Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 1 lb dry spaghetti
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups reserved pasta water (from cooking spaghetti)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1 Tbsp pieces
- 1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic (~4-5 cloves)
- 3 oz parmesan, finely shredded (~1 1/2 heaping cups)
Boil the Pasta Until Al Dente
Bring 12-14 cups water to a boil in a large pot; season with 1 1/2 Tbsp salt.
Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions – usually ~10-12 minutes depending on the brand.
Before draining, scoop out and reserve 1 1/2 cups of the starchy pasta water; then drain the spaghetti.
Build the Garlic Butter Base
Return the empty pot to medium-low heat and melt the butter.
Add garlic and sauté until fragrant and just barely starting to deepen in color – this takes ~1 minute.
Don’t let the garlic brown or it’ll turn bitter.
Toss Everything Together Off the Heat
Remove the pot from heat immediately once the garlic is fragrant.
Return the drained pasta to the pot with the butter mixture and pour in 3/4 cup of the hot pasta water; toss to combine.
Sprinkle in the parmesan cheese and toss until it melts into a creamy sauce, adding more reserved pasta water a splash at a time as needed.
The goal is a silky sauce that coats the pasta without being too thick or too thin.
Season with salt and pepper to taste – the parmesan is already salty so start light.
Garlic Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients
Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 1 lb dry spaghetti
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups reserved pasta water from cooking spaghetti
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter cut into 1 Tbsp pieces
- 1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic ~4-5 cloves
- 3 oz parmesan ~1 1/2 heaping cups, finely shredded
Instructions
- Bring 12-14 cups water to a boil in a large pot and season with 1 1/2 Tbsp salt.
- Cook spaghetti to al dente according to package directions, about 10-12 minutes.
- Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta water before draining.
- Return empty pot to medium-low heat and melt butter.
- Add garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
- Remove pot from heat immediately.
- Return drained pasta to pot with butter mixture.
- Pour in 3/4 cup reserved pasta water and toss to combine.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese over pasta and toss until melted into a creamy sauce.
- Add more pasta water a splash at a time if needed for desired consistency.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
