Vegetarian

crowdsource Community Insights

Most people who made this found the sauce behaves best when the roux is hot and the milk is cold, heating the roux first, then whisking in cold milk kept lumps from forming. The cooks who rinsed their pasta usually ended up with a thin, separated sauce; the ones who kept the starch on the noodles had the sauce cling much better. And if you want a smoother finish, grate your own cheese, people who used pre-grated said the sauce wasn’t as smooth. Those three details made the biggest difference for people.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Beginner Friendly: First-time cooks consistently pull this off without trouble.
• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• 500g dried elbow pasta (or macaroni, other small-format pasta)
• 120g unsalted butter, diced
• 70g all purpose flour
• 950ml whole milk, warmed
• 450g grated medium sharp cheddar cheese (or sharp cheddar, aged English cheddar, smoked cheddar (Tasmanian))
• 225g grated Gruyere cheese
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 60g panko breadcrumbs

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and heavily salt it for the macaroni.
2. Measure out the milk and put it into a saucepan on low heat to start warming.
3. Grate the cheeses.
4. Cook the dried elbow pasta in the boiling, salted water, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes to prevent sticking; when done, pull the pasta out and run cold water over it to stop the cooking and cool it enough to handle.
5. In another saucepan, melt the diced unsalted butter over low heat.
6. Add the all purpose flour to the melted butter and whisk to form a roux, making sure there are no lumps.
7. Begin adding the warmed milk to the roux slowly: add one ladle at a time (one or two ladles as needed), whisking until completely smooth and homogeneous before adding more; repeat until all the milk is incorporated.
8. Add the grated cheeses in two stages, whisking slowly until each addition is completely melted; reserve a couple of handfuls of grated cheese for the top.
9. Season the cheese sauce with salt to taste, a lot of ground black pepper, and smoked paprika (1/2 teaspoon); whisk and taste, adjusting seasoning as desired.
10. In a large pot, combine the cooled macaroni and the cheese sauce and mix for a couple of minutes so every piece of pasta is completely coated.
11. Transfer the coated pasta to an oven-safe dish, making sure the mixture does not come completely to the top of the dish.
12. Sprinkle the reserved grated cheese evenly over the top and, if using, sprinkle a few handfuls of panko breadcrumbs across the surface.
13. Bake in a 180 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden.
14. If making ahead: assemble to the point of baking, refrigerate, and bake/reheat the next day to develop a crusty top.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

Baked mac and cheese

• 3 cup sharp cheddar, grated, coarse
• 3 cup Gruyere, grated
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 lb (454g) elbow macaroni, large
• Cooking spray (or Unsalted butter, Vegetable oil)
• Fresh nutmeg

Stovetop (Easy) mac and cheese

• 8 oz (227g) elbow macaroni, small
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp chicken bouillon powder, powdered (or Knorr chicken bouillon, Maggi chicken bouillon)
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1 cup American cheese, shredded or chopped (or Block American cheese, Kraft American cheese slices (chopped))
• 1/2 cup Gouda, shredded
• Kosher salt, to taste

book_ribbon Instructions

Baked mac and cheese

1. Preheat your oven to 325 Fahrenheit.
2. Grate 3 cups sharp cheddar on the coarse setting onto parchment paper and 3 cups (270 g) Gruyère; mix the two cheeses together until evenly incorporated.
3. Grease a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray (or butter or a little oil wiped with a paper towel).
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it very generously (almost as salty as the ocean), add 1 pound large elbow macaroni and cook 1 to 2 minutes less than the package directions (this package says 10–12 minutes, so cook about 8 minutes).
5. In a large sauté pan set to medium heat, melt 1/2 cup unsalted butter until no solids remain.
6. Whisk in 1/2 cup (75 g) all-purpose flour and cook, whisking constantly, for about 30 to 60 seconds to cook out the flour.
7. Add about half of the milk (about 1 and 1/2 cups) and whisk until it begins to thicken, then add the rest of the milk (bringing the total to 3 cups) and continue cooking and whisking until it thickens.
8. Add 1 and 1/4 cup (310 ml) heavy cream and continue to heat and whisk until the mixture is thickened and ready to receive the cheese.
9. Turn off the heat and add half of the mixed cheeses to the sauce; whisk until melted and emulsified.
10. Season the cheese sauce to taste with kosher salt and, optionally, a little fresh nutmeg.
11. Reserve a little pasta water, then add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and fold together, leaving the sauce a bit loose because it will thicken substantially in the oven.
12. Assemble the baking dish: add half the mac and cheese, then half of the remaining shredded cheese mixture, then the rest of the pasta and sauce, then top with the remaining cheese to form a cheese crust.
13. Bake at 325 Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes, then switch the oven to broil on high and broil for 1 to 3 minutes or until the top is nicely brown and crispy.

