Kenji’s Lighter Fettucine Alfredo from the Food Lab – Simple Recipe, Great Flavor

As Serious Eats fans, we checked out J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's Food Lab from the library recently.  Our first recipe was his Lighter Fettuccine Alfredo – a hit despite a few modifications.

My modifications included:

• Substituting parmesan for the pecorino
• No chives or parsley (none on hand)
• A little bit of lemon zest and Penzey's Italian spice blend
• 10 oz. of pasta
• Only 1 cup of pasta water
• Cooked the sauce and pasta for 4-5 minutes more than called for

While the finished result was definitely lighter (less gloppy, sauce held to the noodles better) than my standard Fettucine Alfredo, I did miss the lightness that fresh herbs would have added.

While the book version is different than the Serious Eats website version (no egg, less cheese), I look forward to trying that lighter version as well in the months ahead!