Lemon Fettuccine Alfredo recipe is one of my personal favorites. You can make this creamy pasta quickly and easily from pantry staples, and the flavor is so bright and vivid!
lemon fettuccine Alfredo is a bright twist on a classic Italian pasta recipe
Here’s one of those transcendent dishes that lets you reconnect with your primitive foodie instincts. Sit down with a bowl of this and you’ll enter your own private ‘zone’ of buttery, creamy, cheesy bliss. It’s the kind of insanely easy recipe that will be as good as anything you can get in the finest restaurant… as long as you use quality ingredients (and follow my directions, lol.) I added my mark with a big old lemony kick…it cuts the richness and brightens the whole dish up. Lemony Fettuccine Alfredo definitely falls on the decadent side, so it’s not for every day, but let’s just say that any day you do decide to whip this up will be a very memorable day indeed.
the ingredients…
Definitely buy the good cheese for this dish. Since the ingredient list is so brief, every one counts. I recently economized on Parmesan cheese and regretted it. I ruined a couple of dinners before I finally had to toss it out. Cheap Parmesan cheese tastes like old socks, while true Parmigiano-Reggiano, which can only be made in Italy, has a nutty, buttery rich flavor and makes everything it touches better. It is expensive, but in a vegetarian dish like this where it is the main player, it’s worth it.
- fettuccine ~ imported pasta is the best choice, I usually buy Barilla.
- butter
- heavy cream
- lemon
- Parmesan cheese
- parsley
- salt and pepper ~ even humble salt and pepper contributes greatly to this dish, and I always crack my peppercorns fresh!
cutting calories…
If you want to cut calories by using half and half, you can do that, but you will have to forgo the lemon juice, as it will curdle (the lower the fat in a dairy product, the more likely it is to curdle when you add lemon.) I suggest using lots of lemon zest to achieve a hint of citrus if you go the lower fat route.
this lemony pasta is best eaten asap
Plan to eat this up as soon as you make it, The sauce doesn’t wait around well, and any leftovers will be very difficult to reheat without the sauce separating. That’s usually not a problem because once the loaded fork hits your mouth it will be darn near impossible to stop it until it’s all a pleasant memory.
favorite pasta recipes
- Lemon Basil Pasta Salad
- Creamy Lemon Asparagus Pasta
- Breakfast Pasta Carbonara
- Easy Pasta Bolognese Recipe
- Pasta with Radicchio, Bacon, and Walnuts
Lemon Fettucine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 12 oz fettuccine pasta
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 2 cups heavy cream
- juice of 1-2 lemons, add it to taste.
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley, reserve some for garnish
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until just al dente. Be sure to salt your water well!
- Meanwhile melt the butter in a pan over low heat and add the cream. Stir to combine and let it just come to a simmer. Add the lemon juice and stir.
- Add the cheese and stir until it is completely melted. I like to take the pan off the heat to do this. Taste the sauce and add salt, if needed, and plenty of fresh cracked black pepper.
- When the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the sauce, along with the parsley. Toss everything well, and serve up immediately, with more parsley for garnish.
There are a lot of tricks here to get lemon flavor without breaking the cream.
Zesting a whole lemon is classic.
But True Lemon powder works well too.
Lemon extract is another great choice.
Of course, if you taste while you simmer your sauce you can blend the above options.
That’s just way too much lemon. Overpowering.
Sorry you had that experience Althea, just cut back a little bit next time. I always recommend tasting as you go, so you get the sauce just as you like it.
Made this tonight. As I’m vegan, I used parmesan made from 1 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast and 2 tblsp of mso. I served it over black bean pasta and roasted cauliflower w/pine nuts, raisins, butter and parsley. It made a delicious meal and the contrast of the black bean pasta was a good trantrast w/the roasted cauliflower. As there are just 2 of us, we have leftovers and are looking forward to the second time we eat this.
I substituted Zoodles to make it a low carb option and it was amazing! I had a left over grilled chicken breast so I added that as well. Delicious!! Thanks for posting, this is a keeper!
Great to know!
This was amazing! I substituted heavy cream for canned organic coconut milk (you have to whisk it first because it separates in the can) due to my husband being lactose intolerant and switched the parsley for whole basil leaves. It was almost a dupe for Carraba’s Chicken Bryan sauce!
I never would have thought that you could use coconut milk in this recipe, Jessica, thanks!
This sounds lovely. Going to give this recipe a go. thanks for sharing this.
Simon
If you don’t want your sauce to curdle – use lemon zest instead of lemon juice. That way you can use half and half with impunity.
I tried this but I added a little heat with some Cajun spice and it was amazing! Little zing from the lemon and a little pop from the spice 🙂
I learn so many great ideas from my readers… a little heat would be fabulous!!
That sounds incredible!