Stovetop (Easy) mac and cheese

1. Bring a 4-quart pot of water to a boil, season generously with kosher salt (almost as salty as the ocean), and add 8 ounces (1/2 pound) small elbow macaroni; cook until tender (no specific time stated) — do not add oil to the cooking water.
2. In a separate 4-quart pot set over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter.
3. Whisk in 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and cook while stirring for about 30 to 60 seconds to cook out the flour.
4. Add 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder (optional), 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and stir to combine.
5. Pour in 1 and 1/4 cups whole milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream, whisk, and cook over medium–low until the mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Cut the heat, add half of the cheese (1 cup cheddar + 1 cup American + 1/2 cup Gouda), and stir until melted and emulsified, then add the remaining half of the cheese and melt.
7. Reserve roughly 1 cup of pasta water, then strain the pasta and add the hot pasta to the cheese sauce; stir to emulsify and combine. If the sauce is too thick, add pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.
8. Taste and adjust seasoning; the chicken bouillon powder provides much of the seasoning so additional salt may not be necessary.

crowdsource Community Insights

People who made this found the biggest difference comes from how you cook it: a panini press gave the most consistent, even result, while people who tried a pan ran into issues. If you want richer bread, some cooks melted a stick of butter and brushed it on before pressing, the ones who added butter into the pan after flipping usually regretted that. Also, people who used American cheese called that a mistake (the same complaint came up about grated parmesan, cheddar, and imitation American gouda), so be cautious with your cheese choice.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

Tomato soup

• Tomatoes, on the vine (or vineless tomatoes)
• Yellow onion, quartered
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• Olive oil
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, freshly cracked
• Water
• Cream
• 2 leaf parsley

Grilled cheese

• Fontina, grated
• Gouda, grated
• Cheddar, grated (or sliced cheese)
• Sourdough bread, sliced (or pre-sliced sourdough)
• Butter, softened
• Mayonnaise
• Parmesan cheese, grated (or omit parmesan)

book_ribbon Instructions

Tomato soup

1. Layer a bunch of tomatoes on a sheet tray, preferably tomatoes still on the vine.
2. Quarter a yellow onion and wedge the pieces evenly throughout the tray.
3. Smash one whole garlic clove with the palm of your hand and a knife and spread it across the tray.
4. Drizzle the tray with olive oil and coat everything evenly with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
5. Roast the sheet tray in the oven at 425 Fahrenheit until the tomatoes and onion are nice and softened.
6. When the tray is out of the oven, remove the tomato vines and scrape all the roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, and browned bits into a blender.
7. Start blending on low, then increase the speed and blend until silky; if the soup is too thick, pour a bit of boiling water from a saucepan onto the tray, mix to deglaze, then add that liquid to the blender and blend again.
8. Blend until the mixture becomes light and slightly foamy, then add a little splash of cream, a touch more freshly cracked black pepper, and the tiniest pinch of salt and give one final gentle blend with a touch more liquid as needed.
9. Keep the finished soup on low heat without boiling until ready to serve.
10. To serve, ladle soup into bowls, add a couple of parsley leaves if desired, drizzle with olive oil, and finish with fresh cracked black pepper.

Grilled cheese

1. Grate cheddar, fontina, and Gouda along their long side to produce long strands and toss the grated cheeses together gently in a bowl until evenly mixed.
2. Prepare sourdough slices and spread softened butter across the outsides of each slice, then lightly paint mayonnaise over the butter.
3. Optionally sprinkle a little grated Parmesan onto the outside of the sandwiches for extra umami on the crust, then place the assembled sandwiches on a wire rack while finishing the soup.
4. Heat a pan over medium heat with a bit of butter, then place a sandwich in the pan and gently press down across the sandwich to ensure even contact with the pan.
5. Cook until the bottom is golden, adjusting heat and rotating the sandwich in the pan as needed, then flip when the bottom is golden brown.
6. After flipping, place a lid on the pan to trap steam and help melt the cheese; if desired, tilt the pan and add a little water away from the sandwich (making sure it doesn't touch the sandwich) then cover to create more steam.
7. When the cheese is melted, quickly clean the center of the pan and grate Parmesan across the center in the footprint of the sandwich, place the sandwich down onto the grated Parmesan, cover with the lid to melt and set the Parmesan into a thin crispy crust, and let it set (the video notes this extra crust takes about 90 seconds).
8. When the Parmesan crust is crisp and the sandwich is golden and smoky at the edges, remove from the pan, tear the sandwich open by hand if desired, and serve with the tomato soup for dipping.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• Macaroni
• Salt, to taste
• 2 cream cheese, room temperature
• Evaporated milk
• Whole milk
• 1 egg
• Mustard powder
• 2 tsp Creole seasoning
• Black pepper, freshly cracked
• Cheddar cheese, shredded
• Swiss cheese, shredded
• Butter (or cooking spray (Pam))

