Garlic Butter Pasta
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This garlic butter pasta is full of garlic flavor and indulgent butter. It makes a simple yet delicious meal when you’re in a rush or have nothing in the fridge. Best part? It’s ready in less than 15 minutes, including prep!
Published Sept 7, 2023/updated Feb 21, 2024
Who doesn’t love a quick pasta recipe for busy weeknights? I’m a big fan of easy family meals that use basic ingredients like my cream cheese pasta, lemon garlic pasta, or pasta with scrambled eggs, to name a few.
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Today, I’m back with another stupid, simple recipe: garlic butter pasta.
You’ll be surprised at how economical pantry staples can create an incredibly flavorful dish in no time.
The fragrant garlic is sautéed in rich, creamy butter with a pinch of chili flakes, making a luscious sauce that pairs well with various pasta shapes, from noodles to penne.
Enjoy this comforting, simple garlic butter pasta as is, or customize it with your favorite seasonal veggies or a protein boost to make it more substantial.
Weeknight dinners have never been so easy and delicious!
List of the ingredients
- Pasta
- Butter
- Garlic
- Salt & pepper
- Chili flakes
- Parsley
- Parmesan cheese (optional)
How to make garlic butter pasta
(Note: this is a quick description; the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Cook your pasta until al dente.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet or pan, sauté garlic and chili flakes in butter.
- Drain the pasta, then add it to the skillet with the chopped parsley.
- Now add the parmesan cheese (if using) and stir in a touch of starchy pasta water to emulsify the ingredients.
- Taste it, adjust the seasoning if needed, and you’re done!
Recipe Notes
Garlic butter pasta ingredients
Pasta: I used linguine pasta, but you’re welcome to use whatever pasta you have.
Butter: It adds flavor and silkiness to the sauce. But if you prefer olive oil to butter, check out my popular garlic-and-olive-oil pasta recipe.
Garlic: For this recipe, I typically use 3 cloves, but if you’re a garlic lover, you could easily bump it up to 4 or 5 cloves. It’s important to note that using garlic powder won’t give you the same fresh garlic flavor as cloves, so I highly recommend using fresh garlic for this recipe.
Chili flakes (aka red pepper flakes) for a nice touch of heat.
Fresh parsley: It’s not a pantry staple, but it adds color and freshness. For your convenience, you can swap parsley for 1/2 teaspoon of Italian herb seasoning, or you can use your favorite fresh herbs.
Parmesan cheese: This is meant to be a flexible pantry ingredient recipe. I leave the wonderful, savory, freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional (sigh!), but please promise to use it if you have some!
Add-ins are welcome!
This pasta dish is simple yet delicious and can easily be customized with your favorite ingredients.
- Sautéed or roasted vegetables. Cherry tomatoes, zucchini, peas, spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, and more.
- Add a protein. Add some grilled chicken, salmon, shrimp, or anchovy fillets if you’re not a vegetarian.
- Pantry staples. Add an extra layer of flavor with a handful of Kalamata olives, a tablespoon of capers in brine, some chopped sun-dried tomatoes, or even artichoke hearts.
Serving suggestions
- You’ll love a light side like my carrot salad, cucumber salad, or cabbage salad. They’re packed with vitamins and bursting with flavor.
- If you wish to add plant-based protein to the meal, a chickpea salad, cannellini bean salad, or white bean salad would be a great option for a balanced meatless meal.
- If you’re a carb lover, serve it with warm focaccia, pesto garlic bread, or black pepper focaccia. Yum!
Quick pasta recipes you’ll love!
I’ve published a gazillion pasta recipes, from these Super Quick Pastas to these vegan pasta recipes, from my fav Italian pasta to these incredible creamy pasta recipes. Plus, one-pot recipes and penne pasta ideas!
Check out a few of my go-tos:
- Pasta with artichokes
- Creamy spaghetti
- Spinach pesto pasta
- Creamy tomato pasta
- Mushroom ricotta pasta
- Lemon caper pasta
- Penne arrabbiata
- Creamy spinach tomato pasta
Lastly, I hope you’ll love this garlic butter pasta as much as we do. And if you have any questions, let me know! Leave a comment, send me a message, or rate it. I would love to hear from you!
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Garlic Butter Pasta
Ingredients
Pasta
- 8 oz (225 grams) Linguine or spaghetti (or your fav pasta shapes)
Garlic butter sauce
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter
- 3-4 garlic cloves, finely minced or sliced
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon chili flakes, or to taste
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)
- fresh lemon juice, to taste (optional)
Instructions
Pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook pasta per packet instructions — reserve 1 cup of the pasta water when the pasta is nearly done. Stop cooking and drain the pasta when it's al dente.
Garlic butter sauce
- Meanwhile, when the pasta is about 3 minutes away from being done, add the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it melts, add minced or sliced garlic and chili flakes and cook for about 60 seconds until it's fragrant and smells nice.
- Now the pasta should be done, drain add it to the skillet along with the fresh parsley leaves. Toss to combine, add the parmesan cheese (if using) along with some of the reserved pasta water (you don't need all of it, add just a small amount until the pasta looks moist and juicy). Stir until emulsified and smooth. You shouldn't need any extra salt as the pasta water contains salt, but taste to make sure the seasoned to your liking and adjust it if desired.
- Turn the heat off and serve with a sprinkle of parsley, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired; enjoy!
So simple but quite a sophisticated lunch for get togethers with friends, my favourite addition a few simple cooked prawns slice of lemon….perfect.
I’m so pleased to hear that, Gwen. Prawns and lemon sound absolutely great.
Thanks for sharing your feedback. x
I made the Garlic Butter Pasta for dinner two nights ago, changing only two things: I used no chili flakes, and instead of parsley, I used fresh basil from my garden. Oh my goodness! The dish was so fragrant and so flavorful! Freshly grated parmesan on top! Elegant and delicious, yet so simple. Thank you for this delightful recipe!
That’s wonderful! I’m so glad you loved it, thanks so much for sharing your great feedback. x