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Garlic butter pasta is a quick and simple dish yet packed with flavor. Angel hair pasta is bathed in a buttery garlic sauce and topped with Italian seasoning. It’s great to feed the kids or serve as a side dish.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: This recipe is so simple and can be ready in less than 30 minutes. It’s a great recipe to teach your kids, and they will also love it!
- Flavorful: Garlic and butter are a match made in flavor heaven! I can’t get enough! These noodles are also cooked in chicken broth which adds the best flavor!
- Budget-Friendly: I’m always looking for ways to feed my family cheaply. This recipe is great for that, and here are some other budget-friendly recipes to try: beefaroni, chicken and noodles, and pita pizza.
Ingredients Needed for Garlic Butter Pasta
There are only a few simple ingredients that go into this recipe, and you probably already have them in your kitchen. For exact measurements, look for the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Angel Hair Pasta: I like angel hair the best, but feel free to use whatever you have.
- Chicken Broth: The noodles are cooked in chicken broth, making them extra flavorful.
- Unsalted Butter: We will be adding seasoning and salt and pepper so I like to use unsalted butter to control the amount of sodium.
- Garlic Cloves: For me, the more, the merrier! This recipe is oozing with garlic goodness!
- Italian Seasoning: You can use store-bought or make your own with my homemade Italian seasoning recipe.
- Salt and Black Pepper: Helps enhance all the other flavors in the dish.
How to Make Garlic Butter Pasta
This garlic butter pasta recipe couldn’t be easier. It’s so simple but tastes so good! All the decadent butter and garlic are the perfect paring with angel hair pasta. Whip this up for your kids on a busy weeknight.
- Pasta: Cook the pasta according to the package instructions in the chicken broth until it is al dente. Don’t overcook the pasta; it will finish in the sauce. Drain the pasta, reserve ¼ cup of the broth, and set the pasta aside.
- Butter & Garlic: Melt the butter over medium-high heat in the same pot. Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute or until it’s fragrant.
- Garlic Butter Sauce: Whisk in the reserved broth, along with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked noodles to the sauce, stir, and cook to fully incorporate.
- Combine: Cook the pasta in the sauce, stirring continually, until the noodles absorb the liquid and the sauce has thickened a bit, about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and serve the pasta fresh.
Garlic Butter Pasta Tips and Variations
This recipe is foolproof, but I wanted to give you some ideas of how you can change it up to suit your tastes. You can really get creative with this one, here are so ideas to get you started.
- Pasta Water: Use pasta water in the sauce because the starch from cooking the pasta helps fully emulsify it with the melted butter, creating a creamy texture. Using regular water will cause the sauce to separate.
- Salt and Pepper: Season this pasta to your liking, I suggest only ½ teaspoon salt and pepper but you can season it as much as you want.
- Pasta: I like angel hair pasta for this recipe, but you can use whatever you have. Try regular spaghetti, gluten-free pasta or linguine noodles.
- Protein: If you’re like me, then you’re always looking for ways to get more protein in your diet. Just toss in a few shrimps or some leftover chicken.
- Toppings: You can top with some parmesan cheese, lemon, chopped parsley, or any fresh herbs. Spice it up with some red pepper flakes.
Leftovers
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
More Garlic Pasta Dishes to Try
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Cook the pasta according to the package directions in the chicken broth until it is al dente, don’t overcook the pasta it will finish in the sauce.
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Drain the pasta, reserve ¼ cup of the broth, and set the pasta aside.
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In the same pot melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute or until it’s fragrant.
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Whisk in the reserved broth, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked noodles to the sauce, stir, and cook to fully incorporate.
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Cook the pasta in the sauce, stirring continually, until the noodles absorb the liquid and the sauce has thickened a bit, about 3 minutes.
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Remove the pot from heat and serve the pasta fresh.
Calories: 280kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 9gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 1167mgPotassium: 189mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 190IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