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a couple of generous pinches of salt.
3. Cook the macaroni per the box instructions to al dente (about 9 to 10 minutes), then immediately stop the cooking by running cold water over the pasta until it stops cooking; drain and set aside.
4. Whisk the room-temperature cream cheese with the evaporated milk in a bowl to break up lumps.
5. Add the whole milk to the cream cheese mixture and whisk until combined and creamy.
6. Add salt, mustard powder, and Creole seasoning (about 2 teaspoons); taste and adjust before adding the egg.
7. Beat/scramble the egg, then add the beaten egg to the milk-and-cheese mixture and whisk to combine.
8. Prepare a 13 by 9 baking dish by greasing the sides and bottom with butter (or use cooking spray).
9. Reserve roughly half of the shredded cheese for topping; mix the remaining cheese into the pasta mixture.
10. Put a little of the mixture and a bit of shredded cheese into the bottom of the prepared dish as a first layer, then add the drained pasta and pour the remaining milk-and-cheese mixture over the pasta.
11. Sprinkle fresh cracked black pepper over the top and add a layer of shredded cheese over the pasta for appearance and flavor.
12. Bake uncovered at 350 F for 30 minutes, then remove, add the remaining shredded cheese on top, and return to the oven for about another 15 minutes until the top is golden brown and edges are crisp.
13. After baking, blot any excess oil with a paper towel if needed, let the dish cool slightly, then serve.

crowdsource Community Insights

This comes out rich, and most people who made it found that cutting way back on the cream, or skipping it entirely, keeps the sauce from feeling heavy and lets the cheese sing. How you handle the cheese matters: folks who used real Parmigiano Reggiano and grated it into the sauce got a smoother finish, while people who used pre-grated stuff or micro-grated cheese directly on the finished plates noticed a slightly grainy texture. If you want extra silkiness, some people stirred in a bit of butter or folded an egg yolk in at the end, but that’s optional.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Low Effort: Comes together with minimal time or effort.
• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• 8 oz (227g) fettuccine, fresh (or tagliatelle, pappardelle, dry pasta)
• Heavy whipping cream
• 1 lb (454g) Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Pecorino Romano)
• Black pepper
• Salt, to taste
• Water, hot
• Garlic, roasted
• Parsley

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Bring a pot of hot water to a boil and add a little salt.
2. Add the fettuccine and cook: fresh pasta about 3 minutes; dry pasta about 10 minutes depending on the brand.
3. Reserve some pasta water, then remove the pasta from the water (leave a little pasta water aside).
4. While the pasta cooks, heat heavy whipping cream in a pan and reduce it until it thickens and will stay on top of the pasta.
5. Stir Parmigiano-Reggiano into the reduced cream and melt it to further thicken the sauce.
6. Add the cooked fettuccine to the cream, add a little reserved pasta water as needed, toss briefly over heat, then turn the heat off and continue tossing until the sauce coats the pasta.
7. Serve the pasta in bowls and finish with extra Parmigiano-Reggiano and a little black pepper.
8. Optional: add roasted garlic or parsley if desired.

crowdsource Community Insights

This version shines when you keep it simple: people who made it found the best sauce comes from butter, a splash of hot pasta water, and plenty of Parmigiano, lots of cheese is what most cooks leaned on for flavor and texture. What trips people up is adding extras: those who put in garlic (often burning it) or who tried heavy cream said it changed the dish in ways they didn't like. If you want the safer route, most people stuck with butter, pasta water, and generous Parmigiano rather than adding extras.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• 2 cup heavy cream
• 1 lb (454g) fettuccine, dried
• 1/4 cup onion, finely minced
• 2 clove garlic, finely minced
• Nutmeg
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup Romano cheese, grated
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• Olive oil
• 1/2 tsp gray sea salt
• 12 grinder cranks freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup white wine
• Parsley

