Garlic Butter Sauce for Pasta

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Our garlic butter sauce for pasta is the perfect midweek meal! A garlicky butter sauce tossed with any pasta you love and topped with Parmesan cheese.

It’s Wednesday and that means you’re almost through the work week. However, you may have a lot to do before Friday.

So, why not made a filling dinner that’s done in less than 30 minutes? For today, we’re sharing the perfect garlic butter recipe.

Toss this simple garlic butter sauce for pasta with any noodle you desire and dinner is done!

A fork twirling the noodles to show the fresh garlic..

How to make a garlic butter sauce for pasta:

First, start by cooking the pasta noodles per the box instructions. I would add a pinch or two of salt to the water to flavor the pasta noodles.

Next, when the pasta is done, drain it using a colander. However, be sure to keep 1/2 a cup of the salted water in a measuring cup.

After that, set the pasta noodles aside and grab a large sauce pan. It’s time to make the sauce.

Melted butter, sliced garlic, and parsley in a large saucepan.

Then, bring the reserved water to a simmer over medium heat. Toss in the butter and stir the mixture.

Meanwhile, as the butter melts, add the garlic and parsley. Continue stirring to create a creamy sauce. See the photo above.

The cooked noodles have been tossed with the butter sauce.

Last, toss the pasta noodles with the garlic butter sauce and remove the pan from the heat. That’s it, your quick and easy garlic butter pasta is done!

Sprinkle it with Parmesan cheese and add salt and pepper to taste. Kim and I hope you enjoy the meal and wish you all the best 🙂

A close-up of the finished pasta in a large bowl.

Garlic Butter Pasta Tips:

  • To cut down on the amount of dishes you use, simply transfer the cooked noodles to a colander and reuse the pan to make your sauce. It’s kind of like making a one pot spaghetti recipe.
  • You can use minced garlic from a jar; however, it will change the taste drastically; giving the dish a briny flavor.
  • Leftovers may dry out in your fridge, so it’s recommended to toss them with a little extra melted butter when reheating.

What to add to garlic butter sauce:

An aerial view showing two bowls of the finished pasta.

Other pasta recipes you may enjoy:

Don’t forget to check out our Garlic Butter Pasta web story!

A close-up of the finished pasta in a large bowl.

Garlic Butter Sauce for Pasta

5 from 3 votes
Print Pin
Author: John
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings

Ingredients

  • ½ pound spaghetti noodles
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • ½ cup reserved pasta water
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated off the block
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta reserving ½ cup of the pasta water to make the sauce.
    ½ pound spaghetti noodles
  • In a large saucepan, bring the ½ cup of pasta water to a simmer over medium heat and slowly stir in the chunks of butter without letting it melt completely and add the garlic and parsley. The mixture will form a creamy sauce.
    6 tablespoons unsalted butter
    ½ cup reserved pasta water
    5 garlic cloves
    ¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
  • Toss the noodles into the butter sauce to coat, then remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve and top with Parmesan cheese.
    ½ cup Parmesan cheese

Suggested Equipment

Notes

*The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients and a serving size of 2 ounces of the finished garlic butter pasta topped with 1 ounces of Parmesan cheese. Actual calories will vary.
*Leftover pasta can be stored in your fridge, in a sealed container, for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 2ounces | Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 343mg | Potassium: 179mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 939IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 178mg | Iron: 1mg
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5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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