Stop buying canned Alfredo sauces. You won’t believe how easy it is to make Alfredo sauce from scratch. Plus it just tastes so much better when you make it yourself.  This is what you will need. If you really want a great dish, sauté some shrimp with lemon, garlic, and butter and add to the pasta at the end.

1 box of Fettuccine. This is usually about 1lb of pasta. You don’t have to use that much if there is just two of you, although you won’t mind having the leftovers.  Buy a good quality Italian brand. There are so many great pastas that you can find now in your local grocery. Some stores even sell homemade pasta. Go for it!

¾ of a stick of butter

4 cloves of garlic minced. Or as much garlic as you enjoy!

1 Shallot minced.  Shallots are great for use with sauces as they have a nice mild flavor. Do not substitute regular onion.

1 cup of heavy cream

1 cup of aged parmesan.  Spend a little extra here and buy good quality parmesan. One that has been aged 2 years works nicely. Even better if you grate it yourself, but you can find good quality ones already grated. The parmesan really affects the quality of your sauce.

1 Lemon

Chopped Parsley for garnish

1. Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Before you drain the water, scoop out a ¼ cup of the pasta water and reserve. Always let your pasta sit for a minute while draining to get as much of the water out as possible so not to ruin your sauce.

2. While you are cooking your pasta, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan and sauté the garlic and onion over medium heat until they are tender.

3. Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil stirring to mix the butter and cream. Cook until the sauce begins to reduce. Remove from the heat, and let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. 

4. While the sauce is thickening, return the pasta to the pan you boiled the fettuccine in. Add the ¼ cup of reserved pasta water to the fettuccine and set the temperature to medium. Add the sauce to the pasta and slowly mix in the parmesan cheese.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Always good to add a squeeze of lemon to the pasta. This will bring out the flavors of the Alfredo and brighten it up.

6. Add the chopped parsley to garnish the pasta and add some color.

Enjoy!