This quick alfredo pasta recipe is everyone's favorite weeknight dinner! One pan away from creamy, cheesy pasta that's ready in just 20 minutes!
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This recipe is a simple variation of my mother’s alfredo pasta sauce, and it’s so good and easy that you’ll want to eat it often. This dish has so many good things going for it, but my favorite is how it’s perfect for a weeknight comfort meal. I'm telling you, make this once, and your family will ask for it again and again. It's that good and easy.
Why Quick Alfredo Sauce Works
- Simple ingredients. We don’t need much to make this easy recipe for alfredo sauce, but we will need butter, cream, and parmesan cheese.
- It’s a one-pan wonder. Having a ton of dirty dishes to clean up after your meal is never ideal, which is why this one-pan dinner recipe is always welcomed in my house.
- It’s fast! Within just 20 minutes from start to finish, you can have a delicious pot of pasta with alfredo sauce ready for your meal. This is perfect for when you’re busy, tired, or have a bare-looking pantry.
Ingredients for Quick Alfredo Sauce
- Fettuccine pasta noodles
- Heavy whipping cream
- Parmesan cheese
- Butter
- Parsley
- Salt and pepper
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
How to Pasta with Alfredo Sauce
- Boil your pasta in a large pot of water, according to the package directions.
- Pour the water and noodles into a colander and leave them there while you return the pot to the stove and create the sauce.
- Combine the cream, parmesan cheese, and butter in the pot.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and occasionally stir until the cheese has melted. This will take about 2 minutes.
- Toss in the pasta, and then add in the salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix together well with the sauce.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking before serving.
- My favorite toppings to add to this pasta recipe include bacon bits, additional cheese, and peas.
Substitutions
- You can use any type of pasta that you have on hand. I prefer fettuccine noodles, but even spaghetti, linguini, or short pasta like penne would be fine.
- Fresh parsley can be used instead of dried parsley. If using fresh, you’ll want to double the amount of parsley needed because fresh herbs aren’t as strong in flavor as the dried versions.
Quick Alfredo Sauce Recipe Tips
There are two important things you have to do to get this recipe right, but they are easy.
- Let the cheese melt completely into the cream before adding the pasta back into the pot. This will avoid clumpy cheese.
- If you can, purchase a good quality parmesan and grate it yourself. I've found that the pre-grated cheeses don't melt very well, which also will lead to clumps.
This dish is perfect for turning into the main dish of a meal. Recipe ideas are linked below.
Adding meat to the top of your alfredo pasta, like cooked chicken, steak, shrimp, or bacon pieces, are all great variations that can make this dish feel completely new every time you make it.
No, alfredo sauce is not Italian. While delicious and it uses Italian ingredients, it is an American-Italian dish.
You can keep your leftover pasta in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days. You can reheat it in a pot on the stove or on a plate in the microwave, depending on how many servings you’re reheating at once. Add 2 tablespoons of milk or cream to help rehydrate the noodles and make them taste fresher.
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Quick Alfredo Pasta Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound fettuccini pasta (or any long pasta)
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ⅔ cup good quality parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh parsley (or 3 teaspoons fresh)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to package directions.
- Pour into a colander and leave to drain while you prepare the sauce.
- Combine cream, parmesan cheese, and butter in the same pot the pasta was cooked in.
- Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally until cheese is totally melted, about 2 minutes.
- Toss pasta, salt and pepper, and parsley together with the sauce.
- Taste to adjust seasonings and serve! Favorite toppings are bacon bits, additional cheese, and peas.
Sammi Windley
This recipe might make better Alfredo sauce than my mom! Haha just don't let her know that!
Michelle - Giraffes Can Bake
This looks so yummy, I can almost smell it!
Alli
Thank you! It's one of our favorites.
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes
I read somewhere that in Italy, there's no such thing as an alfredo 'sauce' because the alfredo is prepared exactly like this-- tossed all together with the pasta! So the jarred alfredo sauces aren't the real deal at all-- this is! Love this!
Alli
That would actually make sense, it's been a family recipe on my mom's side for years and they are all full Italian! Thank you!