Is penne a good pasta shape for Alfredo sauce?

Yes, penne rigate works well because its ridges and hollow tubes both catch and hold the sauce. It is less traditional than fettuccine but a popular choice.

Why does sauce only coat the outside of my penne?

The sauce needs to be hot and loose when tossing, and you need to toss for longer than you think. Add pasta water to keep the sauce moving and give it a minute or two of active tossing in the pan.

How does this compare to using fettuccine?

Fettuccine gives a more classic result with a thinner noodle that coats evenly. Penne gives more texture and the hollow tubes catch the sauce differently. See our Alfredo sauce for fettuccine page for the comparison.

Alfredo Sauce for Penne

Name: Alfredo Sauce for Penne
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound dried penne rigate; 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick); 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 cups heavy cream; 2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 cup reserved pasta water

Penne and Alfredo sauce work well together once you know one trick: the sauce has to be hot and slightly loose when you toss them, and you need to keep tossing for long enough that the sauce gets pulled into the hollow tubes, not just coated on the outside.

PENNE PERFECT

Alfredo Sauce for Penne

Classic Alfredo sauce sized and adjusted for penne pasta, with attention to getting sauce inside every tube.

Prep5 minutes

Cook20 minutes

Total25 minutes

Serves4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound dried penne rigate
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup reserved pasta water

Instructions

Cook the penne in well salted boiling water until 1 minute shy of al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.
While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the cream and simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly thickened.
Lower the heat and whisk in the Parmesan a handful at a time, until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add the drained penne to the skillet and toss over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add splashes of pasta water as needed to keep the sauce moving and coating each tube.
Serve right away.

Notes

Choose penne rigate over smooth penne. The ridges on rigate hold sauce much better and the ridged surface also helps sauce get pulled slightly into the tubes.
Tossing the penne in the sauce over low heat for a full minute or two is what gets sauce into the hollow centers, not just on the outside.

Rigate vs Smooth Penne

Always use penne rigate (ridged) rather than smooth penne when serving with a cream sauce. The ridges give the sauce something to grip, and they also help draw sauce into the hollow center of each tube more effectively than a smooth surface does.

The Tossing Technique

Transfer the drained penne directly into the skillet with the sauce, not the other way around. The sauce in the pan is hotter and stays more fluid than sauce poured over pasta in a bowl. Toss with tongs over low heat for a full 1 to 2 minutes, adding splashes of pasta water to keep things moving.

Ratio Compared to Fettuccine

The pasta to sauce ratio here is about the same as for fettuccine. Because penne has hollow centers that absorb some sauce, you may find the sauce looks slightly thinner in the finished bowl than with a flat noodle. That is expected, it is going into the pasta, not disappearing. For the fettuccine version and more detail on ratios, see Alfredo sauce for fettuccine.

Storage

Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The penne will absorb more sauce overnight, so leftovers will be drier than when freshly made. Add a splash of cream when reheating.