This all-time basic pasta recipe is a favourite of children and adults. What’s to not like, proper? Pasta, butter, and cheese. What’s attention-grabbing is I didn’t develop up with this dish. Ours was an American chop suey dwelling. (That’s a really New England dish of elbow macaroni, floor beef, and tomato sauce.)
After I lastly had a plate of spaghetti, butter, and parmesan someday in school, I didn’t get it. What? No tomato sauce? What? No meat? However the easy class of the dish gained me over. I’ll admit that I do are inclined to go overboard with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. What can I say? I’m a cheese fiend.
Why Our Testers Beloved This
The testers have been smitten with the simplicity of this weeknight pantry staple. They cherished that it may very well be personalized to swimsuit their tastes and that it happy even the pickiest of eaters. It’s no shock that they’re calling this recipe “a stable winner.”
Notes on Components
- Spaghetti–Use your favourite model of good-quality dried pasta for this recipe. You’ll be able to substitute a special sort of lengthy pasta, reminiscent of fettuccine or linguine in the event you choose. And a few people even attain for egg noodles.
- Butter–You need to use both salted or unsalted butter for this pasta dish, however in the event you use salted, remember to style the pasta after stirring within the garlic butter sauce to see if it wants any further salt.
- Garlic–Be happy to regulate the quantity of garlic to fit your tastes. Utilizing the complete 4 garlic cloves will give the pasta loads of garlicky taste, however in the event you choose a mellower chunk, scale it again to 2 cloves.
- Parmesan–This straightforward pasta recipe depends on the standard of the substances to shine, so please, for my sake, use a superb, freshly grated Parmesan right here. Skip the pre-shredded stuff.
- Pasta water–That is the key ingredient. A ladleful or two of the pasta water will assist carry the entire dish collectively and make the sauce creamy and opulent.
The best way to Make Pasta with Butter
- Soften the butter with the oil in a skillet over medium warmth.
- Add the garlic cloves and cook dinner till aromatic. Take away the skillet from the warmth and let the garlic infuse the oil.
- Cook dinner the spaghetti till simply al dente in a big pot of boiling salted water. Drain the spaghetti in a colander, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.
- Dump the cooked pasta into the skillet with the garlic butter.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and toss nicely.
- Stir in a little bit of pasta water and proceed to cook dinner till the water is absorbed by the pasta and the sauce is easy and creamy.
- Toss within the parsley and season with salt and freshly floor black pepper.
- Serve with (loads of) further Parmesan on the facet.
What Can I Add to Plain Pasta?
I’m all for simplicity. However generally I can’t go away good (and easy) sufficient alone. To lend a little bit extra oomph to this pasta, take into account including:
- Crushed red-pepper flakes
- Panko sauteed in oil and well-seasoned with salt and pepper
- Crispy pancetta or bacon
- Chopped toasted walnuts or almonds
- Drained canned tuna in oil
- Seared shrimp scampi or sauteed scallops
- Contemporary lemon zest
Professional Suggestions
- Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water when draining the spaghetti in case you want a little bit further liquid to complete the dish or reheat it.
Storage and Reheating Directions
Retailer leftover pasta in a sealed container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. I don’t suggest freezing cooked pasta. It has a blech texture when reheated.
Reheat the noodles within the microwave or a skillet over low warmth. Add a splash of reserved cooking water and stir sometimes whereas reheating it.
What to Serve with This Recipe
This buttered noodles recipe pairs splendidly with nearly something. Serve it with a young protein, reminiscent of oven-roasted hen thighs or veal piccata and a few boiled greens, garlicky broccoli rabe, or roasted asparagus.
Extra Nice Straightforward Pasta Recipes
Write a Evaluate
If you happen to make this recipe, or any dish on LC, take into account leaving a assessment, a star ranking, and your finest picture within the feedback beneath. I like listening to from you.–David
That is my all-time favourite solution to have spaghetti. How will you beat simply plain ol’ salty spaghetti and butter? There’s nothing flawed with conserving it easy.
Dal R.
Soften the butter and warmth the olive oil in a big skillet over medium warmth. Drop within the crushed garlic cloves and let sizzle to infuse the oil, 5 to 7 minutes. Take away the pan from the warmth.
