The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

The origins of Alfredo sauce date back to early twentieth-
century Rome, when the restaurateur Alfredo Di Lelio
started serving it at his eponymous restaurant. The original
version is quite similar to the Roman dish of spaghetti cacio
e pepe—grated Pecorino Romano cheese and plenty of
black pepper. It’s made by tossing fresh semolina pasta with
butter and cheese, along with some of the cooking water.
The starch-laden cooking water helps the cheese emulsify
and turn into a light, creamy sauce.
The American version we’re more accustomed to these
days usually includes eggs, heavy cream, and some sort of
starchy thickener, making for a sauce that is far richer and
creamier. I find it to be a little bit too rich for an everyday
meal. My version bridges the gap between the two, using a
small amount of heavy cream but omitting the egg (for my