heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium until glossy and lighter in color. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and golden brown, 20 to 30 seconds. Add panko; cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl; add kosher salt, and stir to combine. Let cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Wipe skillet clean. Add parsley and 1/4 cup of the cheese to panko mixture; stir to combine, and set aside. Add 3 cups of the reserved cooking water to cleaned large skillet; bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low. Gradually add butter to skillet, whisking constantly and letting each butter cube melt before the next addition, until butter has emulsified into liquid, 10 to 12 minutes. (Mixture should be at least 180°F, uniformly creamy in color, and starting to bubble if left undisturbed.) Add pasta to butter sauce in skillet; toss to evenly coat. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until sauce comes to a boil (you will see bubbles in liquid in center of skillet), 3 to 5 minutes. . Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese; toss and stir to evenly coat pasta in cheese and sauce. Add remaining 1 1/4 cups cheese, and cook, tossing and stirring constantly, until pasta is evenly coated in sauce, about 2 minutes. If more liquid is needed for sauce, gradually add additional reserved cooking water 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring and tossing to coat. Remove from heat. Season to taste with kosher salt. Divide pasta evenly among plates. Top each with 1 tablespoon toasted panko mixture. Garnish with flaky salt and additional parsley. Serve immediately. Rate It Print