Ultimate 15-Minute Creamy Garlic Butter Pasta
Make this incredibly flavorful garlic butter pasta quickly. This recipe uses simple ingredients to create a rich, restaurant-style sauce perfect for a weeknight dinner.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 15 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces spaghetti or linguine
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional, for extra creaminess)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic to the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown.
- Pour in 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and the heavy cream (if using). Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet.
- Toss the pasta with the garlic butter sauce. Add the Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Toss continuously until the cheese melts and the sauce coats the noodles evenly. Add more pasta water, one tablespoon at a time, if the sauce seems too thick.
- Stir in the fresh parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve immediately with extra grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Notes
- For the best flavor balance, use fresh garlic and good quality butter.
- If you want to add protein, sauté shrimp or cooked chicken pieces in the butter before adding the garlic.
- To make this a cheesy garlic butter pasta, increase the Parmesan to 3/4 cup.
- Use spaghetti or linguine; these shapes hold the sauce well.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 450
- Fat: 28
- Saturated Fat: 17
- Unsaturated Fat: 11
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 60
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 18
- Cholesterol: 75