Fettuccine Alfredo

Name: Fettuccine Alfredo
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 lb Fettuccine; 1/2 cup Heavy Cream; 1/2 cup Butter; 1/2 cup Parmesan; 2 tbsp Parsley; Black Pepper

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Pasta recipe with Italian flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 42 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Step-by-step instructions

Cook pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of boiling water and salt.
Add heavy cream and butter to a large skillet over medium heat until the cream bubbles and the butter melts.
Whisk in parmesan and add seasoning (salt and black pepper).
Let the sauce thicken slightly and then add the pasta and toss until coated in sauce.
Garnish with parsley, and it's ready.

Why this works on a weeknight

Fettuccine Alfredo genuinely fits a 30-minute weeknight window, which is why it earned a spot in our One-Pan Pasta collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Fettuccine Alfredo actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🍝 One-Pan Pasta Pasta Italian ⚡ 30-Min Dinner