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil.
2. Coat the bottom of a large pan with olive oil and heat over medium heat.
3. Add the finely minced onion (1/4 cup) and finely minced garlic (2 cloves) and cook beyond the sweat stage, almost to caramelization, until the pieces are very soft and mushy.
4. Add the unsalted butter (1 stick) and melt into the pan.
5. Add freshly ground black pepper (about 12 grinder cranks) and gray sea salt (a pinch, and about 1/2 teaspoon or a touch more) and sprinkle nutmeg (a pinch); mix to combine.
6. Add about 1/3 cup white wine and cook until the alcohol has burned off and the bubbling subsides.
7. Once the wine has cooked off, slowly pour in the heavy cream (2 cups) a little at a time.
8. Bring the cream to a gentle bubble and cook briefly to reduce a bit and thicken so it will adhere to the pan.
9. Beat the 2 egg yolks with a fork, then temper them by slowly drizzling warm cream into the yolks while stirring; then slowly drizzle the tempered yolks into the sauce while stirring to incorporate without curdling.
10. Continue to keep the sauce hot and bubbling gently while you finish the pasta.
11. Add the fettuccine (1 pound semolina, dried) to the vigorous boil and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring to prevent clusters and sticking.
12. When the sauce is warm and ready, add the cheeses: Parmesan (1/2 cup) and Romano (as added in the cooking step, 1 cup). Stir until the cheeses lose their shape and the sauce becomes creamy.
13. If the sauce is too thick, adjust consistency with reserved pasta cooking water (do not add plain water).
14. Remove the pasta from the pot (or drain) and add the hot fettuccine directly to the sauce; toss quickly to coat so the sauce adheres to the pasta.
15. Transfer the dressed pasta to a serving dish and finish each plate with a little extra grated cheese and a sprinkle of parsley; serve immediately.

crowdsource Community Insights

This one lives or dies on how you handle the cheese and the pasta water. People who kept the pan too hot or mixed the cheese while it was still over heat got clumps, so most who nailed it took the pan off the heat and let the temperature come down a bit before adding the cheese. Also, people who avoided pre-grated cheese and grated fresh with a microplane got a much silkier sauce because the cheese melts more evenly. And people who cooked the pasta in less water kept their cooking water starchy, which helped the sauce come together smoothly.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• 1 cup Pecorino Romano, finely grated (or freshly grated pecorino romano from a specialty market that adds no anti-caking agents)
• 1 tsp Tellicherry black peppercorns, toasted, freshly ground (or pepper mill (to grind toasted peppercorns) instead of mortar and pestle)
• 4 oz (113g) Dried spaghetti
• 1/2 cup Pasta cooking water
• Salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup Olive oil

book_ribbon Instructions

Common prep

1. Choose real Pecorino Romano cut from a whole wheel; do not use pre-grated cheeses that contain anti-caking agents (cellulose, cornstarch).
2. Grate Pecorino Romano on the finest grater surface to a snow-like texture; if using freshly grated cheese that has formed clumps, push it through a fine-mesh sieve to break up clumps.
3. Toast whole Tellicherry black peppercorns in a dry pan: add about 1u20132 tablespoons whole peppercorns to a hot pan, swirl until fragrant but not burned, remove from heat and transfer to a mortar and pestle.
4. Grind toasted peppercorns in the mortar and pestle by grinding against the wall toward the center until you have a fine grind with some coarse texture (about 1 teaspoon ground toasted pepper). If you do not have a mortar and pestle, use a pepper mill to grind toasted peppercorns.

Method 1 u2014 Original (pan montecare)

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil; season with very little salt or no salt at all (the cheese is salty).
2. Cook dried spaghetti until al dente (package times cited in the video: about 11 minutes for the square spaghetti example); reserve pasta water.
3. Keep the pan that has the toasted pepper warm but not hot; add about 1 teaspoon of the ground toasted black pepper to the warm pan.
4. A few minutes before the pasta is al dente, add a little pasta water to the pan to warm it and prime it for the pasta.
5. When the pasta is al dente, add the pasta directly to the warm pan with the pepper and turn off the heat under the pan.
6. Add about a half a ladle (about 1/2 cup) of reserved pasta water to the pasta in the pan to provide a base for the cheese.
7. Add a very generous amount of Pecorino Romano (about two handfuls; ~1 cup) and vigorously stir (montecaring) until the cheese emulsifies with the pasta water into a creamy sauce (the video notes the sauce comes together in about 10 seconds).
8. Serve immediately on a warmed plate, twirling nests of pasta in the pooled sauce and topping with extra Pecorino and freshly cracked black pepper.

