Dinner
20-Minute Creamy Garlic Butter Pasta
A silky, buttery weeknight pasta that comes together with pantry staples in under 20 minutes.
Prep
5 min
Cook
15 min
Total
20 min
Serves
4
By Aisha Khan · Published January 12, 2025
This creamy garlic butter pasta is the recipe I make when the fridge looks empty and dinner needs to be on the table in twenty minutes. The sauce is built from pantry heroes — butter, garlic, parmesan, and a ladle of starchy pasta water — and it clings to every strand of spaghetti like it was made for it. There is no heavy cream involved, but the texture is unmistakably velvety.
Why you'll love this recipe
- ✦Comes together in one pan with five real ingredients you probably already have.
- ✦No heavy cream — the silkiness comes from emulsified pasta water and parmesan.
- ✦Kid-friendly base that takes well to add-ins like peas, shrimp, or roasted chicken.
Ingredients
- 400 g spaghetti or linguine
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 cup finely grated parmesan, plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup pasta cooking water (reserved)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the pasta until just shy of al dente, then reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water before draining.
- 2
While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook gently for 2 minutes — you want it fragrant and barely golden, never brown.
- 3
Add the drained pasta to the skillet along with 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss to coat for 30 seconds so the starch starts to thicken the butter.
- 4
Turn off the heat. Add the parmesan in two additions, tossing constantly so it melts into a glossy sauce instead of clumping. Splash in more pasta water as needed until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
- 5
Taste and adjust with salt and plenty of black pepper. Finish with parsley and extra parmesan and serve immediately while it is hot and creamy.
Recipe tips from my kitchen
- ✓Always reserve more pasta water than you think you need — it is what saves a broken sauce.
- ✓Grate the parmesan from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting smoothly.
- ✓Pull the pan off the heat before adding cheese to avoid a grainy texture.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
520
Protein
18 g
Carbs
62 g
Fat
22 g
Nutrition is an estimate and may vary based on brands and substitutions.
