Garlic butter noodles
Spaghetti or egg noodles tossed in foaming garlic butter, parmesan and a splash of starchy pasta water until glossy. Pantry comfort in 15 minutes.
- Prep
- 3 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Serves
- 2
- Per serve
- 620 kcal
Ingredients
Method
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with the salt (an electric kettle speeds this up). Chop the garlic and parsley and grate the parmesan while it heats.
Cook the noodles according to the package directions until just tender, 6 to 9 minutes for egg noodles or spaghetti. Scoop out 1 cup of the cooking water before draining.
About 3 minutes before the noodles are done, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook gently, stirring, until the garlic smells sweet and is just turning pale gold. Don't let it brown.
Add the drained noodles and 1/4 cup of the pasta water to the skillet and toss over low heat until the butter and water come together into a glossy coating.
Take off the heat, add the parmesan and toss again, adding splashes of pasta water until the noodles are silky rather than sticky. Season with black pepper, scatter with parsley and serve with extra parmesan.
Tips
- Don't skip the pasta water. Its starch is what turns melted butter and cheese into a sauce instead of a greasy puddle.
- Add protein if you have it: a fried egg on top, leftover rotisserie chicken or a handful of frozen peas cooked in the pasta pot for the last 2 minutes.
- Traditional parmesan is made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian hard cheese if that matters to you.