Method 2 u2014 Pecorino paste (tempered cream)

1. Cook pasta until al dente in very lightly salted or unsalted water (the video uses Monograno Felicetti with ~10 minutes cook time as an example); reserve pasta water.
2. Combine about two handfuls of Pecorino Romano (about 1 cup) with the teaspoon of ground toasted black pepper in a bowl.
3. Slowly add reserved pasta water to the cheese one tablespoon at a time, stirring, until it forms a smooth paste; do not let the cheese mixture exceed 180 degrees Fahrenheit while tempering.
4. Warm the pan by adding about a half ladle of reserved pasta water to the pan, then turn the heat off.
5. Add the al dente pasta to the warm, heat-off pan, then add the pecorino paste and vigorously montecare (mix/beat) the pasta and sauce together until emulsified; adjust with more cheese or a bit more pasta water if the sauce is too loose or too tight.
6. Plate immediately and top with extra Pecorino and more cracked black pepper.

Method 3 u2014 Bowl method (bain-marie)

1. Use a large heatproof bowl and a pot of boiling water as a bain-marie (gentle indirect heat).
2. Cook pasta until al dente (the video example gives 12 minutes for one artisanal square spaghetti); reserve pasta water.
3. About three minutes before the pasta is al dente, add about 1 teaspoon ground toasted black pepper and a ladle or two of reserved pasta water to the heatproof bowl to warm it.
4. When pasta is al dente, turn off the heat under the pot to lower the temperature, and transfer pasta or add reserved pasta water as needed to the bowl.
5. Add grated Pecorino Romano to the warmed bowl and vigorously mix/montecare, using the bowl over gentle heat as needed to keep the cheese from seizing; if the sauce tightens, add a little cooled pasta water to loosen it.
6. Plate immediately and finish with additional Pecorino and cracked black pepper.

Method 4 u2014 Luciano's blender rule-breaker

1. Start cooking pasta until al dente and reserve pasta water.
2. Into a blender add about 1/2 cup reserved pasta water, 1 teaspoon ground toasted black pepper, and about two hefty handfuls of Pecorino Romano (u22481 cup).
3. With the blender running, pour in roughly 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup olive oil (the video mentions both ~1/4 cup and possibly ~1/2 cup) and blend; if the sauce is too runny, add the rest of the cheese and blend again until thick and creamy (the video compares the texture to Caesar dressing).
4. Transfer the blended sauce to a pan; when the pasta is al dente add the pasta directly to the sauce on low flame and allow the sauce to coat the pasta, adding pasta water only if needed.
5. Plate immediately and finish with additional Pecorino and cracked black pepper.

Serving

1. Warm serving plates (the video suggests microwaving plates for a few minutes) so the sauce does not seize when plated.
2. Use tongs to lift and twirl strands in the pan's pooled sauce, place on the warmed plate, and pour excess sauce over the pasta.
3. Top with more Pecorino Romano and freshly cracked toasted black pepper and serve immediately; the sauce tightens quickly as it cools so eat without delay.

crowdsource Community Insights

Most people who've made this found the sauce comes together best without cream. Instead, they relied on butter, freshly grated cheese, and a splash of starchy pasta water to loosen the sauce, this gave a smoother, less heavy finish than adding cream. If you want a really cheesy result, the ones who used about 1.5 cups of freshly grated cheese were happiest; pre-grated worked fine when convenience mattered. And if you want to stretch it into a heartier meal, some people tossed in leftover turkey or shrimp at the end. Overall, people liked how this method produced a creamy, saucy result.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• Fettuccine
• Salt, to taste
• 3 clove garlic, finely grated
• 7 tbsp butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• Parmesan, freshly grated
• 1/4-1/2 cup pasta cooking water (or cream cheese and butter)
• Parsley

