How to Make the Best ITALIAN PASTA IN BIANCO in Your Life (If you Like Fettuccine Alfredo)

Pasta in bianco, pasta with butter, pasta with oil: called in different ways, it can be said to be the fastest pasta recipe; it is always believed that fewer ingredients means easier execution, but it is in the easiest things that error creeps in. And on pasta, mistakes are not allowed, although a recipe made with love is always good.

The Origins of Pasta in Bianco

• Historical Significance: The dish, dating back to the 1200s, first appeared as maccheroni romaneschi in Liber di coquina, a cookbook by Martino de’ Rossi, a chef serving in the Vatican.
• Modern Legacy: In 1908, Alfredo di Lelio in Trastevere, Rome, elevated the dish to fame with his creation of Fettuccine Alfredo, a variation that remains celebrated globally today.

The most famous plain pasta recipe ever: Fettuccine Alfredo

The recipe that holds true today, however, is known as fettuccine Alfredo and is named after the Roman innkeeper Alfredo di Lelio, from Trastevere to be precise, who in 1908 invented the world’s most famous butter pasta and which his granddaughter Ilaria continues to serve in the Il Vero Alfredo restaurant in Piazza Auguro Imperatore, Rome.

How did the recipe come about? Alfredo, at the birth of his son Armando, decided to cook for his wife who had just given birth a simple dish that could help her get her strength back.

The original recipe calls for hand-pulled fettuccine, but we, who called it simply pasta in bianco, will use simple pasta that you can find in the supermarket and realistically have in your pantry in the emergency situations mentioned above.

Recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo (Serves 1)

Ingredients:

• 4.4 oz thinly rolled, handmade fettuccine
• 1.4 oz high-quality butter
• 2.8 oz young Parmigiano Reggiano (aged 16 months)

Method:

1. Cook the Pasta: Boil the fettuccine in salted water until al dente.
2. Prepare the Sauce: In a preheated bowl, mix the drained pasta with the butter off the heat. Stir with a spoon and fork to coat evenly.
3. Add Cheese: Sprinkle grated Parmigiano Reggiano over the hot pasta, mixing until a creamy sauce forms.
4. Optional: Add freshly ground black pepper for an extra kick. Serve immediately.

Classic “Pasta in Bianco” Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 14 oz spaghetti or egg fettuccine
• 5.3 oz butter
• Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Salt

Method:

1. Cook the Pasta: Boil in salted water and drain when very al dente.
2. Start Mixing: In a warm bowl, stir 1.8 oz of butter into the hot pasta with a large fork.
3. Add Moisture: Add two spoonfuls of pasta cooking water to moisten and incorporate the next 1.8 oz of butter.
4. Final Touch: Add the remaining butter and a bit more cooking water, mixing until a creamy consistency forms.
5. Serve: Plate hot, garnished with freshly grated cheese and black pepper.

Pasta In Bianco Recipe

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Servings 4

Ingredients

  

)

• 14 oz spaghetti or egg fettuccine
• 5.3 oz butter
• Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Salt

Instructions

 

• Cook the pasta in abundant salted water and drain it when it’s very “al dente.”
• Put it in a very hot bowl and mix in 1.8 oz of butter, stirring well with a large fork.
• Once the butter is completely absorbed by the pasta, moisten it with a couple of spoonfuls of pasta cooking water and add the remaining 1.8 oz of butter.
• Mix again until the butter is well incorporated with the pasta. Only at this point, add the remaining butter and more cooking water to obtain a creamy consistency.
• Mix well and serve the pasta very hot with pepper and plenty of grated cheese.