This easy Creamy Garlic Pasta is ready in only 15 minutes! I love making this on busy weeknights for a quick and comforting meal. Made with simple pantry ingredients like butter, garlic, and cream!
Looking for more easy dinner recipes? Broccoli Pasta or Creamy Garlic Chicken next!
About This Recipe
Two words I would use to describe this dish are creamy and indulgent. Would I eat this daily? Probably not. It's loaded with heavy cream, cheese, and a little bit of butter. But once in a while, when I'm looking for something quick and comforting? Absolutely.
This creamy garlic pasta comes together in only 15 minutes. Yes, you read that right- 15 minutes. About 5 minutes to chop your garlic and 10 minutes to cook the sauce and pasta. One tip: boil the pasta while you cook your sauce. This will save lots of time.
This recipe starts with 4 cloves of garlic. You want your garlic to be chopped very finely so that more of the flavor gets released quickly. If you have pre-minced garlic, this is about 4 teaspoons of garlic.
After that, add the chicken stock and heavy cream, then reduce until it's about 40% of its original volume. What this does is it concentrates the flavor of the sauce by evaporating the excess moisture. This usually takes about 7-9 minutes on a gentle boil.
Finally, you remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the cheese until it melts. It's super important to avoid high heat once the cheese is added because high heat can cause the cheese to separate.
Key Ingredients
Penne pasta: You'll need 8 ounces (about 2 cups) of uncooked penne pasta. By the way, it literally doesn't matter what pasta you use. You can use rotini, linguine, or whatever your favorite one is.
Butter: A small amount for cooking the garlic. If you want to reduce the saturated fat content, you can substitute this with olive oil.
Garlic: Of course, we need some garlic. Try to chop this as fine as possible so more of the flavor gets released into the sauce. If you're using pre-minced garlic, this is about 4 teaspoons.
Chicken broth: Since Parmesan cheese is already quite salty, I recommend a low-sodium broth here. And if the sauce ends up not as salty as you like, just add more salt.
Heavy cream: This adds richness to the sauce. You could substitute this with half and half as well, but keep in mind the sauce will not be as creamy or thick.
Parmesan cheese: I highly recommend grating your own cheese here for the creamiest and silkiest texture.
Black pepper: Add to your own taste.
Instructions
STEP 1: In a medium pot, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
STEP 2: In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until it smells delicious.
STEP 3: Add the chicken broth and cream, and bring to a gentle boil. Let it bubble for 7-9 minutes until reduced in volume by about 60%.
STEP 4: Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted.
STEP 5: Add the pasta and toss until combined. Season with black pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Creamy Garlic Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked penne pasta (~2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a medium pot, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until it smells delicious.
- Add the chicken broth and cream, and bring to a gentle boil. Let it bubble for 7-9 minutes until reduced in volume by about 60%.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted. Add the pasta and toss until combined. If the sauce is still runny, gently cook over medium heat until thickened.
- Season with black pepper to taste. Enjoy!
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