Mushroom Fettacuine Alfreado
A rich, cheesy, and creamy pasta dish that can be whipped up quickly after a long day
There’s a good reason Fettacuine Alfredo has captured the hearts of every Italian restaurant with its simplistic but delicious sauce. Whether you are looking for a quick dinner or hosting a large family gathering, this dish is a perfect option for almost any night.
It… also doesn’t help that it still is delicious for the following days. Frequently, this pasta ends up as my lunch prep during the week since it is easy to make, store, and warm back up.
This exact recipe stemmed from one night looking in my fridge and seeing what I had to throw together and if you’re anything like me, you tend to always have chunk of cheese, heavy cream, and butter on hand.
Although many traditional Alfredo recipes embrace the minimalist approach, I can’t help but to embellish the Italian sauce with a variety of fix-ins based on my cravings of the day.
What to add to Fettuccine Alfredo
There are dozens of twists on the base Alfredo sauce to keep this quick pasta dish fresh for you and your dinner guests no matter how many times you make it.
Some delicious additions are: mushrooms, onions, garlic, bell peppers, sausage, shrimp, and chicken.
. Even adding nutmeg, parsley, basil, oregano and thyme compliments parmesan’s nuttyness and heavy cream’s richness in different ways creating new flavorful adventures for your pallet.
While a pinch of lemon juice or an acidic liquid of your choice cuts through the pasta’s decadence if you prefer a lighter dinner.
There is no wrong way to cook pasta so experiment! Try new ingredients and discover what you particularly love because no two people have the exact same tastes so don’t be afraid to take the leap!
Alfredo Tips
When cooking alfredo here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Cook the pasta to 1-2 minutes before al dente and finish cooking it in the sauce to make all the flavors come together at the end.
Buying a chunk of parmesan cheese and grating it at home gives more of a nutty aroma and slightly stronger flavor in the pasta.
Whisking the diary ingredients together helps keep the sauce from splitting
I prefer unsalted butter so I can season as I go. Make sure to remember the saltiness from the parmesan added at the end so don’t oversalt too early
I have found using fresh herbs creates a wonderful aroma and a brighter dish that will have your guests eagerly waiting for your final creation.
If you want a thinner sauce, add a little pasta water or additional cream if you want a saucier pasta.
Mushroom Fettacuine Alfreado
Ingredients
Noodles
- 8 oz Fettuccine noodles
- Pinch of salt
Sauce
- 2 tbsp Cooking oil
- 8 oz Mushrooms quartered
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup heavy cream room temperature
- 1/4 cup Dry white wine I used Pinot Grigio
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
- 2 cups Parmesan grated
- 1 tbsp Parsley chopped (optional)
- 1 tbsp Basil chopped (optional)
- 2 tbsp Grated parmesan for topping (optional)
Instructions
Pasta
- Follow package instructions and cook the pasta in a pot of slightly salty water until al dente
Sauce
- In a saucepan over medium to medium-low heat, add the oil, mushrooms, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook for 3-4 minutes until mushrooms half in size and are cooked through. Place aside for later.
- In the same pan, place the heat on low and melt the butter, stir in the heavy cream and wine until the mixture comes to a light simmer. Constantly stir to prevent cream from burning.
- Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper and continue to stir for 4-5 minutes until the sauce lightly thickens.
- Turn the sauce on low heat and stir in the grated parmesan until the cheese is fully melted.
- Add the mushrooms and season with further salt or pepper if desired
- Remove from heat and toss the sauce with the noodles and sprinkle herbs and extra parmesan on top before serving