Pasta Alfredo

Pasta Alfredo

30 min
Pasta Alfredo is a classic Italian pasta dish with butter, cheese and cream. It is really quick to prepare and usually enjoyed by everyone! This pasta dish is perfect for when you need a quick dinner. Pasta Alfredo tastes best when served straight away.
https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/recipes/pasta-alfredo/

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the package. Finely grate the cheese and set aside.
  • Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Sauté the onions in the butter until soft. Add the cream and peas. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and stir in the cheese. Season with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
  • Mix the freshly cooked pasta with the sauce.
  • Serve your Pasta Alfredo with freshly ground black pepper; you can also spice up the dish with some fresh parsley if you like.
Enjoy!

Pasta Alfredo

What does Alfredo mean in pasta?
The dish was named after its inventor, Alfredo Di Lelio who created the first fettuccine all’Alfredo in 1914 to help his wife regain her appetite after giving birth to their first son.
What is Alfredo sauce called in Italy?
Interestingly, the much-celebrated ready-made Alfredo sauce technically doesn’t exist in Italy. Its closest relative would be an ‘al burro’ sauce where a knob of butter is added to a serving bowl. The pasta, along with a few tablespoons of cooking liquid, is then scooped into the bowl and emulsified with cheese to form a rich and luxurious sauce.
What’s the difference between white sauce and Alfredo sauce?
White sauce, also known as Bechamel sauce, is a French invention and is made with a roux (flour and melted butter) and cream or milk. An Alfredo sauce, on the other hand, has Italian origins and includes cheese (most commonly parmigiano) and does not make use of flour to thicken the sauce.
What makes Alfredo sauce taste better?
The secret is in the cheese. It adds a complex combination of slightly tangy, rich and nutty flavours the sauce that sets it apart from all other sauces. The quality of cheese will make a difference so be sure to choose the best wedge that you can find.
Why is my Alfredo sauce not creamy?
This is a common complaint with leftover Alfredo where the fats have separated from the sauce. This can easily be rectified by adding a splash of milk during the reheating process. Start small (a few tablespoons at first) and add more until you have restored your dish to its original, creamy glory.

Ingredients

Fettuccine
300 g
Svecia cheese
100 g
Shallots
2
Garlic cloves
2
Butter
2 tbsp
Cooking cream
300 ml
Frozen green peas
200 g
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

A creamy pasta classic

Dating back to 1914, the humble fettuccine all’Alfredo’s history reads like a love story. When Italian restaurateur Alfredo Di Lelio’s wife gave birth to their second child, she struggled to regain her appetite. Determined to help her, Alfredo tried everything and eventually created a simple dish of fettuccine, swirled in a pan with butter and parmigiano. Delighted by his invention, she encouraged Alfredo to add the dish to his restaurant’s menu and the rest, as they say, is history.

How to cook an elegant meal in no time

Transforming this dish into an elegant meal is all in the presentation. For long pasta cuts, like fettuccine in this recipe, grab a portion of pasta with a fork and, using a soup ladle, twirl the pasta into a sophisticated mountain of tangled strands. Gently place it in the middle of the plate or bowl, sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and parsley, add a few shavings of cheese and serve.

Delicious, yet affordable

Italian cuisine is celebrated for its near mystifying ability to create big, bold flavours from the simplest of ingredients and this recipe is no different. A strong cheese, like the traditional parmigiano, or a less-traditional Svecia or Gruyere, is the star of this show and you can choose an expensive or more cost-effective option depending on your budget. The rest of the ingredients are very likely already in your kitchen, making this a quick and easy dish to whip up any day of the week.

How to level up your pasta Alfredo

An Alfredo sauce is the perfect base for many other ingredients, and you can completely transform the dish into a whole new experience by adding combinations like mushrooms and chicken, salmon and dill, or a medley of summer vegetables like zucchini, asparagus, and sweetcorn.