What Is Fettuccine?

Fettuccine, a long Italian pasta that means “small ribbons,” lives up to its name. Its flat, ribbon shape is ideal for creamy, cheesy sauces like Alfredo as well as homogenous meat sauces like bolognese. It’s less suited to larger ingredients since they tend to get left behind at the bottom of the plate rather than clinging to the noodles.

The pasta is perhaps just as popular in the U.S. as in Italy thanks to the dish fettuccine Alfredo, an Italian-American restaurant classic. The traditional version is made using just butter, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Over time heavy cream was added for extra creaminess.

The Origin Of Fettuccine And And Its Brief History

Fettuccine got its start in Roman cuisine. It’s hard to pin down exactly when the pasta was invented since handmade noodles similar to fettuccine have been made for centuries. Fettuccine is still a popular choice when making homemade pasta since the dough is simply rolled out by hand or machine and cut into strips to form the ribbons.

Fettuccine Alfredo is named after Alfredo Di Lelio, a restaurant owner who featured the dish in his Rome restaurant in the early 1900s. It was prepared tableside with a sauce of butter and Parmesan cheese. Americans took it from there, adding heavy cream and making the dish an iconic menu item.

How Is Fettuccine Pasta Made And What Is It Made Of?

To make fettuccine pasta, a dough is made of semolina flour, water, and often eggs. The smooth dough is rolled out by hand or by a pasta machine until thin, then cut into even lengths to create the “small ribbons.” It is then cooked or sold fresh or slowly dried. Fettuccine is sold flat, like spaghetti, or as pasta nests. You will sometimes find fettuccine that incorporates other ingredients, like spinach, for a colorful dough.

How To Cook Fettuccine

To cook fettuccine, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Season generously with salt, then add the pasta. If you are making fresh fettuccine, give it a gentle stir and cook until al dente, likely just two to three minutes.

If you are making dried fettuccine, add the pasta to the pot. For straight pasta, stir it occasionally to ensure the noodles don’t stick to each other or the pot. For pasta nests, let them cook for a minute or so—until softened—and stir to gently break up the nests. Cook until al dente, about eight to nine minutes. Drain well and toss immediately with your favorite sauce.

The Best Fettuccine - The Delallo Difference

DeLallo Pasta comes from the town where pasta was born, a region near Naples, at the beginning of the Amalfi Coast. The art of making our pasta begins with the very best quality wheat. We carefully choose wheat with the highest gluten index, gluten content and protein content. All of these characteristics affect how the pasta cooks, as well as its taste and texture. The durum wheat is milled into coarse ground semolina flour and then carefully kneaded with cold, fresh, mineral-rich mountain spring water. We dry our pasta slowly at low temperatures to reproduce the traditional way of making pasta. This method respects the ingredients, preserving the pasta’s color, texture and aroma. Whether you opt for DeLallo’s classic fettuccine or the egg fettuccine nests, you’re sure to have a superior experience.

Fettuccine Recipes And Usage Ideas

You can’t talk about fettuccine without talking about fettuccine Alfredo. Whether you make the classic Roman version using just Parmesan cheese and butter or you go for the Americanized version with heavy cream, it’s sure to be a crowd favorite. For a heartier dish, add chicken or shrimp. Fettuccine also pairs well with finely textured meat sauces or seafood and can serve as a delicious base for steak Florentine or chicken Marsala. For a twist on the classic Alfredo dish, try this Egg Fettuccine with Parmigiano and Prosciuto Cream Sauce.

For more fettuccine ideas, see our recipes here.

The Best Sauces For Fettuccine

Alfredo is a popular sauce choice, but it’s not the only option when preparing fettuccine. The ribbon noodles pair well with pesto for a fresh-tasting option or bolognese for a meaty option. Simple butter or oil-based sauces work well, spiked with ingredients like garlic, lemon, or herbs. And any kind of creamy sauce is a natural choice for fettuccine.

Fettuccine Substitutes

Fettuccine is widely available at grocery stores, but if you find yourself in a pinch, you have a few good options. Pappardelle is a good choice since it’s also a flat ribbon pasta; it’s just slightly wider than fettuccine and pairs with the same kinds of sauces. Tagliatelle can also be used interchangeably in recipes that call for fettuccine. The pasta is also made up of ribbons which are just slightly narrower than fettuccine.

Linguine can also be used, but the noodles are decidedly thinner than fettuccine and not as flat, so the texture will be noticeably different.

DeLallo Fettuccine: FAQ

How do I pronounce “fettuccine”?

No, Marry Me Chicken is not keto-friendly.

What does “fettuccine” mean?

The word fettuccine means “small ribbons” in Italian, referring to the flat pasta’s shape, which resembles thin ribbons.

Is fettuccine a type of spaghetti?

Fettuccine and spaghetti are both types of long strand pasta, but they are two different types of pasta. Spaghetti is a specific kind of long, thin, cylindrical pasta that is extremely popular in Italy and around the world. Fettuccine is made up of flat ribbons, and is most famously used in the dish fettuccine Alfredo.

Linguine Vs Fettuccine - What Is The Difference?

Linguine and fettuccine are both popular long Italian pastas. You can differentiate them by their shape—fettuccine is a flat ribbon pasta, while linguine is not exactly flat. If you look closely, it has an elliptical shape, almost like squashed spaghetti. While the two pastas can be swapped in recipes, you will have a different experience thanks to their different shape and texture.

Tagliatelle Vs Fettuccine - What Is The Difference?

Tagliatelle and fettuccine are extremely similar pastas. The only difference between the two long, flat pastas is their width. Tagliatelle is slightly skinnier than fettuccine. Both are often sold as pasta nests, and the two can be used interchangeably in recipes.

Fettuccine Vs Spaghetti - What Is The Difference?

Fettuccine and spaghetti are often at the top of the pasta sales lists, as both are very popular in Italian and American cuisine. Spaghetti is a long, thin pasta with a cylindrical shape. Fettuccine is a long, flat pasta that resembles ribbons. Both are good choices for serving with bolognese or carbonara, but fettuccine is a better choice for rich sauces like Alfredo and cream sauces.

Pappardelle Vs Fettuccine - What Is The Difference?

Pappardelle and fettuccine are both ribbon pastas. The two long, flat pastas are incredibly similar, with the noodles’ width being their only difference. Pappardelle is slightly wider than fettuccine. The two pastas are often made using eggs and are sometimes sold as pasta nests. The two can be used interchangeably in recipes, although pappardelle can handle even heartier sauces than fettuccine.

Where To Buy DeLallo Fettuccine?

Order DeLallo fettuccine online or find it at most major supermarkets across the country.