Garlic Butter Pasta

5 from 2 votes

This garlic butter pasta is full of garlic flavor and rich and indulgent butter. It's simple, delicious and absolutely great when you're in a rush and you really have nothing in the fridge.

Recipe yields 4 small servings.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Garlic butter pasta

Servings:

Calories: 262kcal

Author: Katia

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!

Notes

Storage: you can store the leftovers in airtight container in the fridge for up 3 days. Reheat it with a touch of butter or water if needed, and toss well until combined. I wouldn't recommend freezing.

Nutrition facts: the nutrition values are for one serving and they are based on an online nutrition calculator. It’s an estimate only and it should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice (the parmesan cheese is not included). Please see my disclosure policies.

Nutrition