Best-Ever Pasta with Butter and Parmesan Cheese
By America's Test KitchenPublished on January 4, 2023
Time
30 minutes
Yield
Serves 1 to 2
WHAT KIDS ARE SAYING
"It was really easy but tasted yummy! Even my sister was impressed I cooked it alone!" —Paul, recipe tester, age 12
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Be sure to use authentic Parmesan cheese from Italy in this recipe (look for the Italian words “Parmigiano-Reggiano” on the rind of the cheese).
Instructions
- In large saucepan, bring water to boil.
- Carefully add pasta and salt to boiling water. Use tongs to bend pasta into water (ask an adult for help). Cook, stirring frequently, until pasta is al dente (tender but still a bit chewy), 10 to 12 minutes.
- Turn off heat. Use ladle to carefully transfer ¼ cup cooking water to liquid measuring cup. Set colander in sink. Carefully drain pasta in colander (ask an adult for help). Return drained pasta to now-empty saucepan.
- Add cheese, butter, and 2 tablespoons reserved cooking water to saucepan with pasta. Return saucepan to low heat.
- Use tongs to toss and stir constantly to combine, about 30 seconds. Turn off heat, cover saucepan, and let pasta sit for 1 minute.
- Toss and stir pasta constantly again until sauce thoroughly coats pasta and cheese is melted, about 30 seconds. (If sauce is too thick, thin as needed with remaining cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time.)
- Transfer pasta to bowl. Sprinkle with extra cheese and pepper (if using). Serve.
Time
30 minutesYield
Serves 1 to 2WHAT KIDS ARE SAYING
"It was really easy but tasted yummy! Even my sister was impressed I cooked it alone!" —Paul, recipe tester, age 12Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Pasta with just butter and cheese might seem simple, but it actually has a fancy name when served in restaurants—fettuccine alfredo. When the Parmesan cheese, butter, and reserved pasta cooking water are stirred into the just-drained fettuccine, the dish will appear very watery. But don’t fret: After a covered 1-minute rest and a vigorous stir, everything will come together in a creamy sauce. Before you toss those noodles with the butter and cheese, the recipe tells you to cook them until they’re al dente, which means “to the tooth” in Italian. Al dente pasta is tender, but still a little firm in the center. The best way to tell when your pasta is al dente? Taste it! At the end of step 2, have kids use a wooden spoon to scoop out one fettuccine noodle and transfer it to the colander in the sink. Run the noodle under cold water for a few seconds and then taste it. If it feels hard and dry, keep cooking for another few minutes. If it’s mostly tender, but still firm at the center, it’s al dente!
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
Be sure to use authentic Parmesan cheese from Italy in this recipe (look for the Italian words “Parmigiano-Reggiano” on the rind of the cheese).
Instructions
- In large saucepan, bring water to boil.
- Carefully add pasta and salt to boiling water. Use tongs to bend pasta into water (ask an adult for help). Cook, stirring frequently, until pasta is al dente (tender but still a bit chewy), 10 to 12 minutes.
- Turn off heat. Use ladle to carefully transfer ¼ cup cooking water to liquid measuring cup. Set colander in sink. Carefully drain pasta in colander (ask an adult for help). Return drained pasta to now-empty saucepan.
- Add cheese, butter, and 2 tablespoons reserved cooking water to saucepan with pasta. Return saucepan to low heat.
- Use tongs to toss and stir constantly to combine, about 30 seconds. Turn off heat, cover saucepan, and let pasta sit for 1 minute.
- Toss and stir pasta constantly again until sauce thoroughly coats pasta and cheese is melted, about 30 seconds. (If sauce is too thick, thin as needed with remaining cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time.)
- Transfer pasta to bowl. Sprinkle with extra cheese and pepper (if using). Serve.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Keep Exploring
0 Comments