Pasta Database

Lazio · butter · medium

Best pasta for alfredo

Butter and parmesan emulsified with pasta water. Fettuccine is the only pairing in Rome. The American version adds cream.

Region
Lazio
Base
Butter
Texture
Medium
Shapes that hold it
2
Classic plates
1
Alfredo, served on pasta

What it asks of a shape

Alfredo is a medium butter-based sauce. It wants a ribbon, with the flat surface a rich sauce needs, and an egg dough, soft and rich, the northern match for butter and cream. The ranking below scores every profiled shape on those traits, then the shape's own sauce notes break the ties.

What it is

Fettuccine Alfredo is a pasta dish consisting of fettuccine tossed with butter and Parmesan cheese which is melted and emulsified to form a rich cheese sauce coating the pasta. Originating in Rome in the early 20th century, the recipe is now known primarily in the United States and other countries.

2 shapes that hold it

Fettuccine, uncooked, on linen

Fettuccine

Ribbons · Lazio

A ribbon has a broad flat face, so butter, cream, and cheese emulsions coat it evenly and a ragu rides on top.

Tagliatelle, uncooked, on linen

Tagliatelle

Ribbons · Emilia-Romagna

A wide porous egg ribbon holds a meat ragu on its surface and absorbs the fat, which is why Bologna refuses spaghetti for the same sauce.

Classic plates with alfredo

Every dish in the shape profiles that names this sauce, with the shape it is made on.

Every classic plate, by shape and sauce

Sources