Easy Garlic Butter Pasta Recipe - Easy Pasta Recipes for Dinner
We all need that one go-to meal for when life feels too busy to even blink, right? This easy garlic butter pasta is my lifesaver. It's buttery, rich, and comes together with simple pantry staples faster than you can say 'what's for dinner'. I love how the pasta hugs that savory garlic butter like they’re old friends who just reunited at a class reunion. It’s cozy, it's comforting, and best of all—it doesn’t require fancy ingredients or a culinary degree to whip up. Even if you’ve only got 20 minutes and a kitchen that looks like it survived a hurricane, you can pull this off. Whether you’re cooking for yourself, your very hungry kids, or that friend who claims they ‘don’t really eat carbs’ but secretly devours three bowls (no judgment, Jamie), this pasta hits the spot every time.
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti or your favorite pasta
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Toss in the pasta and cook until al dente, following the package directions.
- While the pasta's working its magic, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic and stir it around until it smells so good you start drooling (about 1–2 minutes). Don’t let it burn!
- Drain the pasta, but save about 1/2 cup of that starchy pasta water. You’ll need it!
- Toss the hot pasta into the buttery garlic goodness. Stir it like you mean it.
- Splash in some reserved pasta water to make everything silky and gorgeous.
- Season with salt and pepper. Go wild or stay mild—your call.
- Plate it up, sprinkle with parsley and a rainstorm of Parmesan, and dig in.