Chile Crisp Fettuccine Alfredo With Spinach

By Genevieve Ko

Updated July 22, 2024

  • A white bowl holds a tangle of bright orange chile crisp fettuccine Alfredo with spinach.
    Kate Sears for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
Media 1 of 3
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(8,975)
Comments
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Swirling chile crisp, a popular Chinese condiment, and spinach into fettuccine Alfredo gives you an immensely satisfying meatless one-dish dinner. The firecracker crunch of chile crisp intensifies when sizzled in butter before cream tempers its heat. Parmesan heightens the sauce’s savory umami, and pregrated cheese works just fine here. This astoundingly simple meal — it doesn’t even require any chopping — comes together in under 30 minutes but tastes as complex as anything you’d get at a restaurant.

Featured in: Feeling Tired? Feeling Frugal? Make This Spicy Alfredo.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

  • Salt

  • 4 tablespoons butter

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons chile crisp, plus more to taste (see Tip)

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 1 pound dried fettuccine

  • 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach

  • ¾ cup finely grated Parmesan (2 ¼ ounces), plus more for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

60 grams carbs; 72 milligrams cholesterol; 533 calories; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 26 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 372 milligrams sodium; 16 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the water heats, melt the butter with the chile crisp in a very large skillet or Dutch oven over low heat.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk in the cream and keep warm over low. (It should steam, not bubble.)

  3. Step 3

    Cook the fettuccine until al dente according to the package directions. Use tongs to transfer the noodles to the cream mixture, reserving the pasta water.

  4. Step 4

    Add the spinach and turn with tongs until the noodles are well coated.

  5. Step 5

    Add the Parmesan and toss, still over low heat, until the noodles are slicked with a creamy sauce, adding a spoonful or two of pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. Divide among serving dishes and top with Parmesan and more chile crisp, if you’d like. Serve immediately.

Tip

  • You can make chile crisp easily at home or buy it in supermarkets or online. It varies in spiciness, so adjust the amount to your taste. For this dish, try to add more of the solids than the oil to the sauce for the most flavorful dish.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
8,975 user ratings
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Comments

Blodwyn

Do you have a Trader Joe’s near you? You can get an 8 ounce box of shelf-stable whipping cream there. I keep a few boxes in the pantry. It’s perfect when you just need a small amount of cream.

Independent Observer

I'd recommend putting some minced garlic and sliced mushrooms into the butter and chili crisp combo and sauté over medium heat for around 30 seconds (do not brown garlic). Heat the cream and melt a dollop of gorgonzola into it before adding it to the butter, garlic and mushrooms (and go easy on the gorgonzola since you don't want it to dominate the entire dish).

Pixie

Heated the butter, added shrimp and garlic. Sautéed shrimp til pink. I then removed shrimp from pan, set aside. Followed other directions exactly. Added shrimp back in at the end. Delicious and easy.

Brett

am i missing something? For me this recipe turned out to be rather bland, and not nearly saucy enough for my liking. Way too much pasta vs sauce ratio, in my opinion.

Love

Doubled the spinach and added sautéed mushrooms. Delish.

ZE

Chiu chow style chili crisp oil by Lee Kum Kee is flavorful and relatively affordable compared to the others being recommended here, and is also not very spicy. Some of the chili crisps mentioned have sichuan peppers, like Fly by Jing. That’s delicious in many dishes but may not be to your taste in an Alfredo. A little miso paste mixed with the butter and chili was very tasty. I definitely wouldn’t add any salt without tasting first.

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