A classic Alfredo sauce is something we can all get behind. The buttery, cheesy, creamy comfort of Alfredo is so simple yet elegant and silky in its presentation, and kid-friendly to boot. What’s not to like? Traditionally served with fettuccine, Alfredo actually has two iterations: Italian Alfredo sauce (attributed to chef Alfredo di Lelio) is made with butter and parmesan cheese — that’s it. In the U.S., a classic Alfredo usually contains cream; heavy cream, at that. Because it boasts so few ingredients, an easy Alfredo sauce recipe can be on the dinner rotation as often as you like. But what if you don’t have fettuccine on hand? We asked Jasper J. Mirabile, Jr., chef and owner of Jasper’s Restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri, what alternative pasta best complements Alfredo. “I prefer pappardelle,” he says.
What’s the difference between pappardelle and fettuccine? Pappardelle is a pasta that is cut in ribbons and has a broader surface area than other pastas. This enables the sauce to cling to the pasta, and pappardelle holds up to thicker sauces as well lighter ones. Chef Mirabile points to the broad surface of both fettuccine and pappardelle as being key to holding onto Alfredo. “Of course, everybody thinks fettuccine, but it should be a thin fettuccine and a little wider than most cuts you see that are commercially made,” Mirabile says. Pappardelle works well with Alfredo because of this shape, and it’s often served with meat sauce as well as cream sauces like Alfredo.
Other pastas to use in a pinch with Alfredo
While flat and broad seems to be the ultimate pasta vehicle for Alfredo sauce, there are some other popular pasta types that can get the job done. Chef Mirabile points to hardy pasta that won’t be overwhelmed by the sauce. “The trend lately has also been either mostaccioli rigate [or] shells because it soaks up the sauce a little better and it’s easier to eat. The same for the Ligurian cut, trofie,” he says.
Mostaccioli rigate, while not as well-known as fettuccine or pappardelle, is actually a penne-shaped tube that typically has ridges that help it to hold the sauce. This pasta is similar to rigatoni. Regular mostaccioli, on the other hand, is a smooth tube-shaped pasta. Both are good candidates for Alfredo sauce, but the rigate will most likely hold onto the cream sauce a little better.
Trofie, traditionally a fresh pasta, isn’t as common a shape as other types of pasta, but it’s actually a fun little noodle to introduce to any sauce. This pasta shape hails from Liguria, its claim to fame also being the ravioli — Ligurians are serious about their pasta. If you haven’t seen it, trofie resembles something you might have fashioned from Play-Doh. It’s short and twisted, with two thin ends and a thicker middle. While it’s a great match for pesto sauce, trofie is also a good suggestion for creamy Alfredo because the sauce will settle itself in the twists, making for luxurious little bites.
