Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Creamy Tomato Basil Fettuccine
Creamy tomato sauce catches nicely around ribbons of fettuccine, with basil giving each forkful a fresh edge. Parmesan melts through the sauce for a savory finish. Take a generous twirl and enjoy the pasta hot, with a little more cheese over the top if you'd like.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 9 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Cuisine
- Italian
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Cook and drain the pasta
Follow the fettuccine package directions, drain it and set it aside while the sauce comes together.
2. Whisk cream in gradually
After the flour clumps with the garlic butter, gradually whisk in cream or half and half.
3. Reduce after the boil
Bring the tomato and basil sauce to a boil, then lower to a simmer before adding cheese.
Get to know the ingredients
Finely chopped basil
Chop the packed basil leaves finely before stirring them into the sauce with the tomato sauce.
Parmesan form matters
Use shredded or shaved Parmesan, as listed, rather than the grated cheese sold in a can.
Cream or half and half
You can use heavy cream or fat-free half and half; cream gives the richer sauce.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 4 steps completeMake room for Creamy Tomato Basil Fettuccine
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Taste, then sauce the noodles
Taste the salted sauce, adjust if desired and serve over fettuccine with extra Parmesan and basil if you like.
A little more help as you go
Let garlic become fragrant
Stir the garlic in melted butter until fragrant before adding flour to start the sauce base.
Wait for a smooth sauce
Let the sauce simmer until the cheese is completely melted and the mixture is smooth before final seasoning.
A few questions you might have
Is the Parmesan only a topping?
Some melts into the simmering sauce first; extra Parmesan is optional over the finished pasta at serving.
When does salt go in?
Stir it into the finished sauce, then taste and add a little more if desired before serving.
Does the basil go on only after cooking?
Finely chopped basil goes into the sauce with the tomatoes, with additional basil allowed on top at serving.
Do I add flour to the cream bowl?
Stir flour into the melted garlic butter first, then gradually whisk in the cream after it clumps.
Can the sauce be served over the noodles without tossing?
The serving direction spoons the sauce over the cooked fettuccine, with extra cheese and basil if desired.
Any more cooking tips?
Higher fat content milk will yield richer, creamier sauce – use heavy cream for the whole nine yards, use fat free half and half for some lightened up deliciousness!
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: lecremedelacrumb.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