Carry a big pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook dinner the pasta simply shy of the time specified on the package deal. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
Drain the spaghetti and dump it into the skillet with the garlic butter. Return the skillet to medium-high warmth.
Sprinkle within the Parmesan cheese, add a number of the reserved pasta water, and cook dinner, stirring regularly, till the sauce is easy and flippantly thickened, 3 to five minutes. Take away the garlic cloves, if desired.
Stir within the parsley, season with salt and pepper, and serve with the Parmesan on the facet.
- Storage–Retailer leftover pasta in a sealed container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. I don’t suggest freezing cooked pasta. It has a blech texture when reheated.
- Reheating–Reheat the noodles within the microwave or a skillet over low warmth. Add a splash of reserved cooking water and stir sometimes whereas reheating it.
Serving: 1 portionEnergy: 453 kcalCarbohydrates: 59 gProtein: 14 gFats: 18 gSaturated Fats: 6 gMonounsaturated Fats: 9 gTrans Fats: 0.2 gLdl cholesterol: 21 mgSodium: 228 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 2 g
Diet data is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
Recipe © 2024 David Leite. Photographs © 2024 David Leite. All rights reserved.
Recipe Testers’ Critiques
Pasta with butter is each Italian child’s favorite meal! To be sincere, it’s nonetheless a responsible pleasure of mine. There’s nothing extra comforting and it’s actually one of many quickest issues to cook dinner.
That is only a barely extra “grownup” model with the addition of garlic and parsley, however the beauty of it’s that it’s easy sufficient to customise to your personal style. It’s good for a weeknight…or late night time…or once you’re ravenous and may’t be bothered to cook dinner something that requires any effort.
This straightforward pasta with butter and Parmesan has, and at all times might be, a staple in our home.
This garlic butter pasta is a superb weeknight staple. Straightforward, fast, and produced from just about what one has readily available within the pantry. It’s fairly garlicky for my liking, so the following time I make it, I’ll reduce the garlic again by half.
I served some grilled garlic shrimp and rapini together with this and it made for a satisfying and fast meal.
Lastly, a dish my son LOVED! He’s 13 years previous and the pickiest child I’ve ever recognized. He ate this pasta with butter and Parmesan so quick I didn’t even see it go. He had seconds, then thirds. I barely had any and needed to make it once more the following day. A stable winner I’d say.
I’m at all times searching for an attention-grabbing facet to serve, and this one didn’t disappoint. I had a garlic shrimp recipe that wanted a facet, and this one appeared good. Bonus factors for a fast prep time and pantry-handy substances.
All the things about this pasta with butter and Parmesan is tremendous straightforward, and no uncommon substances. You’ll be able to even substitute dried parsley, though the style gained’t be the identical. I extremely suggest utilizing contemporary garlic for one of the best taste because it’s the principle taste focus right here.
One other nice characteristic of this recipe is the power to regulate with out it failing: extra/much less garlic, extra/much less salt, cheese or no cheese, and so forth. Make it as soon as, and you’ll tweak it as desired later. I consider this might be one to make again and again.
As a leftover, this additionally works nicely. It’s good for many who cook dinner further to have leftovers readily available for later. I discovered one of the best ways to reheat is by microwaving. Add a little bit of liquid if wanted: water, butter, or a little bit of cream work nicely.
If you happen to plan to make use of some as leftovers, I like to recommend including the cheese to the person servings and resisting the urge so as to add it into the entire recipe. Stray cheese doesn’t reheat nicely.
What can I say a couple of merely scrumptious spaghetti dish? Carry it on! This recipe does simply that. It’s the spaghetti model of garlic bread, besides the leftovers are useable the following day.
I made the recipe as is then added arugula to the spaghetti within the final minute of cooking and crushed pepper flakes. These additions supplied color, flavour, and shaved a little bit of the potential carb load regret.
I served my spaghetti as a facet dish to paprika-smoked hen legs. It was an excellent flavour mixture. Actually, you may serve this alone or pair it with nearly something, and it might be nice. Go for it!
