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–+ servings
A bowl of lemon garlic pasta topped with a seared chicken breast, fresh parsley, and red pepper flakes. A great pasta recipe.

Quick Garlic Butter Pasta

This recipe provides a fast and flavorful pasta dish using simple pantry ingredients. It is ready quickly for a weeknight meal.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb Spaghetti or linguine
  • Salt For pasta water
Garlic Butter Sauce
  • 1/2 cup Unsalted butter
  • 6 cloves Garlic Minced
  • 1/2 cup Reserved pasta water
  • 1/4 cup Fresh parsley Chopped
  • 1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes Adjust to taste
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese Freshly grated, plus more for serving
  • To taste Black pepper

Equipment

  • Large pot
  • Large skillet

Method
 

  1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.
  2. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
  3. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown.
  4. Drain the pasta and add it directly to the skillet with the garlic butter.
  5. Pour in 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss continuously to emulsify the sauce. The water and butter should combine to coat the pasta.
  6. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Add more pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, if the sauce seems too dry.
  7. Season with black pepper to taste. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan cheese.

Notes

For a richer flavor, you can use brown butter instead of regular melted butter. Melt the butter slowly until the milk solids toast and turn light brown before adding the garlic.

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