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and heavily season it with salt.
2. Add the fettuccine to the boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the noodles do not stick; the pasta should still have a bit of bite because it will continue cooking in the sauce.
3. Meanwhile, grate 3 cloves of garlic very finely into a paste and freshly grate the Parmesan right before using.
4. Melt a little butter in a pan, add the grated garlic and about 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and toast briefly in the fat until fragrant.
5. Pour in 1 cup heavy cream and bring it up to a heavy simmer.
6. Add the rest of the butter (7 tablespoons) to the simmering cream, then reduce and simmer for a bit until the sauce thickens.
7. Add the freshly grated Parmesan to the sauce and stir until it melts into a cohesive, creamy sauce.
8. Transfer the cooked fettuccine directly from the pot to the pan with the sauce without draining completely, reserving some pasta water.
9. Add about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of reserved pasta cooking water and immediately fold it into the pasta and sauce until everything is luxuriously coated and cohesive; adjust amount within that range depending on desired thickness.
10. Remove from heat, garnish with a little parsley if desired, and serve.

crowdsource Community Insights

This comes together fast, but people who made this discovered a couple of practical things that keep it from falling apart. If your pasta water doesn't seem starchy enough, a tiny splash of cornstarch mixed with some water helped the sauce come together instead of separating. Also, really stir while you're combining the cheese and liquid, that steady motion is what keeps the sauce smooth. And a heads-up: people who added rosemary usually regretted it, it clashes with the other flavors. Adding a knob of butter at the end is an optional tweak a few people liked.

military_tech Why This Recipe Stands Out

• Reliable Results: It turns out well consistently, with few reported problems.
• Repeat Worthy: People who make this tend to come back and make it again.

grocery Ingredients

• 1/4 lb (113g) spaghetti, dried
• 1 1/2 glass water
• 1/2 carton chicken stock, low-sodium
• 1 oz (28g) Pecorino Romano, grated (or Parmesan)
• Black pepper, freshly ground
• Salt, to taste
• Rosemary
• Butter

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Place a 10-inch stainless steel frying pan on high heat.
2. Pour in just enough water to submerge the spaghetti u2014 a glass and a half of water.
3. If you add salt to the water, add only a teeny little pinch; you may also skip salt entirely.
4. Add the dried spaghetti (about a quarter pound). Gently press the tips into the water until the tips soften and you can bend the rest of the noodles into the pan.
5. Keep the pasta moving almost continuously and cook it like a risotto so it cooks evenly and doesn't stick; add minimal extra water as needed to prevent sticking.
6. If using chicken stock instead of water, use low-sodium chicken stock (the cook used half a carton for one big portion) and add more stock as needed in the same way you would water.
7. After about 10 minutes, taste the pasta to check doneness and continue cooking until it is almost soft.
8. When the pasta is almost done, turn the heat off and wait until the bubbling stops or slows significantly u2014 do not add cheese while the sauce is vigorously boiling, or the cheese will go grainy.
9. Do a preliminary grind of black pepper over the pasta.
10. Add Pecorino Romano (use at least about 1 ounce / 30 gram of cheese per portion) and stir aggressively to melt the cheese into a smooth, thick sauce, avoiding big cheese chunks.
11. If the sauce looks too thick or will be too sticky when it cools, mix in a little extra water to loosen it until you have a thick blanket of cheese over the pasta.
12. Optionally stir in a little butter at this point if desired.
13. Optionally add rosemary as a finishing flavor.
14. Transfer the pasta to a bowl and finish with additional freshly ground black pepper on top.

grocery Ingredients

• Pizza dough (or store-bought pizza dough, pre-made pizza base, homemade pizza dough)
• 1/2 tin canned tomatoes
• Basil, leaves, torn
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• Mozzarella, thinly sliced (or buffalo mozzarella, another kind of mozzarella)
• Tomato, thinly sliced
• Olive oil, good quality
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper

book_ribbon Instructions

1. Pour half a tin of tomatoes into a saucepan.
2. Tear a small handful of basil leaves and add them to the pan.
3. Dice one garlic clove and add it to the pan.
4. Cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickened; leave the sauce to cool.
5. Roll out the pizza dough with a rolling pin to your preferred thickness.
6. Flour the pizza base well and transfer it to a baking sheet or, if using a pizza stone, transfer on baking paper.
7. Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella into thin slices and remove the stalks from the basil.
8. Take a spoonful of the cooled pizza sauce and spread it thinly over the pizza base, leaving a rim around the edge for the crust.
9. Arrange the tomato slices evenly over the sauce, then top with mozzarella slices.
10. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the toppings and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
11. Bake the pizza in the highest setting your oven will go to, preferably on a pizza stone, until the toppings are cooked and the base has risen and browned.
12. Allow the pizza to cool for a few minutes, then garnish with basil leaves and serve immediately.