Creamy Garlic Pasta Parsley (Printable Version)

Velvety garlic cream sauce coats tender pasta, brightened with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.

# Ingredient List:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz fettuccine or spaghetti

→ Sauce

02 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
03 - 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
04 - 1 1/4 cups heavy cream (300 ml)
05 - 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (50 g)
06 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
07 - 1/4 tsp salt, plus more to taste
08 - Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

→ Garnish

09 - 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (15 g)
10 - Extra grated Parmesan, for serving

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup (120 ml) pasta water, then drain the pasta.
02 - Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1–2 minutes until fragrant without browning.
03 - Pour in heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
04 - Add grated Parmesan, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Stir until cheese melts and sauce is smooth.
05 - Add drained pasta to skillet and toss to coat evenly in sauce. Adjust consistency by adding reserved pasta water a little at a time if necessary.
06 - Remove from heat and stir in most of the chopped parsley, reserving some for garnish.
07 - Plate immediately and top with remaining parsley and extra grated Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than takeout, and tastes honestly better than most restaurant versions.
  • The sauce is impossibly creamy without being heavy, thanks to the garlic doing all the flavor work.
  • One skillet, ten minutes of actual hands-on time, and people think you're some kind of pasta wizard.
02 -
  • If your cream breaks or looks grainy, you either let it boil hard instead of simmer gently, or you added the cheese too quickly and too hot—next time, keep the heat medium-low and add the Parmesan slowly while stirring constantly.
  • The pasta water is genuinely your best friend here; a little starch makes the sauce coat the noodles instead of sliding off, and the salt in it season everything better than adding more salt does.
03 -
  • Grate your Parmesan fresh and use high-quality butter—these two things alone make a bigger difference than any technique can.
  • Don't skip tasting the sauce before you serve it; a pinch more salt or pepper often makes it go from good to suddenly perfect.

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