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This quick and easy Creamy Garlic Butter Spaghetti is super garlicky good and takes just 20 minutes to make! With lots of fresh garlic, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and perfectly cooked pasta, this is a recipe your whole family will love!
Easy Creamy Garlic Butter Spaghetti
While I love some tasty Spaghetti and Meatballs, there is so much more to this seemingly simple pasta! In fact, I love finding ways to dress spaghetti up with simple sauces like Creamy Cheese Sauce or create whole new pasta dishes with it like my yummy Mushroom Pasta. And with this creamy garlic butter pasta recipe that’s exactly what I’ve done here!
By the name, it’s no surprise that the basis of this simple dish is lots of delicious garlic. But the real key to this recipe is how the garlic is used along with a few other ingredients like dry white wine, butter, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. Together they create a plate of creamy noodles in a cheesy garlic butter sauce that is both simple and sophisticated. Because sure you can toss garlic into anything and give it flavor. Yet, when you follow the very simple steps in this recipe it transforms this already super flavorful ingredient into one that enhances a dish and doesn’t completely take over.
But the best part of all is that you can whip this creamy garlic butter spaghetti together in like 20 minutes! So if you’ve got a busy life this is a great way to make a home-cooked meal in no time that the whole family will enjoy. You can serve it as a vegetarian meal along with a side dish like Roasted Green Beans or top it with some Garlic Butter Shrimp.
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Garlic Butter Spaghetti
- Quick And Easy! Perfect for beginners this simple recipe doesn’t require any fancy ingredients or special skills. And it only takes 20 minutes to make!
- Creamy Garlikcy Pasta! When simple spaghetti and lots of garlic are tossed together in a rich butter cream sauce with some salty parmesan cheese it is incredibly good.
- Family Friendly! Everyone loves tasty noodles! This recipe is super versatile with lots of possible variations. The pasta can be served as a main dish with a side or topped with a protein like chicken or shrimp.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Spaghetti – I like to use spaghetti for this recipe. Some other good options are linguine or any long noodles. However, you can use any type of pasta you like including bite-size shapes like penne or even macaroni.
- Olive Oil – Used to saute the onion and garlic, I like to use extra virgin olive oil for the added flavor.
- Butter – Always use unsalted butter in cooking to control the level of salt.
- Onion – I use brown onion, but any type of onion will work
- Garlic – For the most flavor, always use fresh garlic instead of jarred store-bought.
- Salt – Salt is used to season the pasta water and the dish.
- Black Pepper – Freshly ground black pepper is the best choice.
- Italian Seasoning – It’s a combination of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram. If you don’t have any on hand just use a combination of whatever is in your pantry.
- White Wine – A dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc adds a lovely touch of acid. However, you do not need to use expensive wine.
- Heavy Cream – Makes the sauce creamy and thickens it as well.
- Parmesan Cheese – Used to make the pasta a little cheesy and to finish the dish.
- Red Pepper Flakes – Adds a touch of spice. Feel free to omit it or use as much of it as you like.
With just a few easy steps you can throw this yummy pasta together! In fact, it takes just 20 minutes to make if you start the sauce while the spaghetti is cooking!
Cook The Spaghetti
First, you’ll need to cook the spaghetti. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then cook the pasta according to the package directions to al dente. Then once it’s done, reserve about a cup of pasta water and then drain. Now, set the pasta and water aside for a later step.
Sauté The Onion And Garlic
You can begin this step while the pasta is cooking. First, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Then once the butter is melted, add the onion to the pan and saute it for about 3 to 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Next, add the minced garlic and saute for just another 30 seconds until aromatic.
Make The Cream Sauce
To make the sauce, season the onion mixture with salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Next, stir in the white wine and simmer everything for about 3 minutes. Then add the heavy cream and bring it to a boil.
Next, stir in half a cup of reserved pasta water and simmer for yet another 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens up a bit. Then remove it from the heat. Finally, stir the parmesan cheese into the hot sauce.
Finish The Dish
Once the sauce is complete, add the cooked spaghetti to the skillet and then toss it well until all the pasta is fully coated. To serve, then garnish the creamy garlic butter spaghetti with more parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and fresh parsley if you like.
Can I Use Milk Instead Of Heavy Cream?
Of course, you can, but that doesn’t mean it will be the same. Milk doesn’t have as much, so the sauce won’t be as creamy. So it’s best to use heavy cream. However, half and half is another choice, which won’t be like heavy cream, but is a better option than milk.
Is Garlic Cream Sauce The Same As Alfredo?
While these sauces are both delicious and have similarities in their list of ingredients they are not the same thing. Typically Alfredo does not have as much garlic or any white wine.
Expert Tips
- Salt the water well. Add about a tablespoon of salt to your pasta cooking water. It should taste salty like the sea. This helps to infuse the noodles with flavor as they cook.
- Reserve cooking water. Make sure to reserve some of the pasta cooking water. The starch in the pasta water helps to thicken the sauce and seasons the dish too.
- Use fresh quality ingredients. Using freshly minced garlic cloves, high-quality butter, and a decent parmesan cheese is going to result in a lot more flavor.
Storage
Leftover creamy garlic butter spaghetti will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. To reheat, just add a few tablespoons of water or milk to the noodles to loosen them up a bit, and then put them in the microwave on medium powder for a few minutes. You can also reheat the pasta in a saucepan on the stove over medium-low heat if you prefer.
Other Delicious Pasta Recipes To Try
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Buttered Noodles
- One Pot Spaghetti
- Greek Chicken Pasta
- Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper
- Chicken Penne Arrabbiata
Creamy Garlic Butter Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup butter unsalted
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ cup white wine such as Sauvignon blanc
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain.
- In a large skillet add the olive oil and butter and melt over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until onion is softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until aromatic.
- Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Stir in the white wine and simmer for about 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Add the reserved ½ cup of pasta water and stir. Simmer for another 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese into the sauce. Add the cooked pasta and toss it well.
- Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
Tips & Notes:
- Salt the water well. Add about a tablespoon of salt to your pasta cooking water. It should taste salty like the sea. This helps to infuse the noodles with flavor as they cook.
- Reserve cooking water. Make sure to reserve some of the pasta cooking water. The starch in the pasta water helps to thicken the sauce and seasons the dish too.
- Use fresh quality ingredients. Using freshly minced garlic cloves, high-quality butter, and a decent parmesan cheese is going to result in a lot more flavor.
- Leftover creamy garlic butter spaghetti will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. To reheat, just add a few tablespoons of water or milk to the noodles to loosen them up a bit, and then put them in the microwave on medium powder for a few minutes. You can also reheat the pasta in a saucepan on the stove over medium-low heat if you prefer.
